Cbl

[scubadog]

Firstly, I´m not an instructor...but I have practised this many times, including playing the role of the unconscious diver. On all occasions the depth has been a max of 9 - 9.5 metres.

My question...and there may be more scenarios. You bring an unconscious diver up from 25 - 30 metres ? It may well be at the max NDL time or a few minutes after ?

My question...do you continue with unconscious diver to the surface at a controlled rate ? regardless of depth and time spent at depth ?

Or do you reach 6 metres ( for example ) and allow them to continue....with yourself following any safety stops or deco stops...?

I hope I made myself clear :-)

[Phoenix]

1 casualty is far better than 2, it all depends upon your requirements. If you have a deco obligation then you have to make a judgement call, if you will miss a few minutes deco to get them to the surface then you might be prepared to do that, if it's a longer obligation then that's another matter. There is no simple answer to this question, it depends upon your profile, who the casualty is and the conditions at the time. It's a good idea to run through various scenarios in your mind but ultimately the conditions/situation on the day will influence what you can do.

Ian

[Paul Oliver]

In your question you are asking at the No Stop limit or a couple of minuets after in which case i'm taking them to the surface, making sure they are face up and buoyant, neck extended, getting 2 breaths of air in their lungs and calling for help, etc.

However if i have lots of Deco then its as Ian says, you have to make a call.

I've considered this a lot and it would have to depend on a lot of factors, too many to really speculate on but i've considered 10 min as a max, but think i would bottle it at anything over 5 min, however who knows what i would actually do at the time.

[Garf]

The simple truth is that I have no idea, I would have to weigh up the situation at the time and make a call. That call would be based on deco obligations, how well i knew the person, etc etc etc. Lots of factors as Paul says. More than a few mins deco and I would be quite scared.

Really good question though.

[NeilB]

As has been said lots of factors come into this question.
How well do you know the person - family or friend?
How close is support - boat and recompression chamber?
How much deco do you need to do - safety stop or big deco?
How deep is your deco - 3m, 6m or deeper?

These and lots more will affect what you will do on the day. If you knew your boat crew were competant you could make the casualty bouyant and send him to the surface while you stayed and did your time. However, would you fix your reel to them and let it out as they ascend to make sure they stayed at the surface, or just watch them go up and hope they stayed there?
Or do you ignore the stops and take the casualty to the surface knowing that a helicopter can be there in 5 mins for you both and you have lots of oxygen on board?
All depends on the day.......

[Gavin Smith]

How weird...

I was just talking about this with my regular buddy last night. We were querying why nothing is taught about what to do in case you have obligatory deco.

I'd like to think that I would take my buddy to the surface get them bouyant, shout for help and hopefully descend to recommence my deco.

Gavin

[Paul Oliver]

Originally Posted by Gavin Smith

How weird...

I was just talking about this with my regular buddy last night. We were querying why nothing is taught about what to do in case you have obligatory deco.

I'd like to think that I would take my buddy to the surface get them buoyant, shout for help and hopefully descend to recommence my deco.

Gavin

BSAC teach and it is emphasized quite a bit that DCI can be treated whereas death cannot (generally-my comment) so you should be taking them to the surface.

However this has to be taken in the context of how much deco you are running up, as i feel that for normal recreational diving with only a small amount of Deco we are ok on this.

Once you move into technical areas with long deco then a review is needed - In my opinion.

It should also be clear that safety stops are just that, an extra stop not a deco requirement.

[Gavin Smith]

Originally Posted by Paul Oliver

It should also be clear that safety stops are just that, an extra stop not a deco requirement.

Perhaps I should have clarified - I'vve (nearly) finished Sport Diver which is where CBL's are first tought (I think) and as I understand it I am now theoretically qualified to conduct deco dives.

So how much deco is missable?

[Janos]

This is an interesting conversation for down the pub. Before I start though I would like to say that it's something you should think about BEFORE the situation arrives. It's not a decision I would like to make underwater while the incident is going on.

As soon as you start deco diving in earnest then I think you need to have thought about the answer to this question. Also there's no right and wrong answer (ie no-one should disapprove if you aren't happy missing any deco), and you don't have to tell anyone what you would do beforehand.

The answer also depends on what deco algorithms you are using. BSAC tables allow a longer NDL than my Suunto computer for example.

So crunch time? I like to think I would miss around 10 minutes of stops (not counting the extra 3 minutes the Suunto gives me for safety) for someone. If diving with t'missus then it would be much more difficult. There's no guarantee that you'll get a hit and DCI can generally be treated

Another similar question is if diving in warm clear water on a single 12 with no bottom, and your buddy passes out and starts to sink. You chase after them, but at what depth would you abort the attempt if you can't catch them? 30m / 40m/ 50m / 60m etc etc.

Sobering stuff, but as I say worth thinking about before you get in the water. Not a decision I would like to make underwater...

Janos

[Paul Oliver]

Originally Posted by Gavin Smith

Perhaps I should have clarified - I'vve (nearly) finished Sport Diver which is where CBL's are first tought (I think)

No they are taught on Ocean Diver, the overall rescue technique is improved and expanded on Sport Diver.

and as I understand it I am now theoretically qualified to conduct deco dives.

Once you have passed the course same as the depth progression.