Kitting up quick: It's a life or death thing...

[Pierre Farrugia]

Hello Mark,
In my opinion, when things like these happen, you have to look back and learn and make a point not to happen again. Mostly your Inst. is to blame.
How in earth A TRIMIX INST. doing a deco trimix 50m dive do:
A - Being on a CCR, no rule of thirds for you, if you had a total failure and lost all gas, did he had enough bottom mix for you?
B - Have a different schedule and not being able to monitor you all trough deco (not that you are not good or able to do it)but you have paid to be looked after, you are training so if you make any mistakes your inst. can rectify, show them to you and not endanger your life by a mistake. If you lost deco gas? had an O2 hit? At least did you had a buddy?
C - Getting into the water in a rush is not good as mistakes are easily made. Your Inst. didn't even bother to give you a look before the dive, also if I had an Inst on a trimix dive I want him to be near perfect and does not hurry me in . Me and buddy normally do not do a buddy check, such a harness or other things as we are very familiar with our kit but infront of student, everything as perfect as possible.

Mark I am not blaming you, nothing at all, you paid money so that these errors could not happen when you are not with an 'experienced diver such as your inst' Also good luck for your course.

[John Gulliver]

It's not as dramatic as Mark's story but the following story I posted on Divernet last spring is another example of how dangerous it can be if you let somebody rush you while kitting up for a dive.
http://www.diverforum.co.uk/talkforu...osts/5537.html


(Edited by John Gulliver at 9:27 am on Feb. 12, 2003)

[budgy]

Hi John, I have also had simular experience of allowing myself to be rushed to the extent of overlooking my own safety.  Mark, I don't think I would dive with that instructor again. In fact I don't think I would want to be on the same boat.

[Mark Chase]

Thanks for all the replys.

A few things I had better clear up

My instructor did ask me if I minded him being on CCR and a diferent deco profile and I said no problem.

We had done deco procedures together prior to this dive where he did mirror my deco profiles exactly and he knew I could hold a stop.

I have done over 40 logged accelorated deco gas switch dives prior to this one and he knew that. We had done at least three reg swaping drills on each dive to date.

I was carrying a 50% and 85% stage and a twin set so had more than adiquate bail out for the planned 25min bottom time

The instructor had a 3ltr trimix bail out on the side of his CCR and a long hose, which would get me to my first gas switch stop no probelm.

The leak on the 50% was a small streem of bubbles from the high presure port, but it could have got worse. So the bottle was switched OFF. It was not switched on again untill I hit my 21m stop. If the O ring had blown I had a back up table for lost travel gas and would have compleeted the dive switching back to back gas and deco on the 85%. My instructor knew this.

There was a drop tank on the boat and I had a yellow blob. My instructor knew this and knew I knew the drill.

The helium was only 23/20 so the chill factor was not a big deal but I also had tables for a 15min bail out profile and my instructor knew that too.

I had done over 25 dives with this instructor prior to this day so he knew me quite well.

We didnt do a kit check before getting in the water and that was wrong and I rushed the kit up and that was very wrong. Looking back at the dive I agree that Paul should have done a kit check before jumping in perhaps we had just falen into the well known dive buddy trap. Whoops. Apart from that the cock ups were all my own as was the decision not to call the dive. I was happy to continue and I think Paul had confidence in me that I could sensably make that decision.

I can see why some of the criticisisams have been raised and I hope this has gone some way to clarifiing the story but I have to say that I have been very happy with Paul as my instructor and if you have read some of my other posts you will see that I am not overse to handing out a bit of criticisium to instructors.

Please note that this dive did not realy deserve two stages. Almost every other diver on the boat had a single 7 of 80 or 100%. I took two stages as practice for deeper dives. It wasent realy travel gas it was just an additional deco gas but I was practicing for the real thing. This potential gas loss was no reasion to call this particular dive. IMHO

Also on helium in the suit 23/20 is not going to get you skin bent theres not enough helium.

All the best

Mark Chase

[Andy the Coastie]

Hi Mark,,

This instructors surname  doesn't begin with D and end in Y ,,,,  does it ?

ANdy

[Steve S]

Hi Mark,
after a bad experience early on in my diving career I make it a point not to allow myself to be rushed.

Glad you are ok.

Safe diving,
Steve.

[Mr T.]

At the risk of sounding glib, like I always say, 'Right rather that Rushed'. Gotta chime with the rest here and say this instructor geeza needs a word with himself.

Who made the call on slack being a further 30 mins away and then changing on a six-pence to 'NOW'? Either the Skipper doesn't know the site and/or tides well enough (possible, but unlikely), or the instructor wanted to see how you reacted under pressure - never a good idea when divers should always get into the water with a cool, calm if contemplative mind-set.

And I agree again, anyone pulls a stunt like that on me (i.e. "we're going now!") when insufficient time has been allowed to square myself away for the dive, then he will quite happily get told to 'Foxtrot Oscar' (assuming the delay isn't down to me).

Any way, as has been said, you came out of it (albeit alone) and have learnt from it. The irony being that being quick on the surface can bring you problems (as we've seen), being quick at any depth to retrieve a situation can save your life.

Take care mate and let us know how you get on. Dive safe.

[Mark Chase]

Totaly agree on the rapid kitting up bit. Thats why I said I wasn't diciplined enough to do CCR (shame coz I love the idea. It's an engeneraing thing). I should have not rushed and just said NO I need 10 more min's. I was more worried about looking like a slow coach than my own safety. Not good and NOT going to hapen again.  

I definatly will remember this dive and will take 'MY' time  in the future.

I have a feeling that now Paul has seen me screw up in a rush he will be a bit more attentive on the next dive. I think I lulled him into a false sense of security.

I have done a few 45m plus dives but not so many that I dont get nervous before the dive. That and the sudden call to go and the added presure of performing for the instructor added up to a small cluster f##k. The problem with the kitting up occured because we asked the skipper what time we would be in the water and he said 9.00. We arrived at 8.30 ready in dry suits but didnt think we were going for another 30mins. Then the skipper said GO ?? at 8.35. The Moll has a small slack window and a fast current after slack which we all knew, and thats what put the presure on. I dont know for sure but I think the skiper put the shot in and suddenly realised we were in slack water streight away when the tell tail on the surface didnt drag back.

This was my first dive on this boat so I cant say much about the skipper other than he is a man of few words. That said the opther divers knew him well from his previous boat DS9 and they seem to rate him OK.

Any old how

15th March and it looks like the Moll again. If you see Defiant leeving Littlehampton look out for me I will be the only diver kitted up and ready to go in before leaving dock

Mark Chase    

[Davey Willo]

LOL!! nice one Mark, great to see that you've been able to take so many positives from it all..

And yes I agree, these day's I'm usually sat fully kitted by the time the boat pulls on station cos I hate being rushed too..

Best of luck with the rest of your training mate, I'll be following suit soon.... gulp!! ;)

[Mdemon]

This level of training is beyond me currently, but I'd like to say that I love this sort of honest report - a wise man learns from other people's mistakes and all that...

I don't think you need to be too hard on yourself Mark - I agree with the others about the instructor's performance.

For the record, I hate being rushed.   I like to turn up to a dive with as much assembled and ready to go as possible.  The way I cope with those occasions where a rush is unavoidable is that I always do the same thing, and in the same order.  The other thing I do, and it's the hardest thing to do, is to be as firm as possible in letting people know I'm not ready.  They can bump their gums as much as they like - it won't get me in the water any quicker!  In return, I always try to be as patient as I can when other people are faffing about trying to get ready; they don't need any extra pressure from me.  Even if it is gas mark 4 and rising in my dry suit!

By the way, is trimix as good to breathe as everyone says it is?