Worst Mishap

[vjanelle]

He asked why you didn't use the purge *button* on the front of the second stage instead of "going through your primary & secondary, then having to signal OOG".

You can use the purge button to clear the water while the regulator is in your mouth you know. That really should've been part of your open water training, and you shouldn't have thought you needed to use a complete lungful of air to fill your SMB.. Things you should know before stepping into GUE-F.

 

[mddyver]

My near miss occurred roughly 20 years ago, while free diving for abalone North of Salt Point State Park in Sonoma County, CA. That day Park Rangers had closed the cove to scuba because of the horrible conditions. This is a protected cove routinely used for OW checkouts. In criminal investigations that is generally referred to as a clue.

That day there were waves crashing at the cove entry and a really nasty rip current flowing out. We actually learned that later. Rather than visually check the conditions at the cove, a place we were intimately familiar with, we decided not to pay the entry fee and drove North to get some abalone. Just because it was too dangerous to dive, didn't mean you couldn't free dive was my muddled rationale, if you could call it that.

We parked the car on a deserted stretch of Highway 101 and humped our gear down a steep cliff to the beach. It took three attempts to clear the surf zone. During the first two attempts, the surf break (imagine Monastery Beach on a bad day) kicked our butts. That would have been the second clue.

After finally making it through the break we made it about 30 yards off shore. Of course, zero visibility made free diving for abalone impossible.

At that point, I looked North and saw the wave sets coming in. I had never seen waves that big, moving that quickly. At that point (Clue #3), I informed my buddy we should head back. He wanted to stay. I wished him luck and headed back to shore.

Conditions had deteriorated since we entered. While closing in on the beach, and with my back to the break, I heard an enormous clap caused by the sound of a breaking wave. When the wave caught me, it was so strong, it ripped my mask and both fins off. After I was done rolling, I ended up with mask and both fins in my hands. To this day, I don't know how this could have happened. I put my gear back on made it to shore.

Buddy arrived a few minutes later. We collected our wits, grabbed our gear and headed back to the car.

The enormity of our mistakes hit home when we returned to Salt Point and drove in to observe the conditions in the cove. Four foot breakers hitting the entrance and a really nasty rip current exiting the cove. If the conditions were that bad at a site, routinely used for OW check outs, the conditions we had just exited were well beyond comprehension.

To this day, I remember every detail of that experience. It sometimes invades my dreams. We were young once, and stupid too.

Mike

 

[Leejnd]

Re: Purging regulator. Yes, I purged it in the water, I thought Bubbletrouble was referring to where you purge the regulator while it's in your mouth, if you find you are having trouble breathing off a reg. And while I was taught similar techniques in my training, nothing of the sort came to mind during this little incident.

My problem was that as I inflated my SMB I didn't leave enough air in my lungs to fully purge the reg, so I got a nice mouthful of 56*f seawater when I inhaled and, of course, a bit of it went down the wrong tube. So there I was, in 25 feet down, choking on ice water.

I hope this clears up the confusion.

Peace,
Greg

While I think some in here have been a wee bit hard on you, Greg, the below post is an accurate description of what you should have done first, before trying other regs:

He asked why you didn't use the purge *button* on the front of the second stage instead of "going through your primary & secondary, then having to signal OOG".

You can use the purge button to clear the water while the regulator is in your mouth you know. That really should've been part of your open water training, and you shouldn't have thought you needed to use a complete lungful of air to fill your SMB.. Things you should know before stepping into GUE-F.

I do understand, however, how this might not have come into your head in that first panicked moment, when you were feeling that awful feeling of not being able to breathe. I'm sure you were taught how to do this in OW, but if this is the first time that you found yourself without enough air in your lungs to clear the water out of your reg by blowing, then you just might not have used this little trick before.

These are the types of things that come with experience. Now that you know it, I'm sure the next time you take your reg out and then put it back in your mouth, you'll remember exactly what to do to clear it before sucking in sea water. In fact, the next time you go diving, you should practice this a few times until it feels completely natural.

I've had empty lungs several times when I stuck a reg back in my mouth...but I don't feel any panic over it because I know instinctively I can press that button and BOOM there's the air.

 

[idocsteve]

I was at about 85 feet and about 20 feet or so penetrated inside a rectangular barge that was about 50 feet wide and about 200 feet long. It was a night dive and the vis was poor, I saw a lobster so I put my reel down in the sand below me while I grabbed and bagged the bug. In the less than 1 minute or so it took to get him in the bag I realized I had drifted slightly and my reel was no longer visible in the sand. I realized that I could be in serious trouble because with perhaps 15 minutes of gas remaining it would have been entirely possible to get lost inside the wreck and not find my way out and up before drowning. I circled slowly and found the reel almost immediately but it was a stupid thing to do. I vowed never, ever drop my reel when bagging a lobster while inside a wreck in poor visibility.

 

[Leejnd]

I was at about 85 feet and about 20 feet or so penetrated inside a rectangular barge that was about 50 feet wide and about 200 feet long. It was a night dive and the vis was poor, I saw a lobster so I put my reel down in the sand below me while I grabbed and bagged the bug. In the less than 1 minute or so it took to get him in the bag I realized I had drifted slightly and my reel was no longer visible in the sand. I realized that I could be in serious trouble because with perhaps 15 minutes of gas remaining it would have been entirely possible to get lost inside the wreck and not find my way out and up before drowning. I circled slowly and found the reel almost immediately but it was a stupid thing to do. I vowed never, ever drop my reel when bagging a lobster while inside a wreck in poor visibility.

GULP!

This is the only story in here that actually gave me a cold shiver down my spine. I am only too aware of how quickly you can drift without even knowing it...fortunately the worst thing that's ever happened to me from this kind of drifting is when I lost the nudie I was trying to photograph because I looked away to fumble with something, then looked back and couldn't find the darn thing. But to lose your reel in a wreck...GULP!

Awfully glad you found it! PHEW!

 

[desert_gold_hound]

Re: Purging regulator. Yes, I purged it in the water, I thought Bubbletrouble was referring to where you purge the regulator while it's in your mouth, if you find you are having trouble breathing off a reg. And while I was taught similar techniques in my training, nothing of the sort came to mind during this little incident.

My problem was that as I inflated my SMB I didn't leave enough air in my lungs to fully purge the reg, so I got a nice mouthful of 56*f seawater when I inhaled and, of course, a bit of it went down the wrong tube. So there I was, in 25 feet down, choking on ice water.

I hope this clears up the confusion.

Peace,
Greg

No it doesn't. I don't understand how you didn't know how too clear one in your mouth. I have never heard of clearing it out side the mouth it would just fill with water. And if you clear it in your mouth just choke on through it. Its better too choke through it then get more water in the lungs. This is taught before you even go to the pool section in SDI through there online training. I haven't even taken the pool section yet and I knew this.

I can understand how you could have forgotten this in the situation as panic can do strange things, however; I don't believe for a second they didn't teach you this in OW. If they did not then I think the instructor needs too go back to the basics and learn to dive before he learns to teach.

I am not trying too be rude I just don't understand. I may very well be missing something and if I am I apologize ahead of time.

After I was done rolling, I ended up with mask and both fins in my hands.To this day, I don't know how this could have happened.


(FEW LINES DOWN)

To this day, I remember every detail of that experience. It sometimes invades my dreams. We were young once, and stupid too.

So how did they end up in your hands I missed this detail. J/K

 

[tfsails]

My "worst mishap" was really a "worst near-mishap". I was well into my Ass't Instructor course and was helping teach a bunch of teenage campers how to dive. There were six students in the class and I was to be the student divemaster for the group. As luck would have it, one of the students had ear problems and bailed on the second dive, where we would do a shared-air ascent from a platform at about 12' depth. I was pressed into service as the odd student's buddy, and I was wearing my snorkel as required by that shop when teaching. I have to say here that I have a safe second on my BC in lieu of a standard octo. The student and I briefed what we would do when he signaled that he was out of air.

We get to the platform and when was his turn to do the ascent, I gave him my primary second and stuck my safe second in my mouth. I purged the safe second by exhaling like I always do and noticed something funny about it, so...I took a very tentative breath and, surprise, surprise! I got a mouthful of water. I had stuck my snorkel in my mouth. Fortunately, I didn't inhale any of it. I spat the snorkel out, grabbed the real safe second and stuck it in my mouth only to realize my lungs were just about empty. Good thing I'd learned the purge button trick or I would have had to use my student's octo, or maybe had to bolt to the surface. How embarrassing would that have been??

The funny thing is that I did not learn the purge button trick until I was taking the rescue diver class. That's right--my OW and AOW classes, both from the same instructor, did not include the purge button method of clearing a regulator underwater.

My dive buddy that day was totally oblivious to my near-miss, and I made sure I kept it that way.

 

[Leejnd]

I am not trying too be rude I just don't understand. I may very well be missing something and if I am I apologize ahead of time.

Methinks what's being missed is that we should all lighten up on the guy! This is supposed to be the "kinder, gentler" forum. He's a relatively inexperienced diver - his profile says between 50-99 dives - he had an experience which freaked him out a bit, and he came in here and told us about it. And in classic Scubaboard fashion, he's being eviscerated.

Did all of you remember every single detail from your OW class? His profile says he's been certified for two years...perhaps he simply hadn't had a reason to use that purge button since his class, and the skill just did not pop into his head in that panicked moment. The bottom line is, he did what he had to do to live - he got hisself some air - and I doubt he'll make that same mistake again.

The funny thing is that I did not learn the purge button trick until I was taking the rescue diver class. That's right--my OW and AOW classes, both from the same instructor, did not include the purge button method of clearing a regulator underwater.

Thanks for mentioning this. Sounds like Greg's not the only one who didn't pick up the purge button trick in OW. Now maybe people will lighten up on him!

 

[desert_gold_hound]

The funny thing is that I did not learn the purge button trick until I was taking the rescue diver class. That's right--my OW and AOW classes, both from the same instructor, did not include the purge button method of clearing a regulator underwater.

Ok then wow I know the purge is not new to regs and that SDI strongly pushes how too use this. Who are you all using PADI and if so did you not put enough dollars in to get this info? Now I am concerned that maybe SDI is not teaching something I need to know.

SDI says if you are out of air that you place your tongue as a block to the regulator and press the purge button and SLOWLY sip air as too make sure its not water. They also say that if you are coughing/gagging to do so through the reg so keep it in your mouth.

Methinks what's being missed is that we should all lighten up on the guy!

I am not trying too be harsh on the guy, however; you are right as he told us what happened too him. I come here to learn from others mistakes and then I (not purposefully just not re reading) start too bash him for telling me his mistakes. So my hats off and thanks for being man enough to tell your mishaps so others can learn from them.

I think why others and myself found this one so hard to believe is that the first two things I learned was 1. NEVER STOP BREATHING and 2. How to clear your regulator so you can keep breathing. So to hear that someone didn't know this is like WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW and is a shocker. I hope that everyone can continue too post their near issues here without worrying about any more bashing.

 

[Aerosynth]

I have been loving reading this thread. It somehow makes me feel a little better about my own mistakes, and gives me more confidence, now that I know foul-ups as bad and worse than my own happen to far more experienced divers.