Posted by Chuck Tribolet on May 17, 2005 at 19:56:55:
In Reply to: Another view posted by Walt on May 17, 2005 at 09:49:30:
I can't offhand think of an embolism in the surf
zone. I can think of several Class A incidents
in the surf zone with reg out of the mouth.
And NOT breathing is what will embolize you. Keep
breathing, and the pressure will keep adjusting
itself.
The incidents don't happen when the diver can swim,
they happen when the diver is getting rolled and out
of control and can't get clear of the surf zone.
Even when there isn't surf, having your reg in
your mouth can save your butt. Last year, I ran
a club dive at Pt. Lobos. My dry suit was in for
new seals, so I was in street clothes in my boat,
hanging out waiting for some divers to swim out
and board for a lift to the mouth of the cove.
The next buddy team walked out and one of the
divers either slipped, or stepped off the end
of the ramp. She didn't have her reg in her
mouth, and no air in her BC. About the second
time she came up, her eyes were as big as saucers
so I ran the boat over, got up on the bow, and
grabbed her BC straps and mostly kept her head
above water. Somebody jumped out of another boat
(in just a Farmer John, BBRRR) and swam over. We finally
puzzled out that her BC wasn't quite hooked up.
It LOOKED good, but the QD was only on about 80%.
If she had her reg in her mouth, it would have
just been a big splash.
Her buddy was a newbie (I think) and was just
sitting there like a stunned mullet.
And only a few weeks ago I had one of those
trancendtal awakenings where I realized that I
SHOULD have grabbed the throwable cushion PFD on
the boat and handed it to her. DUH
Chuck