33 replies to this topic

[Dive_Girl]

There was one time when diving off Camp Lejeune NC, I rolled INTO the boat. For some reason I was facing outboard, pulled on my gloves and mask then THUD, laying on my back in the boat. That was almost three years ago, I am still getting the jokes for that one!

[peterbj7]

One of the dumbest things I've ever done was actually a few days ago.  It had the potential for being fatal, but good training meant it was just another incident to deal with (I mean the training I received, not any training I may give others!).  It involved mounting two auxillary cylinders to my rebreather the wrong way round, and then connecting one to the machine at depth.  Amazing how fast the pO2 of a loop shoots past 2.6 when you flush with pure oxygen at 160'.

Lesson to learn - you and you alone are responsible for your own gear and its configuration, and it's no use blaming anyone else when the unmentionable substance hits the whirling object.  Other than generally needing to be more careful in future, it did teach me that every output from a tank holding a rich mix (in this case pure oxygen) needs to be clearly marked so it can be distinguished by feel, not just the second stage as I had thought previously.

If there are readers who don't understand some of this I apologise - I'll explain if anyone REALLY wants me to.  But the lesson is for everyone.

yikes!

Hope you followed that with dil pretty quick....... how long would it take you to breathe that back down?!?

Non-rebreather divers switch to another topic now.

I had been diving 10/50 and wanted to eliminate the helium, which is why I intended to flush with air. As soon as the alarm sounded I checked the computer and realised what had happened, so I stopped breathing but with the loop still in my mouth, made doubly certain that the air tank was on my right (so that I hadn't by mistake taken down two oxygen cylinders), turned it on, came off the loop and onto air OC.

Then I found I had a buoyancy problem that was difficult to solve with the loop floating above my head. Solved that by staying put, disconnected and swapped the stage tanks, and reconnected the air correctly to the diluent side. All this time on OC. Then flushed the loop with air until the computer showed something acceptable.

Then back onto the loop and again flushed without breathing, as the free loop that had been floating would still have pure O2. Finally resumed breathing from the loop. Whole process probably took 5 or 6 minutes during which I should have been ascending and couldn't with a loop I couldn't bleed. And I used more of my OC air than I would have liked. And I felt far from relaxed for the rest of the dive. Not something I want to repeat.

Edited by peterbj7, 12 August 2005 - 06:11 PM.

[SquattingRadishDM]

now I see why you call it "flying" a rebreather.

[Marvel]

I think I want to come dive with you, Peter!

OK, my dumb story (or at least one of them). A few months ago I was out on a boat &, as is my custom, took a seat at the back of the boat. Although not extemely rough that day, we were bouncing a little as we drove out to the first dive site. Well, I was holding my mask in my hand, not something I usually do, & started doing something else & talking to my dive buddies at the same time. A few minutes later, I realized that my hand was empty- no mask in. Somewhere during the course of those few minutes, I had gotten distracted & had just opened my hand. Naturally, being on the back of the boat, it was just ... gone. I have no recollection of letting go- I only know that my hand was empty. Pity, I had just bought the mask a month before & really liked it BUT never fear- I carry a back up so I grabbed it out of my bag, all the while laughing at myself (& cursing myself silently for my stupidity) & made my first dive. No biggie- a learning experience on how important my routine is to me. I had broken it by not wrapping the mask strap around my unused tank as I usually do & I paid a small price, right? Well, guess again- can we say "blonde?" Back on the boat during the surface interval & moving to the next site. Do I go back to my tried & true routine? NO! Again, I find myself holding my mask in my hand & talking & swapping tanks, etc. Do I even have to say it? I think not, but I will confess all. That's right, without relalizing it AGAIN, I suddenly find myself empty-handed with no mask in sight. Luckily, the DM was a friend of mine & I was able to convince her (I still don't know how) to lend me her mask for the second dive. Needless to say, that mask came off my face & went right into her hands as soon as I was back up the ladder...... :anna2: