Bringing an unconscious Rebreather diver up from depth

FrankG

This is very good thread. I'm an OC diver and I used to dive with CCR divers a lot some time ago. I managed several more dives with silent divers last year in Ireland. Have to say I was not thinking about rescuing an unconscious diver so much until two of the people I knew had died. One of them never surfaced despite his buddies were around. This accident happened in Malin Head last year. Another one from Denmark that had died while rescuing his buddy from depth when diving the wreck of Rosallie Moller in the Red Sea last year. Victim survived but the rescuer died.

I have received an invitation to dive with silent divers again. I was analyzing my rescue diver training and have found it very basic. Considering all those scenarios I would say one would need to be very experienced diver, well comfortable with buoyancy control when off the shot line in mid water without reference and task loaded. I’m not going into details I just want to say that I will have to make sure that my skills and experience will help me in making difficult decision in case something goes wrong. I would need to make sure that I can lift a body and bring it to the surface if a controlled ascent was possible. An inverted rapid ascent from depth when deco involved (feet first) was an option that some people would consider. Ascending 90m/min when deco obligation took place is like to kill one more time. I would consider this option as very destructive from the fast offgassing perspective and only applicable if surface support and onboard chamber available. If you have some info about this method please send me a PM or just post it here.

This subject also makes me thinking if one should incorporate IWR into remote ocean diving where air lift arrival could take some time. In this case it seems to be the only prevention from further tissue damage. If deep diving take place I believe there should always be a surface support ready that will keep an eye and help when required.

I was assisting in rescuing one passed out diver but that was in 18m depth only. Victim was escorted and woke up during controlled ascent and was slightly disorientated. In this case the regulator was hold in and victim was breathing all the way up.

Finding the less painful way for the victim eventually rescuer as well is what I’m looking for. Of course just in case the chance was not gone. One dead diver is enough and having another one dying from playing a hero is also not a good idea. Simply this subject is difficult and good eye opener for novice divers.

Hope I'm not going to get banned for such opinion as it happend on TecDiver.

otterinaround

Wonderful discussion.... of an important topic. As with such debates there will be hotly defended positions. It's nice, as a newbie, to read such sides of the debate and look at all the angles that people present.

Yes, this isn't a formal peer review... but some of us in the academic community have seen the way "peers" conduct themselves... A few of us might be disgusted by a slow drawn out political ego frenzy for something so important. This all means fishing around and looking at details long drawn out evaluation and tons of investment and learning. I hope I can do it justice!

Upon my first introduction to some persons in the re breather community I was promptly informed by one boorish opinionated individual that the discussions here are*a load of rot and shouldn't be taken seriously.*(paraphrased of course.. I couldn't be bothered typing what he actually said)

Luckily, I also bumped into Cedric that Sunday night (even if discussion was limited to a couple minutes)... so... on my list of important stuff to do it the... I'm going to download that flow chart... review his list and give it a serious session of the memorizing mo...

I still wonder what I would be able to do in my current location with only one (single diver) chamber being over 2 hours away by car.
There are no airlifts in this country and surface support is of as much use as a taxi driver.
AEDs are a bit too high tech over here as well.
Having medic training and working through med school do (to my credit I guess)... let me bump into protocol and procedure... but... it'd be nice to get something of a formal guide for us... not so infrastructure-ally endowed individuals.

The only major hospital I trust is over 3 hours away and then there is the whole carnival of trouble even getting admitted and checking through the paperwork...

Any ideas?


Thanks all around...

__________________

• Started as a free diver .Moved on to scuba and advanced at Penn State Uni. 1998.
• Took up Nitrox while I got evacuated from the War in Beirut Summer of 2005.
• Began training in tech, advanced Nitrox and Trimix/HELIOX summer 2007...
• Starting Rebreathing on an Optima....Ouroboros...whenever I find someone to buy my other kidney.

deedee

quote: Arterial gas embolism is the most dangerous form of pulmonary barotrauma and accounts for nearly one fourth of fatalities per year among recreational divers.3 In addition, it is the only form in which neurologic symptoms predominate over pulmonary symptoms. quote:

Neurologic Complications of Scuba Diving - June 1, 2001 - American Family Physician

This is why decompression diving is different. In recreational depth / duration the rescuer can surface with the casualty effectively limiting ascend speed. The elevator to the haven is not always the best option, even if sometimes it is the only option left.

Unconscious but breathing divers , are pretty much the same to my cooworkers