Coroner's Concerns - Divers not dumping weight-belts

[Snash]

Originally Posted by Dominic

Right.. well, if I ever get a video camera, I'll make sure I remember those particular issues then

Well, you did ask the question.... and that scenario killed someone.

and although it may be extreme I think it does demonstrate that against all reason when the sh1t hits the fan that we do not do the logical thing - chuck the camera away or ditch your weightbelt or whatever the situation arising demands.

You can come back for kit, you can't have a second go at life.

Regards

Simon

[Dominic]

Sorry to hear that.

A few years ago, I wandered round the various dive forums, trying to find somebody that could give me one truly good scenario where a well-trained, well-equipped diver could wind up in genuine need of being able to instantly drop his weights.

I'm still looking, hence the question..

[hawkeye]

I am in the middle of doing my OWD course and the instructors are very hot on us practicing dumping weight in readiness for trouble at near surface/surface. Just reading the OWD course book and it says " In an emergancy at the surface, your first reaction should be to be sure you can float. You'd usually do this with your BCD and low pressure inflator, but if that doesn't work (such as if you had an empty tank), ditch you weights!

[MATTBIN]

where's the delete button?

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by Dominic

Why? There's not much to attack it in midwater...

Besides, it's not exactly hard to put air in a drysuit to combat that problem. I'd certainly hit the inflate button before I'd think about ditching weight..

Diving off Beirut with crappy hire gear - no drysuit, just wetsuit. Trying to hover on safety stop, having a few issues (more than usual), realise the overpressure valve on the BC really isn't playing nice anymore and has a leak.

Fotunately I had enough air left to compensate for the leak and it wasn't too bad. Had the thing really gone tits up, I'd have been dumping weight and finishing my stop a little early.

Before I get flamed, yes the lesson has been learnt and I now take the bare minimum of my own gear whenever there is a small chance of a dive.

Originally Posted by Dominic

a well-trained, well-equipped diver

Check one, missing check two

[Norseman]

As always I come in rather late with an "In Norway... " response.

The Norwegian "BSAC" (though not as controversial) has a weight-ditch-fund. You dump your lead, you get the cost of a new belt or equivalent covered.
That should actually be easy to arrange over at yours, despite all the controversy. Heck, it could even be arranged here at YD... 1 pound from all 1800 members? Quite a few belts in there...

People still die from diving accidents here - but it seems to me not at the UK rate. I don't have the statistics but I seem to recall several of our deaths are with solo divers and foreigners trying out cold water diving for the first time.
There was one incident with two brothers, where the one that was NOT in trouble ditched his belt. His brother came up, then went under, and the guy on the surface wasn't able to follow him down...

[DIVE BUDDHA]

i would always ditch my weight belt either just below the surface or just on ariving at the surface even if i was bringing another diver up i wouldnt remove his belt until the surface and then it would be gone because i would remove it for him or her ?? as an uncontrolable ascent is something i hope i never have to contend with!! but doesnt that come down to good bouyancy techniques and a good understanding of body positioning in the water and as for an out of air situation ??what ever happened to good gas management, i can honestly say i would never ever get myself into a position of being low on air and always like to surface with at least 40 bar. so if people want to push the limmits and risk having to come up too quick becuase they havent been watching that little gauge they have on there console well what can i say mmm!!!!

[Kristen]

An exmaple when this can happen is descending when, for whatever reason, who LP inflator to your BC fails (in my case because it had become partially dislodged during entry with a stage).

With 300 bar cylinders and a stage you can start to sink fast after the first few metres. Luckily I removed and reconnected the inflator quickly whilst finning down a slope - only a few seconds (10 at most) but surprising how quickly you can descend and if the problem had persisted I could quickly have been at some depth with the problem not solved (agreed at that time it would be time to think about other things).

Sometimes you can concentrate too much on one solution and by the time you think of others they may not be viable....

[Paul Oliver]

Hi all,

Well i use a very cheap weight belt so i have no hesitation in dumping it if i need to. I have done so once when i was adrift in the Thames Estury in a bit of chop and was loseing sight of the Boat, which due to Cr*p boat handling had its prop fould on the shot line.

This was also my first dive carrying a flag, which was the first and only time i have had to use it.

As Rhib divers we practice in water weightbelt release every dive, and any who cannot release theirs with ease get a hard time.

We also make our own weights, we have a pile of lead at the back of our boat garages (i knew i would find a use for the Catholic Church one day ). To get some free weights all members have to do is spend an couple of hours doing some moulding.

Dive Safe

Paul

[BJ]

[quote=Dominic] could give me one truly good scenario where a well-trained, well-equipped diver could wind up in genuine need of being able to instantly drop his weights.

I was using a brand new wing BC with twin tanks. I was wearing a wetsuit. I came up after the dive to the back of the boat and fully inflated the wing. The inner bag split and the effect was deflationary. I grabbed the boat ladder as I passed down it. I hope I would have had the presence of mind to drop my weights if I could not have grabbed the ladder. it has only happened once, but once is enough.

What about the guy with twins and slings who jumped off the boat without his gas turned on or BC connected? We will never know which. It happened off Dover a couple of years ago.

You can read what happened to Telegraph reporter David Graves in the next edition of Diver Mag (out next week). He would be here today if he had the presence of mind to drop his weights or blow air orally into his BC.

I would like to think there never is a reason to drop weights but it does seem that things can happen at the surface which demand a radical approach to buoyancy control.