Blackout, Neardrowning,Drowning

[Mighty Mouse]

As a Registered Respiratory Therapist of 25 years and having been spearfishing since I was thirteen, I feel it is a service and therefore has compelled me to post this thread. I hope that no one takes this post as an ego boost on my part because it is completely the opposite being guilty of ignoring all of the most basics of freediving safety protocol. This post is not only meant for initiating my own personal self committal towards freediving safety but hopefully towards spreading an attitude that will insist on each and every individual adopting the same committal.

Having just completed the Performance Freediving course in Miami this past weekend has opened my eyes to the point of self-embarrassment. With all my knowledge and experience I have ignored the most basic part of safety protocol, “Buddy Diving”. Buddy diving in the world of spearfishing may not sound manly and only falsely prevents us from being the “top dog” of the day but rather BUDDY DIVING SAVES LIVES AND THE STATISTICS THEMSELVES PROVE IT.
With 99% of the freediving fatalities happening from the last 15’ and into the first thirty seconds after breaking the surface should be enough to see that an educated, alert and watchful buddy will save our life. A buddy having to wait an extra 35-40 seconds before his turn to dive is no trade off for just one life. There were 50 fatalities last year in the USA alone and with the influx of freediving interest this number is only going to grow. The interesting thing is this does not only happen to beginners but the very most experienced as well, and maybe even more with limits being pushed. I would surely want a qualified buddy watching for me if I am pushing my limits. We should be diving as a team when we are freediving and we are only as strong as our weakest link.

Embarrassment is not all that I have gotten from taking a professional freediving course. The proper safety techniques and breathing patterns and maneuvers are only a small amount of what is taught in these classes. The information is solid, it’s intense and will saves many lives if used properly. Let me tell you that my form of spearfishing and freediving was blown away after taking this course and I have been spearfishing for 38 years. We all learn from our friends, reading publications (internet now) and just getting out there and doing it and that instills a lot of improper techniques and bad habits.

This past week has really hit home for me with so many eye openers happening at once and so close. I don’t think it’s so much what we do when life gets a little choppy but rather the challenge of what we do when the seas calm back down and how we continue.

Respectfully
Chris

[Griswold]

Well put Chris.

The bottom line for me is that we owe it to those who love us to do what we love in the safest manner possible.

For what it's worth, one up/one down is a very productive way to hunt as well. It also allows you and your buddy to better share the experiences of the hunt.

[kmoose]

Well put Chris. I know there is a lot of data on fatalities from blackouts, but is there a statistic for blacked out freedivers that are saved by their buddy? Also, what about the importance of competent people in the boat? Is there a method of in water resuscitation that has been successful in reviving a blacked out diver?

[islandpressure]

Thanks for caring,your insight and knowledge shows.thanks again!

[Mighty Mouse]

Hey Kenny, to answer your question I do not know the numbers on successful resusitations but from everything I have heard there are not near as many as there are fatalities. That would be a good question for DAN to answer.

Addressing the in water attempts I can tell you they are only successful if the diver does not need full CPR but rather only rescue breaths. It is impossible to to effectively administer chest compressions in the water until you get them to the boat or any hard flat surface to keep the body rigid while compressing the chest.

Hopefully we will see a lot more interest in getting all our inwater skills up to a higher standard. I think if we don't eventually we may see it become a mandatory certification of some shape or form. This is good though because the initial step in fixing anything is first realizing there is a problem.

We all may think that we are experienced enough that it will never happen to me but that is certainly not the case. Look at some of the most notable spearfisherman who have died from shallow water blackout.

[Spearo_Fla]

Having been there and seen it in person, I have to say it is scary holding your dive buddies limp body in your arms waiting for the boat to come along side. Give your buddy a chance and watch him, without you he may not make it. Watch them surface and stay in contact with them. My partner did not spend enough time on the surface and pushed his limits, then paniced and raced to the surface.

3-4 minute rest on the surface means- (time zero) Diver #1 drops down and is submerged for 1.5 min. He returns to the surface Diver #2 watches him for at least 1 min. add another 30 secs and diver two goes down(Diver two at minium on surface 3 min) Diver #2 down 1.5 min. upon returning to the surface diver #1 has now been rested for 3 minutes plus watching diver #2 for 1 more minute gives him a 4 minute rest at minium. Rest cycles are even greater for a three man dive team.

Chris is right it can happen to any of us. If you use a floatline attach it to your weightbelt not your gun. If you should shoot a fish you can't handle you will have time to attach the floatline to the gun and head for the surface. This way should you blackout your partners can locate/retrive you faster.

When ascending I know it gets rough those last 20-30 ft. Close your eyes, try to relax slow steady kicks, don't tense up. Think about something calming, every kick gets you closer to the surface.

STAY CALM!
Dive with a Partner!
3-4 minute Surface times
Don't Push your Limits!

[LGHT]

Great post! I took the PFI a few months ago for the exact same reasons. However I did post in the CA section before I took the class to see if any of the vets of the sport would be willing to host some type of beginner training course or just an afternoon of tips and tricks for the new guys starting out. I was shocked to see almost every reply to the inquiry was firmly against any type of class or training and that the best and only way to learn how to spearfish is by trial and error.

I guess guys here in CA don't understand the concept of working smarter not harder. That or everyone just wants to be the top dog. It's pretty weird to see the same guys post their condolences when a diver falls or host a meet for a fallen diver and at the same time be so against buddy diving or training.

[Scott]

[quote]I guess guys here in CA don't understand the concept of working smarter not harder.[/QUOTE

Diving in Cali is part peer pressure, like those kids jumping down handrails on skateboards and rollerblades with no helmets on, "it's not cool to wear a helmet!"..."You'll spook all my fish.." LOL

[Mighty Mouse]

John's remarks on surface intervals are very important especially when diving deep.
The rule of thumb for determining your surface intervals were taught to me as follows:
0-82' interval should be twice as long as your most recent dive time
83' - 132' should be a minimum of 8 minutes after each dive.

There are so many critical aspects to freediving that no one can go wrong with taking a professional freediving course such as PFI. You will be assured that you are getting the proper information and training. In my opinion it was the best money I ever spent on myself.

[jfjf]

Originally Posted by kmoose

Well put Chris. I know there is a lot of data on fatalities from blackouts, but is there a statistic for blacked out freedivers that are saved by their buddy? Also, what about the importance of competent people in the boat? Is there a method of in water resuscitation that has been successful in reviving a blacked out diver?

I doubt there is much data on BO recoveries because it is such a non event if everything goes perfectly. I watched a young guy take too short of a surface recovery, push it, and when he hit the surface he took a breath and his head tipped down and he ever so gently started to sink without any splashing, samba or anything other than immobility. He was literally within arm's reach and I lifted him by his arm pit from a depth of 18 inches. He immediately "woke up". Within 45 seconds he was swimming to the boat under his own power.

I suspect that many of these "non-events" have occured without anyone even considering trying to report it. I wonder if it is as common as commercial scuba spearos taking a very minor elbow or shoulder hit and dropping down to 20 for a little Oxygen. I doubt the scuba guys are calling DAN to report these little events, just as freedivers aren't reporting their "dirty little secrets".

Great Post Mighty Mouse!

[fuzz]

Originally Posted by LGHT

Great post! I took the PFI a few months ago for the exact same reasons. However I did post in the CA section before I took the class to see if any of the vets of the sport would be willing to host some type of beginner training course or just an afternoon of tips and tricks for the new guys starting out. I was shocked to see almost every reply to the inquiry was firmly against any type of class or training and that the best and only way to learn how to spearfish is by trial and error.

I guess guys here in CA don't understand the concept of working smarter not harder. That or everyone just wants to be the top dog. It's pretty weird to see the same guys post their condolences when a diver falls or host a meet for a fallen diver and at the same time be so against buddy diving or training.

Way to take things out of context... you're comments are so off-base, it's ridiculous.

If you have any specific points you'd like to pose, PM me.

[fuzz]

Originally Posted by Mighty Mouse

There were 50 fatalities last year in the USA alone and with the influx of freediving interest this number is only going to grow.

What does the 50 number denote? It's a bit vague and may be misleading to some.

I'm fairly sure it's not freediving spearfishing deaths, so could you explain specifically what it is?


Thank you.



BTW, great post - just trying to clarify some details.

[kmoose]

Originally Posted by jfjf

I doubt there is much data on BO recoveries because it is such a non event if everything goes perfectly. I watched a young guy take too short of a surface recovery, push it, and when he hit the surface he took a breath and his head tipped down and he ever so gently started to sink without any splashing, samba or anything other than immobility. He was literally within arm's reach and I lifted him by his arm pit from a depth of 18 inches. He immediately "woke up". Within 45 seconds he was swimming to the boat under his own power.

I suspect that many of these "non-events" have occured without anyone even considering trying to report it. I wonder if it is as common as commercial scuba spearos taking a very minor elbow or shoulder hit and dropping down to 20 for a little Oxygen. I doubt the scuba guys are calling DAN to report these little events, just as freedivers aren't reporting their "dirty little secrets".

Great Post Mighty Mouse!

I don't see the comparison between a shoulder hit on a scuba diver (commercial or not....as if that has anything to do with it.)vs. a life threatening blackout that requires secondary assistance from another diver to save a life. Far from a "non-event". Maybe, testimonials like your own could encourage divers out there to take added precautions when they hear from folks that are still walking around because there was a buddy there.

As far as reporting shoulder hits to DAN, there are tens of thousands of them. A couple of them are from me. Also, why do you refer to what you call a minor shoulder or elbow hit, or any other dive related injury or event as a "Dirty little Secret"??? There is nothing slimey or wrong about reporting anything of this nature. One should not feel ashamed or belittled as Chris has pointed out, it can happen to anyone from the beginner to the most seasoned pros.

[jfjf]

Kmoose:

I agree there should not be dirty little secrets, but many people will deny being bent and will feel a considerable amount of guilt associated with it. In some circles, there is a very similar feeling that for someone to BO, they must have really, really screwed up.

Hopefully talking about these issues will reduce the amount of mis-directed guilt associated with both events. And it might also affect people's attitudes that "it can't happen to me".

Maybe a shoulder bubble or skin bends is not as potentially dangerous as a BO, however the appropriate and timely administration of help for both situations can result in what I have somewhat arbitrarily categorized as a "non-event". I agree there is nothing slimey about a "hit".

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally Posted by LGHT

Great post! I took the PFI a few months ago for the exact same reasons. However I did post in the CA section before I took the class to see if any of the vets of the sport would be willing to host some type of beginner training course or just an afternoon of tips and tricks for the new guys starting out. I was shocked to see almost every reply to the inquiry was firmly against any type of class or training and that the best and only way to learn how to spearfish is by trial and error.

Could you provide a link to that thread?

I wouldn't be willing to host a beginner training course because I'm not licensed, not insured, and not qualified. You can bet your ass that PFI has a big liability policy.

However, it doesn't follow that I think the best way to learn to spearfish in by trial and error. I'm happy to provide all the help I can and answer any questions I can on the board, and I get a big kick out of taking relative beginners out and trying to put them on fish and give them any advice that I can. But that is a far cry from conducting a group course.