BSAC

January 2005     05/047
Two divers conducted a dive to 33m using rebreathers. At 33m one of the pair noticed a bad taste build up and changed to his open circuit bail out system. They aborted the dive and started their ascent. He checked again at 17m but the bad taste remained. The dive was terminated with a duration of 26 min. The diver was placed on oxygen once out of the water. No subsequent ill effects were experienced. It is thought that the cause was cleaning fluid in the gas loop.

January 2005     05/050
A diver was preparing to conduct a dive to 9m using a rebreather. He had conducted pre-checks the previous night and he re-checked the unit prior to use. He put the unit on and walked to the water's edge where he conducted pre-dive buddy checks. During these checks the rebreather exploded and caught fire. The oxygen valve could not be shut and smoke billowed from the unit. Others helped him to remove the rebreather which was then dropped into the water. It was then recovered from the water and oxygen continued to leak from it until the cylinder was depleted. Damage was found to the cylinder valve first stage, the high pressure hose and gauge and the low pressure hose to the manifold. The carbon dioxide scrubber container was burned, the cover catches were blown off and the whole system was covered by a greasy carbon deposit. No injuries were sustained.

February 2005     05/052
A group of divers were engaged in a nitrox training course. A number of the trainees reported that their breathing gas did not taste right. When checked, the gas in these cylinders appeared to contain the odour of some solvent. Four cylinders were affected. The pillar valve was removed from one of these cylinders and it was found that the neck of the cylinder had been painted internally. This cylinder was also found to contain rust. Nitrox 32 had been ordered but cylinders contained a range from nitrox 21 to nitrox 34. No ill effects resulted from these issues.

February 2005     05/101
Two divers were 4 min into a dive at a depth of 18m when the regulator of one of the pair started to free flow. This diver made a rapid ascent to the surface. At the surface she removed her BCD and cylinder and dumped them. She also removed her dry gloves. The gloves were sealed to her drysuit and this opened her drysuit to flooding. She was quickly recovered into a boat and placed on oxygen. Her buddy surfaced 8 min after her. Her diving equipment was later recovered from underwater and it was found difficult to release the weights from the pocket system of the BCD. No subsequent ill effects were reported. This diver had a membrane drysuit and without her BCD and with her suit unsealed by the removal of her gloves she would have been in significant difficulties if the boat had not arrived as quickly as it did.

March 2005     05/064
Two divers conducted a dive to a maximum depth of 35m. 9 min into the dive one of the pair experienced a mild free flow of his regulator. He switched to his octopus regulator which also began to free flow. He took his buddy's octopus regulator but, in doing so, he dislodged his buddy's face mask causing it to flood. The buddy's octopus regulator gave him a mouthful of water so he switched back to his own, free flowing regulator. During this time they had stirred up silt and they lost sight of each other. Both made an ascent to the surface during which the buddy's regulator also started to free flow. Their ascents were faster than normal. Once out of the water both were placed on oxygen. No ill effects were experienced. Subsequent examination showed that one of the regulators had suffered a build up of salt crystals.

March 2005     05/099
A diver was at his maximum depth of 20m when his regulator began to free flow. He made a rapid ascent to the surface. His dive duration was 3 min. He was placed on oxygen. No subsequent ill effects were experienced. The water temperature was 5 deg C.

March 2005     05/286
Two groups of divers entered the water together for a dive. One pair and one group of three. They descended a shotline to a depth of 29m. One of the group was near the bottom when his main regulator began to free flow. The divers ascended together with the diver with the free flow still breathing from this regulator. At 20m his contents gauge was reading 50 bar so he switched to the octopus regulator of one of the other divers. They completed a 1 min safety stop at 3m and then surfaced. No subsequent ill effects were experienced.

March 2005     05/083
An instructor and two trainees conducted a dive to a maximum depth of 18m. They were practicing the deployment of a delayed SMB mid-water. One of the trainees was filling the buoy with his alternative regulator when it began to free flow. The free flow could not be stopped. At this point the trainee had 100 bar in his cylinder. The instructor signalled the ascent. The diver with the free flow and the instructor ascended together and the other trainee ascended a little below them, winding in the SMB line. At 3m the free flow stopped and the trainee gave the 'out of air' signal and started to sink. The instructor gave his alternative air source to the trainee and took hold of him. They sank back down to 13m at which point the instructor used his drysuit buoyancy to bring them to the surface. At the surface the instructor held on to the trainee whilst he orally inflated his BCD. All were safely recovered from the water and no subsequent ill effects were experienced. Their total dive time was 15 min. The water temperature was 5 deg C.

April 2005     05/085
A diver was conducting a demonstration lesson on an instructor training course. He was at a depth of 12m and he used his alternative air source to inflate a delayed SMB. The regulator began to free flow. He ascended with his students and inflated his BCD at the surface. The instructor trainer then turned off the air supply to the regulator. All were safely recovered from the water and no subsequent ill effects were experienced. Their total dive duration was 16 min and the water temperature was 7 deg C.

April 2005     05/116
Two divers conducted a dive to a maximum depth of 22m. At this depth the weightbelt of one of the divers came loose. He struggled to solve the problem and two other divers helped. They made their ascent by following a sloping contour towards the surface. They made a 2 min stop at 7m before surfacing. Their dive duration was 17 min. The diver who had had problems with his weightbelt was quite shaken by the experience. He was placed on oxygen. No subsequent ill effects were experienced.

May 2005     05/140
Three divers entered the water to conduct compass training. One of the three was using a new regulator that had only been used on one other open water dive. When they entered the water this regulator free flowed. The diver stopped the free flow by turning it down into the water. At 15m he noticed that his octopus regulator was free flowing. One of his buddies offered his alternative air source and the diver took it. Bubbles from the regulator obscured visibility and the other buddy took the free flowing regulator and held it out of the way. The free flow had reduced the diver's air to close to zero. They settled onto the bottom at 20m. The buddy who had provided the alternative air source then commenced a controlled buoyant lift. All three made a controlled ascent to the surface. The diver who was out of air used his BCD emergency cylinder to gain surface buoyancy. All three left the water safely.

May 2005     05/128
An instructor was engaged in a 'Try dive' session in a swimming pool. He was at a depth of 3m with a trainee. The instructor was kneeling on the bottom of the pool when the mouthpiece became detached from his regulator. He reached for his octopus regulator and put this in his mouth. However the mouthpiece became detached from this regulator too. He indicated to the trainee to ascend and the instructor made a free ascent to the surface, breathing out as he did so. Both left the pool safely. The regulator had been recently serviced. No sign of any mouthpiece fastening band was found during a search of the pool bottom. The case was referred to the service agent.

May 2005     05/134
Two divers descended to a depth of 20m in a quarry and started to swim on a compass bearing. One of the pair felt that his regulator was not providing air normally and he checked the manual settings on the second stage. He decided to continue but then, 1 min later, he could hear bubbles and he stopped his buddy. The regulator then began to free flow gently. He checked his contents gauge and found that the pressure had dropped 90 bar in 8 min. The divers started their ascent and as they rose the free flow became violent, filling the water with bubbles and obscuring the divers' vision. They made a slightly faster than normal ascent to the surface. At the surface they were recovered into a boat and brought to the shore. They were placed on oxygen for 2 hours and medical advice sought. No symptoms were experienced by either diver and no further action was taken.

June 2005     05/150
A trainee instructor was engaged in an instructor training course. With his instructor he dived to a maximum depth of 12m. At a depth of 8m he was demonstrating regulator clearing when his regulator began to free flow. The escaping gas made the regulator rise up above the trainee and he had difficulty locating it. The instructor gave the valve back to the trainee who tried to breathe from it. Meanwhile the instructor made ready his pony regulator. The free flow continued and the student struggled to breathe from the regulator. The instructor gave the student his pony regulator and they made a slightly faster than normal ascent to the surface. Their dive duration was 8 min. No subsequent ill effects were experienced.

June 2005     05/154
A pair of divers conducted a wreck dive to a maximum depth of 24m. At the end of the dive one of the divers gripped the wreck with his legs and deployed a delayed SMB. As the buoy rose he tried to use the reel ratchet to control its ascent rate. The ratchet did not work and the buoy accelerated. The line then became jammed on the reel. He then attached his buddy's reel to his jammed reel and used this to complete the SMB deployment. They made a safe ascent to the surface. Subsequent examination of the reel indicated a fault with the ratchet lever spring.

June 2005     05/205
Two divers conducted a wreck dive to a maximum depth of 26m. At the end of the dive, with a 50 bar reserve, they prepared to deploy a delayed SMB. They had to move to another location because of crowding by other divers. During the move, one of the divers' weightbelts became detached and she had to fin back down to the wreck where she held on with her legs. The buddy passed stones to her which she put in her BCD pockets. They deployed the SMB but the reel jammed and it was released. The buoyant diver then ran out of air and switched to her pony cylinder. The buddy gave the diver more weight to carry and they started their ascent. At 13m the diver's pony cylinder ran out and she signalled 'out of air' to her buddy. The buddy gave her his octopus regulator and they completed their ascent to the surface. They called for assistance and were recovered into their boat. The computers did not indicate any missed stops but one showed a fast ascent and was in emergency mode. The divers were monitored but no symptoms of DCI developed.

June 2005     05/165
Two divers entered the water and commenced their descent down a shotline. There was a strong current and they had to pull themselves down the line. They exchanged OK signals as they descended. At the bottom one of the divers discovered that she was out of air and signalled to her buddy. He gave her his octopus regulator and they made a safe ascent up the shotline. It was later determined that the octopus regulator of the diver who was out of air had been free flowing in the current during the descent. The current had carried the bubbles away and neither diver was aware of the problem.

June 2005     05/178
Two divers conducted a dive to a maximum depth of 13m. During this dive one of the pair felt a 'bit odd'. The following day they dived to a maximum depth of 24m. The same diver developed a headache which progressively worsened. He felt that he might pass out and moved to a shallower depth. He indicated to his buddy that he had a serious headache and the buddy indicated that he had the same. On surfacing they discovered that they had the same symptoms; headache, nausea, excessive burping and general weakness. They concluded that their air had been contaminated and they sought medical advice. A visit to the compressor revealed that it was situated in an area close to open tins of hypochlorite acid and other agricultural chemicals. Exposed to these conditions the divers again felt ill. They report subsequent chest and throat problems. The cylinders had been filled on a day when the air temperature was high.

July 2005     05/265
An examiner was diving with an exam candidate to a depth of 22m. The examiner was using a rebreather. About 15 min into the dive he inverted to get a close look at something. When he inhaled he got a mouthful of water. It tasted as if it had come in contact with the carbon dioxide scrubber. When the water hit the back of his throat it caused him to gag. He bailed out onto an open circuit system containing nitrox 40. He had to force himself to breathe steadily and it took him some time to regain control of his breathing. He coughed sporadically for a few minutes. Once he had settled they continued the dive. Their dive duration was 36 min. Once back on the boat he gargled with fresh water. No subsequent ill effects were experienced.

September 2005     05/254
Three divers were conducting a drift dive at a maximum depth of 18m. 26 min into the dive the low pressure hose of one of the divers' regulators ruptured at the connection point to the second stage regulator. The diver swam to one of his buddies who gave him his main regulator and switched onto his pony regulator. Visibility was reduced around the divers by the bubble cloud and the hose thrashed around in the water hitting one of the divers. The buddy then managed to turn the cylinder off. The two divers made an uncontrolled fast ascent from 15 to 7m. At 7m they managed to reduce their rate of ascent and rose to the surface slightly faster than normal. The third diver went with them. No subsequent ill effects were experienced by any of the divers.