Incident STONEY COVE

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Mark Chase

So my point is, it seems acceptable for say a PADI AOW diver to use a pony and say a SMB and reel, none of which he has been specifically trained in, but to consider swapping to a long hose you consider wrong?

Thats the bit I don't get. Mark Chase

Although in my world, pony & DSMB are part of training, let's awnser
your question.

The occi was an absolute part of his basic training and should be mastered
to a reasonable degree. No different than mask, bouyancy etc.

A pony or DSMB is an addition to the most basic of diving skills, not part
of it. Need to seperate what should have been learned at the start with
additional elements added later.

T.

PS: Will be seeing my Kent mate this Sun on the U1195 and he will have
your cylinders

[Daz217]

Originally Posted by yazzyfooty

A thought just occurred to me your buddy wasn't Nathan was it Daz?

No not on this occasion

[slip179]

Daz, just read this (had read your Dacor post before). First of all, well done to and your buddy in managing to sort your way through it despite stress levels!

For us more inexperienced divers posts such as these really do help us review skills and at least think about what we would do in similar situations.

A few observations/questions:

Kit config - I know it is a complex and highly emotive subject. I think all of us have to distil the info and make our own decisions. I have noted before that it is one thing to clip things on and arrange at the surface (often before donning kit) but totally another when strapped into kit, under water, begloved, etc. Often people don't actually pull out Octo in buddy check because it is a faff to put it back.

Checking AAS's underwater - how many people do that or were trained to do it?

Having assisted divers in minor difficulty, the support physical presence/contact provides is really signicant. The passing of decision making to the non-distress diver is a response/situation to understand.

Looking at inident reports over the last few years it has been sobering how many fatalities have occured after a diver has surfaced after an incident and then disaapeared below.

So in summary, you dealt with it well so both survived and added to learning, the profile whilst not perfect was OK, you actually got rid of the weight belt at surface, securing the rescue. I hope all my buddies cope as you did.

One final request. I hope the weight belt is found and returned showing the diving community really is supportive.

Well done Daz.

[Daz217]

Thankyou. It is worth noting that although i did ditch the weight belt it was not an automatic response as it should have been. I think it was initially relief that we had made the surface but my buddy was in a state of distress at this point and i was just holding on after inflating all of my bouyancy devices(Suit and BCD)
It took a few seconds after my buddy was frantically thrashing about classic Panic Diver scenario. Yes they do climb all over you etc etc but i am not having a go here it is perfectly understandable and a human survival response. At this point probably 30 seconds ish after surfacing it dawned on me to get rid of the weightbelt.I had firstly shouted for Help several times whilst trying to keep my buddy on the surface.
My Buddy later told me that after i had ditched the weights it supplied immediate bouyancy and reduced the fear of drowning.
Its such a simple thing to do but the stress of the situation caused me to overlook it initially.
Also because we had done Buddy checks i knew that the weight belt was underneath the cummerband of my buddys BCD and that i had to unclip it and open the cummerbund to get to the weights.

[Scubee]

Originally Posted by Daz217

Also because we had done Buddy checks i knew that the weight belt was underneath the cummerband of my buddys BCD and that i had to unclip it and open the cummerbund to get to the weights.

That might be another learning point. Ditchable weights should be easily ditchable and you shouldn't really have to mess around with other bits of kit to get at them. What if it had been someone else - such as another diver who had come to your aid. s/he wouldn't necessarily have known to undo the BC to get rid of weights.

Just my 2p

[Daz217]

Its a fair point and again i knew about it pre dive because we had done the checks. If i am really honest when i saw it i did think thats not ideal but nothings going to happen so we will be fine. Just shows how wrong you can be and that you are taught how to do things for a very good reason.
As i have just PM'd Scubee "Things are alright until they are not"
Again hindsight is a marvellous thing i SHOULD have made an issue of it but i didn't, why? Fear of embarassing my Buddy?
Fear of being seen as a know it all? I don't really know but the lesson is if you see it's not right say so and sort it.It's the best option.

[lucybuykx]

Originally Posted by Scubee

That might be another learning point. Ditchable weights should be easily ditchable and you shouldn't really have to mess around with other bits of kit to get at them. What if it had been someone else - such as another diver who had come to your aid. s/he wouldn't necessarily have known to undo the BC to get rid of weights.

Just my 2p

Scratch head here, but aren't weight belts nearly always underneath cummerbunds? At least partially underneath? Particularly with ladies because they both go round the waist?

[Scubee]

Originally Posted by lucybuykx

Scratch head here, but aren't weight belts nearly always underneath cummerbunds? At least partially underneath? Particularly with ladies because they both go round the waist?

Yes, but there should never be a need to undo the cummerbund to get rid of the weights. The weightbelt should be a right hand release, and the loose end should never be tucked away in case there is a need to ditch.

Certainly, that is the way I was taught, and now teach, as does every instructor i know.

(other weight systems will have different way of ditching, but one thing is sure, it should always be obvious and easy)

[Mal Bridgeman]

I know I am coming to this late but any approach which impedes the divers left hand is faulty in my view. They need this hand to be free to manage their buoyancy on the ascent, which is why the Roman Handshake technique or variant is favoured.

Mal

[Lou]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

I know I am coming to this late but any approach which impedes the divers left hand is faulty in my view. They need this hand to be free to manage their buoyancy on the ascent, which is why the Roman Handshake technique or variant is favoured.

Mal

That was my understanding of the Roman Handshake being done with right hand. Although I had forgotten it was called the Roman Handshake.