November 2019 Safety Message: Winter Weather

Despite the fact that our calendars are about to roll over into November, we have not yet seen a single cold front here in South Florida.   How unusual!  Despite that, some of our winter weather patterns have arrived. The one that I find most notable is the increase in wind.

As our winter weather arrives, winds pick up a bit, and sea conditions build.  The diving can still be quite good, but larger waves frequently result in a generally less pleasant and more strenuous boat ride for most divers.  As a result, divers should be alert to the sea state before they board a boat for a day on the ocean.

Each diver needs to assess his or her ability to enjoy a day on the water under the conditions that are forecasted for that particular day.  Keep in mind that veteran divers and professional boat captains and crew may be more comfortable in rough sea conditions then you are.  If you have major concerns, stay behind and let the boat go without you…even if you still have to pay for the seat on board.

Once you’re out of the ocean and preparing to dive, you need to consider your ability to safely re-board the boat after the dive.  The motions associated with the boat and the boats boarding ladder are magnified during rough conditions.  Don’t hesitate to discuss your concerns with the dive boat crew.  They will tell you how to re-board and what to expect.  If you feel you cannot safely re-board the boat, don’t enter the water…be a bubble watcher that day.

Be Safe, Dive Safe, and Enjoy Our Wonderful Winter!

Dave Wills

October 2019 Safety Message: Tank Valves

A veteran diver experienced a breathing issue after exiting a commercial boat with his dive buddy. All was good until he reached 70 feet of depth where breathing became difficult.  In addition to difficulty breathing, he noticed his pressure gauge was dropping significantly while he inhaled and then recovering to full tank pressure when he stopped inhaling.

He signaled his buddy and they began an orderly ascent to the surface. 

Once safely back aboard the boat, he explored his equipment problems and found that his tank valve was very nearly closed. He was certain he had fully opened his tank valve before diving, so how was it that it was nearly closed during his descent?

The dive buddies began asking some questions aboard the boat. They learned there was a fairly inexperienced mate who admitted that he had manipulated the air valve without advising the diver that he was doing so. The mate had apparently closed (rather than opened) the valve and then when the valve hit the stop he had turned it back a quarter turn. This condition had allowed the diver to begin his dive without apparent issues.

We can learn at least 3 things from this incident:

1. It’s very important to understand that a tank valve closes when turned clockwise and opens when turned anti-clockwise.  You may recall the rhyme: “Righty tighty, lefty loosey” to help you recall how the valve stem functions.

2. You should never manipulated another diver’s tank valve without discussing it with him or her.

3. It might be wise to always turn your tank valve to the full on or full off position, rather than turning it fully on and then backing off a quarter turn as is sometimes recommended.

Be Safe, Dive Safe

Dave Wills

September 2019 Safety Message: Hurricane Dorian

Sept 2019, Hurricane Dorian

I write this September 1, 2019 as Hurricane Dorian is pounding Marsh Harbor and the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas. The storm is unprecedentedly powerful and promises to produce a formidable death count in the islands.

The drubbing the islands are taking from this storm could be a precursor to what Florida and/or the Carolinas has to deal with in a day or 2 or 3. The radar picture looks ominous. The reports from the Bahamas include 180 mile per hour sustained winds and gusts to 225 mph. I have heard that storm surges as high as 20 feet may have hit some locations. None of us have witnessed a storm of this magnitude.

This slow-moving storm has caused us to take week or more off from our diving schedule. It seems that is caused us to take a week or more out of our life schedule for all the preparation before the storm and the cleanup afterwards. I wish you all the best!

Remember that powerful hurricanes can rearrange and relocate some of our shipwreck and other artificial reef dive sites. Don’t be surprised if a shipwreck looks a bit different after a storm. Discuss the possibility before the dive and don’t be surprised if you see some changes.

As with any disaster, this hurricane will provide us with many opportunities to help our neighbors in the Bahamas, in Florida, and likely in Georgia and the Carolinas.

Count your blessings! And enjoy the diving after the storm!

Be safe. Dive safe.

Dave Wills

August 2019 Safety Message: Before You Jump!! Last Minute Dive Checklist

What are the most important things you should be doing in the last minutes before jumping off a dive boat into the water?  Let’s call this list our last minute checklist.  These points are key, but you may wish to add some for your circumstances.

• Have you had the appropriate conversations with your dive buddy and with the boat captain?

• Are you wearing the correct dive weights?

• Is your buoyancy inflation/deflation equipment working?

• Are you wearing your mask and fins?

• Have you taken one or 2 quick breaths from your mouthpiece while watching your pressure gage?

• Is your octopus or secondary mouthpiece working?

• Is your air cylinder full of known breathing mix?

• Is your buoyancy adjusted for your desired descent (rapid descent vs floating on the surface)?

• Are you stressed out, or are you wearing a smile because you’re doing what you love to do?

• Is your dive buddy stressed out, or is he/she smiling back at you?

Be Safe & Dive with a Smile!

Dave Wills

July 2019 Safety Message: Fine Tune Your Dive Weights

What type of dive weight system do you dive with?

• How quickly can you remove and discard your weights?

• Do you have integrated weight pockets?

• Does your BC have fixed weight pockets?

• Do you use a combination of captive and discardable weights?

• Are all of your weights on a single belt?

• Are your weights comfortable?

• Do they allow you to float horizontally at neutral buoyancy?

• Have you ever tried tank weights?

• Have you ever tried ankle weights?

• Do you adjust your weight for a wet suite change?

• Do you notice when dive buddies have weight issues?

• Do you carry a portable weight that you could pass to a dive buddy?

You and your dive buddy might benefit from a buoyancy tune up!

Let’s talk!

Be Safe, Dive Safe

Dave Wills

June 2019 Safety Message: What Can Go Wrong!?

An SFDI buddy recently provided this true account of a dive trip gone very wrong.  The names and dates have been changed to protect the innocent.

This dive trip occurred when our buddy (let’s call him Leo) was a beginner.

Leo had become certified some years earlier but had not done any diving, so when he decided he wanted to get back into the sport he booked a refresher course with a dive shop in Miami-Dade County. 

For some unknown reason, the dive was a night dive… and Leo had never before been night diving.

Leo was provided rental gear at the dive shop and then rode together in a van with some other divers who were chatting in Spanish, to the dive boat where he was assigned a dive buddy who spoke little English.  Unfortunately, Leo is an English speaker with minimal Spanish language skills…so there was a significant communication gap.

Leo recalls the diving conditions as being somewhat rough and very dark. 

When he dropped into the water he found the tagline was well above the surface, just out of reach.  He expended a significant amount of energy bobbing up and down before he got a hand on the tagline.  And the water was very dark!

There were people in front and behind Leo on the tagline. Unfortunately, he lost track of his buddy.

When he finally reached the descent line he was out of breath and hyperventilating.   He paused there for 30 seconds or more in an attempt to calm himself, but the hyperventilation persisted. 

Fortunately, Leo decided to terminate the dive and re-boarded the dive boat.  He stripped off his gear and continued to hyperventilate for nearly 10 minutes aboard the dive boat.  He was thereafter completely exhausted.

Leo’s dive experience progressed from isolation in the van, to uncertainty in the boat, anxiety and a fear of drowning in the water, and a panic attack.  Fortunately Leo made it back aboard the boat. This situation could have ended very differently!

There are lots of things we can all learn from Leo’s account of his worst day of diving.  I’d say two of the most significant are:

1) Preparation is everything!

2) Always look out for your dive buddy, and your boating buddies, and your SFDI buddies!

Leo tells me this experience, years ago, still effects the way he dives, and his tolerance for the unexpected during dives.

Please, always be the best dive buddy you are able to be, above water and below.

Be safe!  Dive safe!
Dave Wills