Quote Originally Posted by Benderr View Post
+1

aainslie:

I can imagine several things that could have caused an instructor to go for help, and, because everyone survived, it's hard to accuse him/her of making a poor decision on just that one element of the story. If I had been one of the students, I really wouldn't care, seeing as how I was alive and all. I might not choose that same instructor again, but that decision would be based more on what led up to the separation, than what the end result was.

Let's say that student #1 was freaking out, and rescue attempts resulted in dislodged masks/regs, etc. How long does the instructor wait with a rabid student in the water? If you have a student that's freaking beyond your ability to safely rescue him/her, wouldn't going for help be the next best option? Assume further that student #1 is between you and student #2, and a clay bank is involved. I can imagine it's not a good idea to do a blind search for a second student with a frenzied diver somewhere in a cloud of silt....

I'm not saying any of this happened, I'm just asking what YOU would do in that scenario and/or what circumstances would have to exist before you made the decision that seeking help was the best option?
It's Andrew. My name appears clearly at the bottom of every post that I make.

A diver PRESENT is more useful than a diver ABSENT. It's extraordinarily rare that someone is sitting around outside geared up waiting to help. This can NEVER be part of the emergency plan. It worries me that a bunch of people are suggesting that this extraordinarily fortuitous set of circumstances proves that this instructor might have done the right thing. It's as bad as using your pension fund to buy a bunch of lottery tickets. Just because one idiot gets lucky does NOT mean it's a valid strategy.

Christ. We have limited gas supplies. Leaving the cave is NEVER better than doing your utmost IN the cave RIGHT THEN. The clock is always ticking. Actions RIGHT NOW are more useful than "going for help". Whatever the hell that means.

BTW, one of the best things you can do in a silt out is just get off the floor and wait. In all but the slowest flowing caves the siltout dissipates in a few minutes. If you're looking for other divers, switch your light out. There's so much that could have been done.

Quote Originally Posted by wingman View Post
oh good grief, to borrow from andrew.
Strictly speaking, that'd be from Schulz