Air SHUT OFF at Ginnie!!

[Mike Edmonston]

Hi Gang,

This is a heads up on a little incident that happened at Ginnie this past weekend. After completing our second dive of the day, I completed my DECO in the eye. While on DECO, I always check my posts to verify that nothing got rolled off etc... both my posts were wide open as I only went up to the upper rollercoaster and back. No tight stuff, and no banging on anything.

Here's where it gets interesting. I got to the stairs right in front of the eye, and stood there on the last step, taking off fins, shutting down my o2 bottle, etc...

There was an entire flotilla of tubers coming down the stairs, and I was being nudged by tubes repeatedly. I just ignored this, as I was out of their way. I was there for about 3 minutes, waiting for Gary to take off his fins and walk up the stairs. Once Gary was done, I went to add air to my drysuit for the walk back and pffftt.... Nothing!

I tried again, but there was still no air in the inflator. OK, I go to check my SPG, and as soon as I grabbed the hose, I could feel that it was empty! Did I have a phantom leak that I couldn't hear? I check my posts, and lo and behold BOTH posts were shut tight!!! I don't mean rolloff, or accidental turning, I mean SHUT TIGHT!!!

Looking back, I remember being pushed around by the tubes when the swimmers came down the steps, but I didn't think anything of it. It seems that someone SHUT OFF ALL MY AIR!!! including the isolation valve!

Luckily, I was at the end of my dive, but this could have been a very very bad situation if I was just getting in the water!

Let's just make sure that we all perform our S-drills, and check our posts before we go in. Every time! Some people will try to kill you just for a laugh!

Safe Diving

[Scubastud16]

I posted this over on TDS, but that's just ****ing ridiculous. Obviously you should check your valves (like you did) all the time, but still, the fact that some drunk redneck thought that was funny is disturbing.

[Line Squirrel]

the fact that some drunk redneck thought that was funny is disturbing.

Both valves and his isolator shut down? I bet it was more than one idiot, the whole group was probably in on it, each one giving a valve a partial turn as they went by bumping into him.

This will be interesting to see if it happens again and these jackasses get caught in the act.

Looks like we need to literally start watching each others back.

[Mike Edmonston]

This will be interesting to see if it happens again and these jackasses get caught in the act.

I'm thinking that you would probably read about a tragic tubing accident in the news. Just keep an eye out on your buddies.

BTW, Mike, I got the CDS materials from Jim this weekend. Thanks again bud.

Safe Diving

[contender]

Mike,
That sucks. After our dive Sunday, I noticed a bunch of tubers messing around with our deco and stage bottles when I came back from putting the tanks in the truck. I went ahead and pulled them out to keep the tubers honest.

[Mike Edmonston]

Mike,
That sucks. After our dive Sunday, I noticed a bunch of tubers messing around with our deco and stage bottles when I came back from putting the tanks in the truck. I went ahead and pulled them out to keep the tubers honest.

Yeah, it happened on Sunday. Where were you parked bud, I didn't see you, or I would have come over and brought a deco beverage.

I'll be back in 3 weeks or so. I have classes to teach for the next 2 weekends, so I'm locked into Sebring and West Palm till then.

Safe Diving.

[Tegg]

They'd have a tough time getting to your valves if you were sidemount...

[MORGAN]

This is a useful heads-up; it pays to be careful when idiots might have access to your equipment - even when you're wearing it! Scary!

Another illustration of the fact that one of the most powerful and unpredictable forces in the world is human stupidity.

My visits to Ginnie are usually in October and February, when the half-wits seem to be otherwise occupied and there aren't many tubers. Even then, I avoid Ginnie on the weekends. 30 years in EMS and the ER have left me with a reduced tolerance for drunk and stupid people, though I usually manage to be amused rather than disgusted.

A tuber is usually a swollen, fleshy, enlarged plant organ, usually underground, used as storage for carbohydrates, such as a potato.

A tuber may also refer to a swollen, fleshy, enlarged humanoid, usually sunburned, equipped with an inflatable toroid and used as (temporary) storage for beer.

Mike

[Gary]

While you were wearing it??? That's ballsy.

Swimmeers/tubers at Ginnie once screwed around with my O2 bottle in the water while I was gearing up at the car. They ended up unscrewing the regulator, draining the tank and filling it partly with spring water.

Then they wandered off and didn't tell anyone.

I guess one of their group felt guilty and mentioned that I should check my tank before they also disappeared. So I was aware that I was out of O2 before I started the dive and made plans accordingly.

Spring water is not O2 clean so I was out the price of O2 and an O2 cleaning (and some extra deco).

[MengTze]

.... someone SHUT OFF ALL MY AIR!!! including the isolation valve!

..

I don't think you dove air. If you would have, your deco would have been longer and you would have avoided that group...:-0

Seriously though, that is just outrageous.