BOV Ever Used in Anger?

Yup.

In the event of a real C02 hit, as those of us who have suffered them can tell the others, all intellectual interaction with the situation ends so friggin' fast that it's scary. You *will not be willing* to take out your DSV and switch. You cannot simulate this, and you cannot learn it an easy way. It's TERRIFYING. I'll say this again: YOU WILL NOT BE WILLING TO REMOVE THE DSV FROM YOUR MOUTH. Example: I had a guy on the surface undergoing a C02 hit. He was *literally* dying on the surface. He has a good set of wings, and a good suit. His head was *above water*. All he had to do was to fill the wings and spit out the DSV. We had not less than 5 people shouting at him to do so. I looked him in the eyes (he made eye contact with me), and very slowly yelled *FILL YOUR WINGS AND SPIT OUT THE DSV*. A moment later he went limp and started sinking. He was at 10 feet and sinking when I collared him (fully clothed, mind you) and dragged him to the surface. In the on-boat debrief that afternoon, I asked him why he didn't breathe surface air. His answer was that he had no clue, that his feeling was that he was suffocating and that there was NO WAY IN HELL that he would spit out the ONLY THING KEEPING HIM ALIVE (even though it was *exactly* what was killing him). This is a classic human factor. It's predictable. You can deny it, but you'll probobably act the same way under the same circumstance. Better to simply accept it as a human factor and then remediate the risk by using the proper kit.

BOV's are an essential piece of kit. It's like an aerobatic pilots parachute. You can debate the good/bad before you fly all you like, but those who have used them when they were needed don't ever debate it again. Those that didn't have them when they needed them? They are not here to tell us about it....


BOV's? Use one.


Dave