INCIDENT REPORT

DIVERS: Janet (Full Cave CCR Instructor, 1,000-plus cave dives), Bill (Full Cave, Cave CCR student, 1,000-plus dives, 300-plus cave dives)
SITE: Devil’s System, High Springs, Florida, 95 feet max depth
CONDITIONS: 72°F water, visibility 100-plus feet, calm; both in shell drysuits

Janet was teaching Bill closed-circuit rebreather cave diving in Florida. They’d planned to venture about 1,500 feet into the cave system, but at about 200 feet, Bill felt what every drysuit diver fears: a chill starting to spread near his suit’s pee valve. He knew exactly what the problem was right off the bat. Remaining calm, Bill hovered and signaled “hold” as he closed the open valve.

Since the dive was going to take only a couple of hours, he had not connected the internal components to the urination system, and failed to close the valve. This allowed water to leak into the suit through the plumbing.

OK? asked Janet. Bill signaled to continue the hold while he considered the situation. High-end garments like his insulate relatively well, even when wet, and the water wasn’t that cold. Although wet, his left leg warmed once the leak was closed. There was no serious buoyancy issue. All things considered, Bill made the call to continue the dive. They made the dive as planned without further issues, and Bill was more than adequately warm despite his initial chilly scare.

What They Did Wrong
Bill and Janet should have checked their pee valves during their predive equipment checks, even though Bill didn’t plan to use the urination system. They did the checks but forgot that the valve added a component.

What They Did Right
The pair of divers stopped when Bill discovered the problem. Bill didn’t decide to continue hastily — he considered the overall effect of the water to be sure it would not create a hazard.

Five Tips from This Incident

1) Check all your gear before each dive. Some gears add things to check; use a checklist if necessary to be sure you don’t miss anything. (CCR divers are always supposed to use checklists.)

2) Invest in the best gear you can. Better gear performs better. In this example, the undergarment saved the dive. In colder water with more-extensive flooding, it might keep an annoyance from becoming a hazard.

3) Know your gear. Bill knew he could continue the dive because he’d made many dives with his drysuit and undergarment.

4) The dive site will still be there. After resolving a problem, conservatively assess whether to continue the dive or pack it in. Often you can keep going, but sometimes you don’t know. If in doubt, get out.

5) Integrated activities might require multiple certifications. Janet and Bill were full cave divers, PADI Dry Suit Divers and TecRec CCR Divers, with Janet teaching Bill Cave CCR. Ask your PADI Instructor about these or other courses for the diving you want to do.