Diver Left Stranded

[Derrick]

One of the divers that was on charter when it happened works at the same company as I do. He posted the following on scubaboard.com.



Derrick

[Groovekitty]

Arguing semantics is not much of an argument. These guys are strokes and thankfully this time no one was killed, but with strokes it's just a matter of time.

[JoelW]

The post below is an example of why I don't talk DIR with anyone but the people I took the class with and the instructors that I took the class from. There is little like the zeal of the newly converted.

Just as a side note, Moderator has the word moderate (as in not to an extreme) as it's base. But that is just semanitcs. I am looking forward to seeing the other sub-forum is Moderated.

JoelW

[Groovekitty]

I totally agree with the fact that this is not just a DIR thing. I just find it frustrating to hear these stories every few months when there are procedures in place that, when followed, save lives.

With DIR training the buddy and team message hits home.

In PADI and NAUI - you have to stay with your buddy - why is it then that this message does not seem to sink in with people trained by these other organizations?

Joel - why would I have to be apologetic about a new set of learned skills which have tremendously improved my diving? I am not trying to rub anyone the wrong way, but why do these things keep happening over and over again when they can be so easily avoided regardless of diving style or training agency? Like you said, this is not a DIR issue - it just does not come up when you follow DIR protocol.

~Amber*

[nomads]

Joel, I think she missed your point. I agree with you. As they say, "there is no one more holy than a reformed sinner". Paul

[DiveCaptDean]

Would a DIR individual.. please educate me on the finer points of DIR's buddy system, and why it is so much better than other agencies. I dont feel that this is at all a DIR issue. I am a Captain, and I think it falls entirely on the captain and crew..If the crew is a DM or two on the boat,then so be it. You do an appropriate head count before you ever fire your engines...If you dont turn them off during a dive, then you do it before you put transmissions in gear. Taking the opportunity to call people strokes, and or using this lesson/tradgedy to push DIR.....WRONG WRONG WRONG. My guess is that DIR's buddy check system is very similar to all other agencies. Yes, the buddies failed....i think it is possible that this could happen with any agencies certification......The fact is..The captain and crew are paid to do their F@%&ING jobs.....that is where the real failure is. I think for this failure, there are a couple of people that should lose their certifications and licenses...

[Freedive WI]

I don't think this is a proper venue to discuss DIR. THis really has nothing to do with DIR. Any boat captain should have taken responsabitly for this, just as Dean said.

To start calling people strokes for this just drives a wedge and doesn't add anything positive to this conversation- and this comes from a huge DIR advocate. Deep air and solo divers are strokes, this was just a snafu.

From other articles that I have since read on this incident, it appears that it was a larger charter boat, not just the 4 divers. It also seems that the divemaster (Zacharias Araneta) really dropped the ball on this one- signing a diver in on one dive and out on another when he never got on the boat. :

As far as the DIR buddy team goes, well, let's just say there are no "solo-diver" C-cards in the DIR roster. Divers are also taught to make eye-contact with their buddy at least once a minute while underwater, or more. When doing gas switches at deco divers are to have face-to-face eye contact while one diver switches at a time to make sure that the buddies are on the right mix. That doesn't mean other agencies don't teach that, it's just not stressed to the same magnitude.

In the end this was more the fault of the buddy who called out a name, and the divemasters, as there was more than one, who failed to do a proper head count. I can understand how hard this can be on a packed boat with lots of divers, much more so than on any little 6-pack, but that doesn't mean there's ever an excuse for it.

In the end, I guess that's another reason to borrow money from the captain before you dive- to make sure he'll come back for you.

Jon

[scubadog76]

Can you tell me with 100% certainty, that 2 divers following the DIR method to a T, will never have a dive accident. There is not one single agency, method or even feng shuai that can prepare you for every situation you will encounter. With years worth of training for paramedics on how to perform cpr, do you think in any of their manuals it covers how to perform cpr on conjoined twins. Training is for standard occurances. S##t happens! The Titanic was unsinkable. Boy Bands were unthinkable. French water was undrinkable! (Evian is naive spelled backwards) and here we are > :o 8) ??? : :-[ :-X :-\ :-* :'(

[FMT]

I don't think this is a proper venue to discuss DIR. THis really has nothing to do with DIR.
Any boat captain should have taken responsabitly for this, just as Dean said.

To start calling people strokes for this just drives a wedge and doesn't add anything positive to this conversation- and this comes from a huge DIR advocate. Deep air and solo divers are strokes, this was just a snafu.

Well said Jon.
I think we have had enough of DIR and anti-DIR for this thread. Move on.
Thank you.
THE MODERATOR

[lrmoll]

Some time ago I came across a description of a diver board. When you dive you move your chip to the diving section of the board with your buddy. When you get back you put it back on the main board. I don't remember for sure but I believe it was offered by DAN free to dive masters and boat operators.