Shed the Lead
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Is there one thing that would make diving safer?
It is a simple enough question and one would assume it has a simple enough answer. The reality is that there are a whole range of little things that you could and should do to both avoid incidents and resolve them as they occur.
For me, one key message is improved buoyancy control which relies on and is directly affected by the fine tuning of weighting and trim. These skills are features taught in the new Buoyancy Workshop to be released very soon. Being correctly weighted adds enjoyment, gas economy and relaxation to a dive.
When all else fails however, there is one single action that can make a substantial change to the outcome of serious incidents. Unfortunately a common factor in many incidents is that the diver was alive and on the surface following an incident but then has tragically sunk again. The simple removal of the weight belt could have significantly reduced the number of these incidents becoming fatal accidents. Underwater, the consequences of weight belt release in an emergency may be more serious because of the reduced ability to control the ascent. However, DCI can be treated and the surface provides an unlimited supply of breathing gas, which may be preferable to the alternative. Therefore there are advantages to having weight belt release as an available option.
Clare Peddie BSAC Chairman |
Shed the Lead
Covered previously in ‘Safety Talk’, the messages of ‘Shed the Lead’ bear revisiting:
Covered previously in ‘Safety Talk’, the messages of ‘Shed the Lead’ bear revisiting:
Emergency Action
One factor that has clearly been implicated in the past, from the annual incident report and in addition highlighted by a number of Coroners Inquests and the diving Press, is that a very simple action could have resulted in the saving of a life.
Simply ditching the weight belt can secure a person on the surface whilst waiting for further assistance (see picture below for an illustration). Underwater is a little more of a judgment call, but it is a fact that ditching a weight belt will ensure a return to the surface where further rescue assistance can be provided and many people would still be alive today if they had followed this simple action.
The skill however, does require some practice to ensure that the weights are released clear of the body, so all divers could benefit from occasional practice in controlled conditions in shallow (no more than chest depth) water.
One factor that has clearly been implicated in the past, from the annual incident report and in addition highlighted by a number of Coroners Inquests and the diving Press, is that a very simple action could have resulted in the saving of a life.
Simply ditching the weight belt can secure a person on the surface whilst waiting for further assistance (see picture below for an illustration). Underwater is a little more of a judgment call, but it is a fact that ditching a weight belt will ensure a return to the surface where further rescue assistance can be provided and many people would still be alive today if they had followed this simple action.
The skill however, does require some practice to ensure that the weights are released clear of the body, so all divers could benefit from occasional practice in controlled conditions in shallow (no more than chest depth) water.
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The picture above shows the diver on the left having ditched his weight belt being significantly higher in the water than his buddy.
Correct Weighting
Do you find you always have a sore back after diving, use much more gas than your buddy or than you used to, find air escaping from your neck seal or even find that whenever you stop finning, you immediately sink to the bottom?
Do you find you always have a sore back after diving, use much more gas than your buddy or than you used to, find air escaping from your neck seal or even find that whenever you stop finning, you immediately sink to the bottom?
All these are signs that you may well be over-weighted. Many divers admit to knowing that they are over-weighted and use it as an excuse to hold more air in their suits to give them more insulation. Many others have simply not recognised it to be a problem and the change often creeps up on them unnoticed, due to accumulation of additional equipment as their experience increases. Sometimes this can be the result of a sequence of changes, from sea to fresh water and back again, as divers forget to remove the extra weight required for seawater and then get used to the extra feel of excess weight and so ‘feel’ underweighted when going to the sea again and so add more unnecessary weight.
As a quick check, “do you sink like a stone” once you start to dump air on a dive? If so, this is a clear sign that you should check your weighting. When you dump air on the surface you should begin to sink slowly, allowing you time to control the changes in your attitude in the water and give you the feeling of being in control. Finding that you rapidly reach the bottom and arrive in a cloud of silt is neither comfortable or safe.
Over-weighting is a phenomenon often identified by instructors when students progress to more advanced courses such as Advanced Nitrox or Extended Range, where good buoyancy control is essential for safe conduct of decompression in mid water, (the record so far is 17lb of excess lead removed from one student on an Adv. Nitrox Course who subsequently admitted this was the first time he had understood what buoyancy control was all about!).
Proper weighting not only makes your diving safer, but also more comfortable and relaxed and therefore enjoyable. Please check your weighting regularly and especially when you change equipment by repeating the exercises at the end of each diver grade in the Diver Training Programme.
Proper weighting not only makes your diving safer, but also more comfortable and relaxed and therefore enjoyable. Please check your weighting regularly and especially when you change equipment by repeating the exercises at the end of each diver grade in the Diver Training Programme.
Think SAFE - Dive SAFE
Any suggestions for further items for inclusion would be welcome and can be made to divesafe@bsac.com
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Page last modified: 18th Jun 2008 - 11:52:34