Here you go TonyOriginally Posted by TONY CHANEY
This incident happened at Jackson Blue after I had just completed a solo dive with two stages and two scooters.
After finishing my 30’ deco, I swam into the deco room, picked up the O2 tank and ascended to 20’ for the O2 gas switch.
It was late November and the shellcracker and bass were already gathering in the cavern. I was watching them as always, daydreaming.
Sometimes I remove my stages and both scooters, clipping them to a line for more „freedom“ during deco. On this dive, as in about 50% of all dives, I left everything attached as it was, the backup scooter clipped to my crotch D-ring.
About halfway through the 10 minute 20’ deco, I suddenly heard this awful grinding noise from behind, as if something was stuck in the prop of a scooter.
Needless to say, the sound came from my own backup scooter and the darn thing was pushing my butt forward.
Sadly this UV-18 has no Venom speed controller, which means it was pushing full speed, taking me for a scenic ride across the cavern, into the wall on the far side.
As can be expected, with the tension on the leash attached to the crotch strap, I was struggling to undo the bolt snap. When I almost had it, I think, LOL - the UV-18 suddenly stopped by itself.
This is when I made the big mistake. I should have unclipped it and checked it or done something else with it, but complacent me thought it was a fluke.
So I went back to other side of the cavern to finish deco
All went well for the remainder of the 20’ stop, leaving another 20 minutes at 10’, which I decided to enjoy outside of the cavern, on the little slope left of the entrance.
Now I was really lucky, since the UV-18 came back on just as I had cleared the final deco.
First it pushed me straight forward into the concrete foundation below the diving board.
This time there was no grinding noise, the UV-18 was working with full efficiency.
I managed to grope my way around the concrete, the other scooter in one hand and the UV-18 still pushing me from behind.
When I finally cleared the foundation, I could see the little wall that we all gear up at, which is where the scooter took me next.
I remember thinking how convenient it is that the scooter is pushing straight forward, not up or down
Once pinned to the wall, I struggled once again to unclip the scooter, wiggling like a madman to undo the bolt snap.
That was when it once again stopped by itself.
Needless to say, as soon as I got on my feet and the fun was over, I first made sure to check that nobody had seen all this
Next I looked for loose line or any other possible cause for the runaway scooter, but found nothing at all,
Of course the trigger of the scooter was locked and there was absolutely nothing damaged.
Strange things happen…
(Yeah, I know, it probably wouldn't have happened with a Suex...)
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