INCIDENT REPORT

DIVERS: Pierre (AOW, 28 dives), Alexis (AOW, 43 dives) and Corin (OW, 4 dives)

SITE: Rock reef off Sicily, Italy

CONDITIONS: Visibility 100 feet, 65 degrees F, no significant current or wind

Celebrating Corin’s recent certification as a PADI Open Water Diver, the trio made a boat dive in excellent conditions in the Mediterranean Sea. At anchor, the divemaster suspended a weighted descent line from the stern and gave a briefing, which included the fact that they were anchored in 40 feet of water on a stepped reef, with depth levels as deep as 100 feet. Pierre, Alexis and Corin planned a 50-foot, 45-minute-maximum dive. They went down along the descent line very slowly so Corin could equalize. It took 10 minutes to reach bottom, where they then moved a short distance from the line. Abruptly, Alexis pointed urgently at her computer, which showed 95 feet. Pierre checked his and shrugged. Corin grinned awkwardly. Pierre signaled for them to swim toward some fish activity, but Alexis indicated that she wanted to stay near the line. “OK,” Pierre signaled. They meandered around the vicinity with not much to see until Corin flashed his SPG, showing 1,200 psi. The trio slowly ascended the line, made a safety stop, and surfaced after a short, not-particularly-fun dive.

What They Did Wrong On a reef with multiple levels, they assumed — incorrectly — that the depth under the stern was the same as the anchor depth. They focused on the line and equalizing, failing to check their computers to note how many times they were equalizing, the visual distance to the bottom and other clues that should have revealed they were going deeper than planned. They significantly exceeded Corin’s experience and training limits, and failed to head up or abort the dive when they discovered they were too deep.

What They Did Right They stayed together, monitored their air supply and remained oriented. They ascended with adequate gas.

Five Tips from This Incident

1. Check your gauges frequently throughout a dive. Ideally, only a few hundred psi should elapse between SPG checks.

2. Avoid assumptions about depth or the environment, and confirm or ask the divemaster if you’re unsure about something.

3. Take the PADI Boat Diver course to learn more about boat-diving procedures, including the use of lines while diving from boats. Even if you’ve been diving on boats for years, you’ll learn more about diving from different kinds of vessels.

4. Abort the dive as soon as you discover you have or will exceed planned limits. Don’t make a poor situation into a bad one by persisting on a dive that’s not working. It’s better to regroup and plan another dive.

5. Don’t get tunnel vision; pay attention to what’s going on around you. Developing situational awareness helps avoid problems.

For more tips on how to stay safe in the water, check out our Learn From This archive.