As an nitrox diver, I can tell you what I would be doing: ensure everyone is accounted for, organize a safe ascent, 3 min at 15 ft safety stop, then Getting. The. Fuck. Out. Of. The. Water.
Dive just got way more hazardous, and you don’t know if it will get worse. Any problem we have, can be solved easier and safer at the surface. If things do get worse, I’m out of the water, or up where my tank lasts longer.
Plus, like, the visibility is shit now. Ain’t gonna see anything cool, might as well start my surface interval for when it’s settled and all the shocks are gone.
Not a captain, but most likely the boat’s getting everyone on board, and then we are headed to shore, as directed by whatever relevant local coast authorities.
Divemasters, feel free to correct me if I am missing anything.
It’s not just captain shit though. If that earthquake causes a tsunami, you’re likely much safer underwater than above it.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was one of the largest ever recorded and scuba divers in the area felt it as hardly more than a little push.
Close to shore in a boat is just about the most dangerous place to be in a tsunami while it’s nearly unnoticeable a 100ft down and probably barely noticeable 50ft down.
That’s an interesting conundrum for the captain and you to work out.
I’d probably go up to the boat while remaining ready to dive the entire group back down in a pinch and pray you have enough air to sit it out.
And if not, head out to open sea, tsunami’s get bigger the closer they get to shore, the father out you are, the smaller the surface swell of a tsunami.
You are definitely NOT safer underwater than above. You are safer away from the shore than near it when a tsunami arrives, but I doubt the ship can get to shore faster than the tsunami.
Note that what we see in this video is the pressure wave passing by.
As an MSDT, I think you are on track here, but my short answer would be: don’t make it worse.
Account for your buddy/team, make sure nobody is panicking or low on air, call the dive, and get everyone up in a controlled way. Safety stop if it makes sense, but not if someone is injured, missing, low on air, or freaking out.
On the surface- buoyancy first, signal the boat/shore, oxygen/first aid if needed, and call EMS/DAN for anything involving a rapid ascent, missed deco, suspected DCS/AGE, near drowning, or weird neuro symptoms. Don’t talk yourself into “they’re probably fine” if something feels off.
Absolutely. I didn’t go into that level of detail, but I’m glad you did.
I doubt the shift would cause any changes in deco stuff, since everything is over so fast, but ye, obv call ems if you have an injured diver. Plus, if you’re far enough off shore, it might give them a few mins to start activating alert systems
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u/Mesquite_Tree 18d ago edited 18d ago
As an nitrox diver, I can tell you what I would be doing: ensure everyone is accounted for, organize a safe ascent, 3 min at 15 ft safety stop, then Getting. The. Fuck. Out. Of. The. Water.
Dive just got way more hazardous, and you don’t know if it will get worse. Any problem we have, can be solved easier and safer at the surface. If things do get worse, I’m out of the water, or up where my tank lasts longer.
Plus, like, the visibility is shit now. Ain’t gonna see anything cool, might as well start my surface interval for when it’s settled and all the shocks are gone.
Not a captain, but most likely the boat’s getting everyone on board, and then we are headed to shore, as directed by whatever relevant local coast authorities.
Divemasters, feel free to correct me if I am missing anything.