Bringingan unconscious Rebreather diver up from depth ptII

spike jackson

I have been reading the original thread with great interest. As a newbie mCCR diver I've not done any rescue drills in CCR gear or on someone with CCR gear as yet but will be sorting this out soon, once my own, basic skills are up to scratch!

Without wanting to hijack the original thread - assuming you DO have surface cover and EMS etc available and you DO lift the unconscious diver straight to the surface and handover to the cover - what do you the buddy then do assuming you have a deco obligation?
Obviously this may vary according to the amount of deco, how rapid ascent, depth the ascent started etc but how do you decide whether to go back down to finish your deco (now solo and after a rapid ascent and probably with potential recuers attention directed to the first victim) as opposed to sitting tight on O2 waiting for the chopper - safe in the knowledge that at least you won't be drowning?

Freef

The common recomnedation is to complete your deco if you have less than 5 minutes on the surface.

That said, if there are complicating factors [tides, waves, no cover divers who can get in with you] it may be best to stay out and on the O2.

The following is my guess: On eCCR use the high setpoint and turn the O2 valve on and off as required so you don't waste gas. mCCR the same, although you may not need to turn the valve on and off as much if the flow is set slightly lower than your vO2.

On SCR I would use the highest % deco gas available, then next highest and so on until I was back on the loop breathing my bottom mix.

If I had gone back down I would probably come up again if I felt ill as you can get unbent but not undrowned.

Just my opinion, though.

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David.

Currently owner of two differently sized ankles.

Mdemon

I didn't bother with the other thread so apologies if re-hashing.

First rule of First Aid - don't become a casualty yourself.

So, you've bent the rule (in your scenario) by blowing stops in order to get the other guy to the surface*. Unless the stops were negligible, why wouldn't you go back down? I'd be going back down, doing the deco and then some. All you're doing, IMHO, by waiting for a chopper is allowing any bubbles more time to damage you.

I'm not a doc or anything like that. Just how I see things.





(*I wouldn't, by the way. If the guy's breathing he's coming up with me.)

spike jackson

I am familiar with omitted stops protocols and I know that in theory DCI bubbles take time to form ie if you go straight down again before symptoms hit you may be able to avert a DCI hit. However given that with this type of scenario a neuro bend would be very likely and you may end up with symptoms of paralysis etc I feel the decision is a very tricky one. Keen to hear more opinions about what people would do or even have done in this sort of scene given that in the UK help in the form of a chopper and a chamber is not that far away.

jhaaja

Check one old thread for ideas:

http://www.rebreatherworld.com/rebre...onvulsion.html

You can surface with a lot of deco obligation and go back and do your deco. Not the best solution but I am glad that my buddy took the chance.

spike jackson

Not 100% sure from your text but I take it your buddy stayed on the surface after surfacing you? Was he treated in the chamber as well? Brave man regardless!

Edit: Ignore - further down you mention he did complete his deco.

jhaaja

He brought me to the surface and went back down to do the deco. We had abot 70mins left.

bendomatic

just something to consider if this was to occur off a boat. you can't get a chopper evac with divers hanging off the chain. the boat has to be moving in a certain direction for the chopper to approach and drop paramedics and stretcher. so if going back down to finish deco off, it might be more appropriate to deco off a bag away from the boat. obviously this in itself can add an extra danger element as you are now away from support.
rachel

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why deal with idiots on the net when you have to spend all day dealing with them at work.

ScubaDadMiami

One of the great advantages of the rebreather is the tremendous amount of time that it buys underwater. So, I would likely descend and do plenty of extra deco as long as this is permitted by conditions (sea conditions, boat able to stay and track me, etc.), starting off my first stop deeper than called for by the plan. I would also oxygen breathe for as long as possible once back at the surface.

Of course, it is all a guess, and I am no expert, but this is my thinking. Everything would depend on the overall circumstances.

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Howard Packer
IANTD CCR Instructor
Miami Beach, Florida
CCRDiveTraining.com