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At 01:39 16/07/00 , ScottBonis@ao*.co* wrote:
>In a message dated 7/15/00 8:37:00 AM, ScottBonis writes:
>
><< This report came from rec. scuba and is a followup to the message
posted=
=20
>previously.
>The following excerpt is particularly interesting.
>
>This is NOT an agency problem. Diver B is an IANTD instructor
>trainer. Diver D is a GUE instructor. Diver C is a NAUI tech course
>director. Thank GOD no one was TDI affiliated. <cheap shot, hehehe>=20
>The problem is NOT agency standards. Often we are quick to blame the
>agencies, but they're NOT our baby-sitters. Its diver complacency. At
>some point in time, these individuals must have displayed some
>competency -- currently, they're displaying questionable judgement -
>thats it.
Whether or not this is an agency problem depends on how the named
agencies respond.
investigation, evaluation, retraining, suspension, termination.
They're the cards that can be played. It'll be interesting to
see how they play them.
This is a true test of agency integrity.
Diver B is an IANTD Instructor Trainer
Diver D is a GUE Instructor
Diver C is a NAUI Tech Course Director, OK?
I did a search & replace on the diver/instructor details. It=20
gives a clearer, though no less scary picture....
rgrds billyw
Subject: Dive Expediton to the Twilight Zone=20
From: "Randy F. Milak" <A=
HREF=3D"mailto:milak@di*.zz*.co*">milak@divemed.zz=20
n.com</A>=20
Date: Thu, Jul 13, 2000 1:33 PM=20
Message-id: <396E2784.27529BEB@di*.zz*.co*>=20
=20
This past week, I had the displeasure of being invited to take part,=
in a grossly incompetent archaeological expedition. The expedition was to=
film the degradation of a wreck in Lake Superior, that lies in 270 ffw. =
All divers, save myself and a colleague were self proclaimed DIR's. Some=
even boosted Tee-shirts that read "Doing-it-Right", "Friends don't let=
friends breath the short hose." etc.=20
=20
We could have dove 7 days, however, in 3 days on three dives I had=
had enough and, my buddy and I left. Why I stayed even 3 days bewilders=
me. This is just a SHORT list of what I observed.=20
=20
The DIVES:=20
Day one.=20
=20
1. NO emergency plan EVER discussed - period!=20
=20
2. We were told that 2 chambers were on stand-by and a CCG helicopter was=
on stand-by for our dive time duration's. I phoned one of the chamber to=
confirm. They never knew or heard a thing. When confronted by this=
enlightenment, we were told that there's obviously some mistake. I=
politely suggested that the organizers exaggerated their preparedness. =
They replied with a smirk. We phoned the closet chamber back..they were=
MORE than happy to accommodate.=20
=20
3. Diver rescue plan was BOGUS. A 2 year old could have came up with a=
better solution. NO ONE save my buddy and I bothered to inform the boat=
captain of the run-times and emergency protocol required for this level of=
diving.=20
=20
3. Surface supply O2 was used for the 20 ffw and up decompression stops. =
However, All but a few DIR divers carried only 1/2 the amount of oxygen=
necessary to complete decompression if they failed to make it to the=
decompression platform. When confronted with this obvious shortfall, DIR=
GUE Instructor, responded that they had RMV's below 0.2 cubic feet / min.=
and thats "why" they actually had enough deco gas. "BULLSHIT!!" was my=
response! Had an emergency bail-out been necessary by ANY of those divers,=
the latter, combined with the Mickey-Mouse diver rescue plan, would amount=
to nothing less than a wheel chair purchase.=20
=20
NOW the REAL FUN BEGINS ...=20
=20
Water temp at the bottom, 38 F at 270 ffw, and gradually (no=
thermoclines) increased to a balmy 47 F around 20 ffw. The top 1-2 feet of=
surface water is 59 F. Vis is 9-20 feet. Ambient light stops around 60=
ffw. Surface is dead calm, no waves. All divers diving TMX 14/50 bottom=
mix (14% oxygen, 50 helium, balance N2). EAN 35 and 100% O2 for=
decompression. (EAN 50 staged at 70 ffw). Mostly teams of 3, just 1 team=
of 2. Dive team, dive times are staggered 45 minutes apart to ease=
crowding during staged decompression.=20
=20
The first team to descend is DIR dive team 1, a threesome (Divers A,=
IANTD Instructor Trainer, and NAUI Tech Course Director). They have NO=
dive plan. The leader of DIR Dive team one, has only ONE decompression=
profile with him -- a decompression profile for only 57 of decompression=
from a 20 minute bottom time at 260 ffw; which is no less than 14 minutes=
shorter than anything, everyone else has calculated for the same. He is=
told this by every other diver on the boat. IANTD Instructor Trainer,=
responds with "...fuck-it, I ain't dead yet". ALL, in dive team one,=
followed that asinine deco profile. NOT one of them can dress themselves=
and ALL need help to put on their gear. None of them conduct a leak test=
upon entering the water. None of them check out each of their team mates=
for anything - period. Dive team 1 isn't too sure what their dive depth is=
going to be ... upon entering the water, they "think" around 260 ffw for 20=
minutes. In the water, at the descent line, they argue about who is going=
to descend first. =20
=20
Diver A surfaces 75 minutes later. Diver A vomits upon reaching the=
surface, needs help to doff gear and board boat. Says he's extremely=
fatigued. Has a severe headache. Is complaining of nausea. A quick 5=
minute neurologic exam shows extremely slow reaction time and nystagmus of=
the eyes. I doppler test the diver. The doppler is SCREAMING ... We=
STRONGLY suggest Diver A get on oxygen - NOW! Diver declines at first but=
then sits down and starts breathing O2 from their deco gas bottle 5 minutes=
later. I then suggest he LIE down, not sit up. Diver again declines. =
Nearly 4 hours post dive (and off the boat), diver A is bubbling Grade 2~3,=
and still symptomatic. I privately suggest he seek treatment. Diver A=
declines. I then suggest he at least get back on O2. He declines. I then=
suggest he not dive tomorrow. He declines at this time. His denial=
excuses were classic text book.=20
=20
IANTD Instructor Trainer (threesome Dive team leader), surfaces,=
feels fine. Fifteen minute post-dive doppler test shows, grade 4 bubbling=
(which represents well in excess of 1000 or more bubbles per minute=
detected in the veins). I suggest he get on O2. Diver accepts willingly.=
I then suggest he lie down, and not sit in a head up position. He=
declines. He says, "I guess we didn't do enough deco huh?" I respond with=
raised eyebrows and say "Gee, ya think?". After a few minutes on O2, =
IANTD Instructor Trainer complains of pain in his lower spine. I start to=
ask a few questions. He dismisses the obvious diagnosis and says "...it=
must be caused from the cold steel backplate against my kidneys." I give=
up, this is moronic. It becomes apparent later that evening that this IANTD=
Instructor Trainer does not have one iota of a clue as to any mixed gas=
decompression procedures or even HOW to cut a decompression table. This=
diver is a trimix instructor, and an instructor trainer. Diver A, and NAUI=
Tech Course Director are his prodigies. Next morning IANTD Instructor=
Trainer complains of worsening symptoms and complains of a few new ones... =
IANTD Instructor Trainer, prepares his gear for the morning dive,=
blissfully in his own world of denial, pain, and cluelessness. =20
=20
NAUI Tech Course Director, an extreme lean female, and #3 diver in=
team one; upon surfacing, has lost all hand dexterity from the cold water=
immersion and must be de-kitted and undressed by others. NAUI Tech Course=
Director displays pail blue lips, pale facial colour and has uncontrollable=
teeth chatter and whole body shivering. 20 minute post-dive doppler test=
shows Grade 1 bubbling.=20
=20
DIR Dive team 2, (Divers - GUE Instructor, E and F)=20
=20
Diver F, smells GUE Instructor's bottom mix before gearing up, and=
says, "Oh my God, it smell like a BBQ.", Dive buddy GUE Instructor smells=
the mixed gas and says, "Yeah, it does, it should be OK though..." They=
decide to use the mix. Diver F, did _their_ gas blending. =20
=20
All three divers require help getting dressed, and require help to=
don their gear. All was done bare handed, no gloves. GUE Instructor's=
primary regulator starts free flowing when they turn on their tanks. Five=
minutes of mumbling, grumbling and fidgeting seems to have solved the=
problem. GUE Instructor, tells everyone that it was "a valve problem in=
the regulator". Me thinks, "what the FUCK are you talking about???" NONE=
of the Divers in team 2 do a pre-dive leak test upon entering the water.=
NONE of them check their team-mates for anything. NONE of them reviewed a=
dive plan (if they even had one) before the dive. =20
=20
Approximately 6 minutes into Team one's first dive, at a depth of=
approximately 260 ffw, Diver E's primary HID light fails. Diver E pulls=
out a $15.00 backup light with double A batteries (Barely enough light to=
read ones gauges). All three CONTINUE the dive. Within 2 minutes, Diver E=
is hung up on rigging on the port side stern, in his manifold because he=
didn't see the rigging mess. GUE Instructor gets Diver E untangled but=
subsequently gets tangled up. Diver F is off somewhere taking video and is=
apparently unaware of what's transpiring. They get untangled, but run out=
of time and end the dive. GUE Instructor, reports that the the dive was=
"unnerving".=20
=20
GUE Instructor, surfaces from dive with extreme head-ache, blue=
lips ... GUE Instructor, blames it on the cold water, CO2 blah, blah, blah.=
My colleague suggests to GUE Instructor to go on oxygen...their=
response..."fuck-it". Both Doppler and neurologic tests are declined by=
GUE Instructor and Diver F.=20
=20
Diver E, upon surfacing, feels fine save the usual moaning and=
groaning when exiting an ice-cube dive. 20 minute post-dive doppler test=
reveals diver has extreme decompression stress. Diver starts to complain=
and reveal expected symptoms. Examination of the usual turns up nothing.=
Later that evening, Diver E tells me that when Diver F was mixing his=
bottom mix, he accidentally overfilled his tanks to 3900 psi from the=
compressor, instead of the intended 3300 psi. They bleed the tank back to=
3300 psi, and Diver E (a Phd and a chemistry professor at an Ohio=
University), asks the Blender (Diver F) if the helium and oxygen in the mix=
would still be ok. Diver F tells him "sure, no probs...minor variance..."=
and Diver E accepts the mix, as is. Diver E asks me, "Do you think that=
might have been the problem?" My eyes could not get any wider, and with=
eyebrows raised, and contorted face I asked him, "Is this the fucken=
twilight zone?" He looked at me straight faced and said he didn't get it.=
=20
=20
Day 2 highlights:=20
=20
Divers A and NAUI Tech Course Director of team one don't dive on day two --=
One reports bad sunburn. Teams get modified.=20
=20
IANTD Instructor Trainer, decides to use the same decompression=
schedule, but this time he's gonna shave a few minutes off the bottom time.=
Anyways, he gets spooked on the bottom, about 10 minutes into the dive,=
abandons his team mate(s). We were the first team in that morning and I'm=
already 55 minutes or so into decompression and I can see IANTD Instructor=
Trainer soloing the deco below me. At one point he struggles to unclip his=
deco regulator which he's contorted in some fucked up manner to the tank=
valve, and is getting visibly distressed. My buddy descends, asks if=
everything is "OK". Does not get an "OK" back. OK is asked again, and =
IANTD Instructor Trainer responds with a salute. Assistance is offered,=
but IANTD Instructor Trainer manages to deploy the deco regulator and=
ascend.=20
=20
Needless to say, IANTD Instructor Trainer reports, back on the=
surface that physically, he felt great at depth. NO MORE PAIN! So we ask,=
"Gee, I wonder why that is?". He doesn't know. I have to check my pulse=
-- its that twilight thing again. It was truly surreal. IANTD Instructor=
Trainer's 60 minute post-dive doppler test sounds like a popcorn popping=
machine gone crazy. IANTD Instructor Trainer is getting fatigued quickly=
again with 60 minutes post-dive. =20
=20
Later that night we watch video of the days dives. GUE Instructor,=
the one with the BBQ flavoured bottom mix, is on video for 20 continuous=
minutes, nearly the entire length of the bottom time and never once unclips=
the SPG to look at the pressure.=20
=20
Day 3 highlights:=20
=20
By this time, I'm seriously questioning my presence with this=
group. But this is the straw that broke the camels back.=20
=20
NAUI Tech Course Director has extreme buoyancy complications while=
egressing for decompression which continued on to the staged decompression=
portion of the dive. NOT one of the divers she is with (Diver A and IANTD=
Instructor Trainer), recognize her distress. I can just barely see Diver A=
and IANTD Instructor Trainer, on the line, but I can see another bubble=
stream. I think to myself, "why aren't these bone-heads together?" I=
descend from my shallower stop vantage point and can see NAUI Tech Course=
Director in obvious distress. She has lost hand dexterity once again, and=
cannot unclip and deploy her regulator. She's struggling terribly from a=
loss of buoyancy control and her one hand is hanging onto the line for dear=
life. Her team-mates DO NOT HELP HER. They are oblivious morons. I pass=
the dip-shit twins (Diver's A and IANTD Instructor Trainer), and my buddy=
deploys NAUI Tech Course Director's regulator for her. Finally, IANTD=
Instructor Trainer clues in, descends, and clips a negatively buoyant=
camera to NAUI Tech Course Director's D-ring to offer more weight. My=
buddy assists and corrects her buoyancy problem. =20
=20
NAUI Tech Course Director had apparently already lost several=
minutes of decompression on the proper gas and skipped the first two stops=
altogether, in a vain effort to elicit help from her team mates, who had=
all but abandoned her. Upon surfacing, her two brain lesioned buddies=
chastise her and a dispute ensues. She was PISSED OFF because they didn't=
help her. There was some choice expletives exchanged on the boat and some=
really interesting dialogue that would grow hair on the back of your hands.=
Quietly, I proceeded with the Doppler tests. NAUI Tech Course Director was=
bubbling a grade 3~4 (no surprise). IANTD Instructor Trainer was his=
usual popcorn popping feast of bubble pings and Diver A we never bothered=
to examine because he was too busy lighting up his cigarette, trembling=
from his nic fit.=20
=20
Sad part of this, is that the 3 worst fuckups in that group (Divers=
A, IANTD Instructor Trainer and NAUI Tech Course Director), apparently dove=
with MHK last year on the Andrea Doria, and apparently, two of them are=
about to join MHK and Michael J. Blitch on their up-coming Doria=
expedition. If one of those divers DIE, I will not be the least bit=
surprised. MHK, I wish you the best of luck!=20
=20
--=20
Randy F. Milak=20
Windsor, Ontario=20
~A conclusion is siy the place where one got tired of thinking!~=20
--
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