Part 5 – Lost Buddy

In this article, we will be looking at what has to be one of the creepiest skills on an advanced wreck course, and that’s a lost team mate! Can you imagine what it must feel like to turn around and one of your team is missing? I think it would probably be accompanied by a little accident in the back end of your suit; although I imagine that in a scenario such as this, the lost buddy’s pants will be in a lot worse state.

We will also be looking at staging though, which is a rocking skill as it makes you feel “oh so techie” and is so easy to do!

As with my previous article about losing your line, there should be no reason whatsoever to lose a team mate during a dive. Good use of lines, lights and communications will almost definitely mean that the only time you will use this drill is on your course.

The most common reason for team mates getting lost is loss of visibility.  A silt out in a wreck can be pretty frightening; visibility can drop in an instant.

So there you are, enjoying the inside of some thrilling wreck when you realise someone is gone! Missing. LOST! My first piece of advice is take a few sanity breaths yourself and calm your other team mates down too. We all know that our minds will now be full of trepidation and fear.

Next, make sure you are all going to stay safe. The only way divers stay safe is by having enough gas to breath. Don’t now go getting yourself into a situation that removes any possibility of you getting out of the wreck yourself. Take a second to recompute your gas schedule based on thirds.

Now you have an allowable maximum search time based on your gas volume. Please don’t ignore your decompression schedule if there is one and don’t go racking up masses of deco unless you can complete the obligation.

If the diver went missing while reeling the line out on the way into the wreck I suggest you tie the line off immediately. This now gives you a final search position, as the diver must be behind you. If you are on a line that is semi permanent (quite rare for wreckers but common for cavers) then you need to mark your position on the line. I use a personalised marker nicknamed a “cookie”. This too gives you a final search position.

Next, cover all lights; you may actually see the glow from your team mate’s light. If no light is visible, look for signs of movement. Perhaps silt kicked up or percolation falling from the ceilings.

If this still yields no joy then it is time to search. Slowly swim down the line and look for signs of the missing diver. If you find the diver but he/she is off the line down another passageway do NOT rush after them. Keep you and your team safe. Tie yourself to your primary line making a “T”. Also mark the way to the exit with an Arrow marker. I like to tie my “T” into the arrow so my search line does not slide on the primary line.

If you have searched to the limits of your available time and gas it would probably be a good idea to leave the missing diver as many clues on how to get out as possible. Leave the primary line in the wreck. It can also be used by a search and rescue team if needs be. The main reason though is that the diver may find it and make a safe exit using it. Before you leave tie your torch into the line shining its beam onto an arrow marker clearly pointing to the exit.

More often than not, your missing team mate will be waiting outside searching for you, and waiting to see that you are safe. Phew!!!

Now let’s move onto something a little less stressful – Staging! It even sounds techie!

Staging is a very clever technique actually as it allows you to move through the wreck without having to carry masses of cylinders but also NOT putting yourself at much more of an increased risk. The main point is, that trying to get through very tight passageways and doors with stages on is very difficult. So why not leave them for later retrieval.

We use the rule of thirds for staging as well so management of the stage is easy. Use a third of its volume and then stage it. This means when you get back to it, it still has two thirds of its original volume left. It’s the same principle as all penetration gas rules.

Staging though needs to be done carefully. The cylinder needs to be tied to the primary line so that it can be easily relocated. Because you have used this cylinder to penetrate you sure as hell are going to need it to exit the wreck, so make sure it’s secure. Use the neck piston clip to secure it to the line. Double wrap the line through the gate of the piston clip to keep it static, therefore stopping it from drifting away. Finally, before moving on, turn the cylinder off but leave it charged. You do not want to come back to an empty stage!

There is an unwritten rule in wrecks and caves that staged cylinders are left alone. Can you imagine the consequences of not following this rule?

And there you have it; our episode on lining is at an end. Next time round I am going to look at lights. And let me tell you, dive lights are sexy little beasts so make sure you come back to the Wreck Diving section of Scubaverse.com in a couple of weeks from now..

As ever, all opinions expressed are my own. I am in no way trying to replace proper instruction. My opinions may differ from agency to agency and instructor to instructor and I do not wish to disrepute any of them.

Paul is the Director of Training at RAID. To find out more about the courses that RAID offers, visit www.diveraid.com.