Posted by Eins on September 11, 2000 at 09:47:42:
In Reply to: Re: Diver Injured/The Facts (long & detailed) posted by MHK on September 11, 2000 at 08:40:05:
MHK, I knew that you had to come to this conclusion, and you may know that I would have to disagree.
First of all, I'm glad the rescue went so well and I also hope that Gail will fully recover. I agree, of course, that her buddies helped tremendously in giving her a chance to live.
That being said, you can't compare this case with a solo dive outcome. Gail would have never done this dive solo (with good reason). So, the question as you raise it, MHK, ("In this particular case, the buddy was the difference between Ken doing a rescue versus a body search.") does not exist.
Gail was fortunate to have divers around her who were attentive and did the right thing. That is what counts: TO HAVE WELL TRAINED AND ATTENTIVE buddies. That's what will save lives, not the fact that you dive with buddies alone.
I don't know about your (all of you who read this) experience, but I've seen too many buddies who just don't care about their partner but gave him a false sense of safety.
What I'm trying to say is, get the best buddy you can get, but don't rely on him. Get your own training up to speed, get in shape and get prepared to save your own butt. And be grateful if you're lucky and have a buddy who deserves that name.
Eins