Bad day diving

bobmaggi · 9th December 2006, 19:52

Today was not a good day to be diving

- at least not for me!

Myself and an OC friend were planning a dive in river to attempt to locate and retrieve an anchor & chain I found a couple of months ago. Now that I am getting a boat I thought I could save some money by getting this anchor I had seen on a earlier dive. Weather conditions could be better, the sun was out but air temp was 27 degrees F with a lot of wind blowing.

The first warning sign came; as I was putting my drysuit on my buddy announced that he had left his wingnut and washers home and didn't have any way to fasten his backplate and wing to his doubles. So we jump in the car (he's still in his dry suit - I'm in my undergarments) to the dive/boat shop down the road. Dispite the unusual looks and questions, we get the hardware.

We get back to the river and the portable ice shanty we use as a changing room has blown all the way across the parking lot. We retrieve it and position the car to try to keep it from blowing away.

We get down into the water over the ice covered concrete blocks on the bank and realize the current is a bit stiffer than normal in this area. Into the water and get our fins on - next problem. Each of us can only get one fin on, the undergarments aren't permitting enough movement to get both on and still be able to hang on and not get swept downstream. So we assist each other on getting our fins on.

Fingers are now starting to get cold so we start down. I dump all my air and start to crawl down the concrete until I get to the river bottom. I adjust my O2 levels and wait for my buddy. The vis is about 2 feet at the bottom of 14 feet and water temp is 36.

I remembered that my buddy was downstream of me so I waited for him to catch up. After a couple of minutes of no buddy, I started back up the concrete.

The next thing I know my right foot is stuck! I can't see what the problem is but I figured I caught a branch or rebar in the concrete with my twin jet fins. No problem, just push back and wiggle the foot to get it off - only this time it won't come free??!!?? The next thought is: take the fin off and then retrieve the fin.... Well, that actually worked, the fin was stuck on rebar that had a bit of a hook on the end which is why I couldn't get it off earlier. So I try to put the fin back on in this ripping current, one hand trying to hold on and was pretty much unsuccessful. So I decided to finish my crawl back up to the surface and re-assess.

I hadn't gone another 3 feet and my left fin was stuck! Talk about your unlucky days... I tried to get a better grip on the concrete with my one hand, the other is holding the previously lost fin and the worst possible thing happened.. the concrete chunk came loose. The current flipped me over so now I'm hanging by one fin. I immediately noticed that my breathing rate had elevated a bit so the first order of business was to check the O2 and bump it up alot. At this point there isn't anything in reach to grab, just me flailing in the current.

Once I felt my breathing was under control I tried to figure out my options; the current was too strong to bend my body against it so the only thing that made sense at this point was to break free of the stuck fin. So, using my finless foot, I managed to push the spring strap down far enough to break free.

Now I'm in the current, one fin in my hand and feet that are fairly useless in these conditions. Luck for me another large concrete chunk slid into view and I managed to snag it with my free hand. I made sure everything was OK other than my HID light which gone out. I wanted to try and restart it but at this point my fingertips had no feeling and I couldn't feel the switch on the cannister. I figured I would give it one chance to recover the fin so I carefully pulled myself upstream. It was fairly dark but I managed to see my fin siloetted against the surface light and was able to get it back.

So with 2 fins in hand, I started the crawl up the river bank.
Just when you think you're out of the woods, I was in 4 feet of water, the concrete under my free hand came completely free and now I'm in the river, no fins and nothing else to grab!

I thoght lets get this over with, fully inflated my wing and got on the surface. Now I was able to get one fin on and slowly kicked my way to the shoreline.

My buddy was on the surface, he had never made it below 5 feet and was getting very worried when I hadn't shown up.

Lessons learned here were several - Although we have dove in very poor vis and very cold water, the higher than usual current was a major factor. Also our inability to move well in our dry suits with the winter undergarments (I use a DUI 400g thinsulate) hampered my ability to manuver. Time to purchase some stretchier and less bulky undergarments. We will wait a while before hitting that stretch of the river again - we have dove it many times before without any major incident, normally the current is considerably less.
I'm sure there are lessons in this also.

The learning continues...... Next week we are planning on diving a calm, still lake....

Dutchy · 9th December 2006, 21:48

A bad day diving is still so much better than a good day at work

(At least that's what I've beentold ....)

dive2dive2000 · 10th December 2006, 20:14

Hi bob,

Thanks for the post very good reading. This is just my PPO2 and a suggestion I hope I am not overstepping my bounds by offering it? I would use OC to retrieve the anchor and maybe tether myself off with a buddy on the surface to pull me back. Some change in the area might have caused the increase in current and it might be permanent, the reason for OC CCR is a tool and in shallow water that requires extra physical exertion I think you might be happier and safer with OC gear. Again, great reading, and thanks for sharing.

joesympatico · 11th December 2006, 04:22

Any dive you can walk away from is a good dive!!

**vidodivr** · 11th December 2006, 14:19

wow, that doesn't sound like any fun, but still made you stronger and wiser

CharlieT · 11th December 2006, 16:08

That sounded like a lot of hard work but glad you sorted things.

One extra bit of task loading and its oh my god time

Thank you for sharing this with us. You told it nice!

Charliet

Jordan · 11th December 2006, 17:04

St Clair River? I miss that place (especially at the end of the summer when the water is warm top to bottom and the wind is coming from the...... I think South??).

**Gill Envy** · 11th December 2006, 17:41

That was starting to sound like a Dr. Mike story there for a bit. Glad it worked out in the end, good for you for keeping your cool.

Couldn't help but remember the days when i dove with a full one piece undergarment. I had one too many times where i could not bend down and deal with my fins so I sold it and now use patagonia long underwheare in layers. i find it's warmer and gives me more freedome of movement and it's the times when shit really hits the fan that that makes all the difference.
thanks for sharing your foible.

bobmaggi · 11th December 2006, 21:25

Quote: (Originally Posted by Jordan)

St Clair River? I miss that place (especially at the end of the summer when the water is warm top to bottom and the wind is coming from the...... I think South??).

Actually it is the Saint Joseph river in southwest Michigan. I have dove this spot many times - its usually one of the last places to freeze around here, so in the winter any open water is welcome! During the summer there are too many boats and vis is poor, winter vis can be up to 15 feet!
This was definately the fastest water I've ever been in, didn't realize the current was as bad as it was until after we got in. I think we are going to wait a couple of weeks for the river to calm down again - it was 50 degrees today so next weekend will be a lake instead!

Bob

Terry · 14th December 2006, 22:03

I had a similar experience with the 400 weight - I was so bundled up I could barely get underwater. When I did get submerged I really had limited range of motion.
Its tough diving with that 400 weight stuff, you really got be used to doing it. I just dont dive where I need that much undergarment.

Good story, thanks

9th December 2006, 19:52	#1 (permalink)
bobmaggi New Member Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: South west Michigan Posts: 68	Bad day diving Today was not a good day to be diving - at least not for me! Myself and an OC friend were planning a dive in river to attempt to locate and retrieve an anchor & chain I found a couple of months ago. Now that I am getting a boat I thought I could save some money by getting this anchor I had seen on a earlier dive. Weather conditions could be better, the sun was out but air temp was 27 degrees F with a lot of wind blowing. The first warning sign came; as I was putting my drysuit on my buddy announced that he had left his wingnut and washers home and didn't have any way to fasten his backplate and wing to his doubles. So we jump in the car (he's still in his dry suit - I'm in my undergarments) to the dive/boat shop down the road. Dispite the unusual looks and questions, we get the hardware. We get back to the river and the portable ice shanty we use as a changing room has blown all the way across the parking lot. We retrieve it and position the car to try to keep it from blowing away. We get down into the water over the ice covered concrete blocks on the bank and realize the current is a bit stiffer than normal in this area. Into the water and get our fins on - next problem. Each of us can only get one fin on, the undergarments aren't permitting enough movement to get both on and still be able to hang on and not get swept downstream. So we assist each other on getting our fins on. Fingers are now starting to get cold so we start down. I dump all my air and start to crawl down the concrete until I get to the river bottom. I adjust my O2 levels and wait for my buddy. The vis is about 2 feet at the bottom of 14 feet and water temp is 36. I remembered that my buddy was downstream of me so I waited for him to catch up. After a couple of minutes of no buddy, I started back up the concrete. The next thing I know my right foot is stuck! I can't see what the problem is but I figured I caught a branch or rebar in the concrete with my twin jet fins. No problem, just push back and wiggle the foot to get it off - only this time it won't come free??!!?? The next thought is: take the fin off and then retrieve the fin.... Well, that actually worked, the fin was stuck on rebar that had a bit of a hook on the end which is why I couldn't get it off earlier. So I try to put the fin back on in this ripping current, one hand trying to hold on and was pretty much unsuccessful. So I decided to finish my crawl back up to the surface and re-assess. I hadn't gone another 3 feet and my left fin was stuck! Talk about your unlucky days... I tried to get a better grip on the concrete with my one hand, the other is holding the previously lost fin and the worst possible thing happened.. the concrete chunk came loose. The current flipped me over so now I'm hanging by one fin. I immediately noticed that my breathing rate had elevated a bit so the first order of business was to check the O2 and bump it up alot. At this point there isn't anything in reach to grab, just me flailing in the current. Once I felt my breathing was under control I tried to figure out my options; the current was too strong to bend my body against it so the only thing that made sense at this point was to break free of the stuck fin. So, using my finless foot, I managed to push the spring strap down far enough to break free. Now I'm in the current, one fin in my hand and feet that are fairly useless in these conditions. Luck for me another large concrete chunk slid into view and I managed to snag it with my free hand. I made sure everything was OK other than my HID light which gone out. I wanted to try and restart it but at this point my fingertips had no feeling and I couldn't feel the switch on the cannister. I figured I would give it one chance to recover the fin so I carefully pulled myself upstream. It was fairly dark but I managed to see my fin siloetted against the surface light and was able to get it back. So with 2 fins in hand, I started the crawl up the river bank. Just when you think you're out of the woods, I was in 4 feet of water, the concrete under my free hand came completely free and now I'm in the river, no fins and nothing else to grab! I thoght lets get this over with, fully inflated my wing and got on the surface. Now I was able to get one fin on and slowly kicked my way to the shoreline. My buddy was on the surface, he had never made it below 5 feet and was getting very worried when I hadn't shown up. Lessons learned here were several - Although we have dove in very poor vis and very cold water, the higher than usual current was a major factor. Also our inability to move well in our dry suits with the winter undergarments (I use a DUI 400g thinsulate) hampered my ability to manuver. Time to purchase some stretchier and less bulky undergarments. We will wait a while before hitting that stretch of the river again - we have dove it many times before without any major incident, normally the current is considerably less. I'm sure there are lessons in this also. The learning continues...... Next week we are planning on diving a calm, still lake....
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9th December 2006, 21:48	#2 (permalink)
Dutchy SK#007 Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Nieuwegein (The Netherlands) Posts: 699	Re: Bad day diving A bad day diving is still so much better than a good day at work (At least that's what I've beentold ....) __________________ = This post is environmentally friendly. It is composed of 100% recycled electrons only. = SK #007
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10th December 2006, 20:14	#3 (permalink)
dive2dive2000 PRISM DIVER & LUVIN IT! Current Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 784	Re: Bad day diving Hi bob, Thanks for the post very good reading. This is just my PPO2 and a suggestion I hope I am not overstepping my bounds by offering it? I would use OC to retrieve the anchor and maybe tether myself off with a buddy on the surface to pull me back. Some change in the area might have caused the increase in current and it might be permanent, the reason for OC CCR is a tool and in shallow water that requires extra physical exertion I think you might be happier and safer with OC gear. Again, great reading, and thanks for sharing. __________________ Safe Diving, Martin "but what's the fun of getting what you need, instead of what you want?"
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11th December 2006, 04:22	#4 (permalink)
joesympatico New Member Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Newmarket Ontario Canada Posts: 29	Re: Bad day diving Any dive you can walk away from is a good dive!! __________________ Always dive with a briefcase: Sharks may mistake you for an attorney and leave you alone out of professional courtesy
(Online)

11th December 2006, 14:19	#5 (permalink)
vidodivr swims in fishes toilets Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Florida/Michigan Posts: 475	Re: Bad day diving wow, that doesn't sound like any fun, but still made you stronger and wiser __________________ Have a good one, Rob LaLonde CK #087 Narked@90 frame URM
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11th December 2006, 16:08	#6 (permalink)
CharlieT Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: London Posts: 449	Re: Bad day diving That sounded like a lot of hard work but glad you sorted things. One extra bit of task loading and its oh my god time Thank you for sharing this with us. You told it nice! Charliet
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11th December 2006, 17:04	#7 (permalink)
Jordan Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2005 Location: North Florida Posts: 219	Re: Bad day diving St Clair River? I miss that place (especially at the end of the summer when the water is warm top to bottom and the wind is coming from the...... I think South??). __________________ Is it clear? No. Well, let's go anyways. "Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for a little order, will lose both, and deserve neither." Thomas Jefferson
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11th December 2006, 17:41	#8 (permalink)
Gill Envy Shearwater Copis Diver Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Evolution Other CCR Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: seattle Posts: 1,255	Re: Bad day diving That was starting to sound like a Dr. Mike story there for a bit. Glad it worked out in the end, good for you for keeping your cool. Couldn't help but remember the days when i dove with a full one piece undergarment. I had one too many times where i could not bend down and deal with my fins so I sold it and now use patagonia long underwheare in layers. i find it's warmer and gives me more freedome of movement and it's the times when shit really hits the fan that that makes all the difference. thanks for sharing your foible. __________________ Gill Envy ...Because I wasn't born with gills! ><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>><(°>
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11th December 2006, 21:25	#9 (permalink)
bobmaggi New Member Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: South west Michigan Posts: 68	Re: Bad day diving Quote: (Originally Posted by Jordan) St Clair River? I miss that place (especially at the end of the summer when the water is warm top to bottom and the wind is coming from the...... I think South??). Actually it is the Saint Joseph river in southwest Michigan. I have dove this spot many times - its usually one of the last places to freeze around here, so in the winter any open water is welcome! During the summer there are too many boats and vis is poor, winter vis can be up to 15 feet! This was definately the fastest water I've ever been in, didn't realize the current was as bad as it was until after we got in. I think we are going to wait a couple of weeks for the river to calm down again - it was 50 degrees today so next weekend will be a lake instead! Bob
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14th December 2006, 22:03	#10 (permalink)
Terry New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other CCR Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Atlanta Posts: 89	Re: Bad day diving I had a similar experience with the 400 weight - I was so bundled up I could barely get underwater. When I did get submerged I really had limited range of motion. Its tough diving with that 400 weight stuff, you really got be used to doing it. I just dont dive where I need that much undergarment. Good story, thanks
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