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scuba <scuba@uc*.be*.ed*> wrote on Thu 30 Jun 1994 03:31:51 -0700 (Subject: Solo@90*?) as below. However, his message could not be read by many because each paragraph, however long, was all on one line, and many emailers display long lines truncated rather than folded. One such line had 1191 characters in! Perhaps he thought that his emailer was auto-splitting overlong lines when it wasn't. Herewith his message reformatted:- on 6/25 - Wayne says > As I see it, scuba dives in the extreme ranges (350+) are basically solo dives regardless of the communications, surface based support, or presence of other divers......Suppose I'm at 900 fsw in some remote area of the world and run into trouble. Ok, I can't resist any longer. If you're sick of this topic please don't read any further. *This is not a flame, just a rant and rave. What in gods name are you doing at 900fsw? At that depth you are not a sport diver, you are an astronaut. Your dependence on equipment is total. There is NO escape. You either have total redundancy as well as a pre-planned response to all possible equipment failures, or a good living will. But if you insist on solo diving in this environment, I won't stop you....hell, I might even say a few kind words about you at the appropriate time...;/ Cousteau describes in his book, The Silent World, why he developed/adopted the buddy system as a diving rule. One of his divers, Falco I believe, was solo penetrating a wreck when his air intake hose became entangled in a razor sharp edge of some rusted part of the wreck. It took him over a half an hour to free himself, and he nearly ran out of air. He realized how close to death he potentially was in any diving situation. If he were diving with a buddy, it would have been a trivial problem. After that incident, the Cousteau group decided to always use the buddy system. Simply put, you can not foresee, prevent, nor escape every potential problem that can develop while diving, and a dependable, competent buddy greatly increases your chances (but doesn't eliminate) of surviving unexpected catastrophes. Equipment failure does not necessarily cause all diving accidents, and all the redundant tanks in the world won't help you in every situation. Yes, I agree that an undependable, incompetent, risk taking, and just plain stupid buddy can be more of a risk/liability than none. Diving with a buddy however, does NOT mean being dependent on them. You should be confident, independent, and totally self sufficient before you dive, buddy or no. If you are dependent on your buddy, and they need your help, then you will be helpless and worthless to them and yourself. The real problem it would seem, is how to find a buddy with skills at least equal to your own. IMO, there are two major divisions of technical divers, commercial, and recreational. Professionals feed their families & earn their living by diving and generally spend huge amounts of time in these hazardous types of situations. They demand every possible safety precaution be taken, don't unnecessarily operate alone or without some type of communication/surface support. They know that given enough time underwater, every possible thing that can go wrong, will, and given a little more time, even some impossible things will go wrong. I know of a commercial diver who had his lifeline (airline) severed by a passing boat propeller, and another diver who experienced an underwater earthquake. (Good visibility everywhere one second, total absolute zero vis everywhere the next, and a 100 foot instant sideways ride.) You can't plan for or avoid these types of things, and I, personally, believe in having a reliable buddy - just in case. (Don't ask me where to find them, there is no easy way.) I also prefer to dive within no-deco limits, where I can shed any piece of equipment I have, such as my tank/reg, (and only air supply), and walk, er, swim, away unscathed (free ascend). I think Mark Twain said it best with - "Each person is born to one possession which outvalues all his others - his last breath." Re: Rapid Field Neurological Exam: One important point about the string concerning the neurological exam for possibly bent divers: Never allow the suspected bent diver take any aspirin or other pain killers, since it is important for them to be able to describe their symptoms while undergoing treatment by doctors. & -tab- asked about accident/incident reports...Check back issues of Undercurrents (an interesting dive rag/zine that accepts no industry advertising). They have been running a series called "Why divers die" - a study of the various causes of accidents. Mark L. "Hope springs eternal - from the well of fools" - me "Diviner than dolphin is nothing yet created" - Oppion *The preceeding statements were solely my opinions, and not professional advice.
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