everyone comes home this season?

Hi, probably everyone knows there where 8 or 9 deaths last ab season. I can't help think even one is waaaay too many. After all, all those guys were just like us- excited to go in, hoping to come home and feed friends and family.

 I will confess I've done things like paddle around a corner, dive alone, without telling anyone my plans, and certainly wouldn't expect anyone except myself to be responsible for me. Or stay out an extra hour thinking there's got to be a ling out here somewhere, right?

But two summers ago I was traveling and when I came back and heard there had already been 5 deaths, it shocked me. I resolved to stop looking at other divers in a cove as competitors and to start watching to see how they were doing. And now, if I see guys headed in, I'll hang out a while and see that they actually do get in. And another change, which came after receiving an expected kind gesture. As I was coming in to the shallows from a shore dive trying to manage a pretty unwieldy float, a guy just waded out and grabbed it. I would have been fine, but it was a really nice gesture, so now, when I can I give a helping hand to anyone coming in.

And I don't want to start any bashing about people being fit or inexperienced, but want to ask if we as a community or as individuals could do things that might make this season one in which there isn't horrible news and instead all our brother and sister divers come home, hopefully with that great catch they went out for?

Ideas?

Take it easy. Have fun.
If you are older (me) pace yourself. Try to be in shape. Realize you can't swim like you used to.
You will tire faster, accept it.
It's not so much about getting an ab as it is enjoying the experience. And don't worry, you will get one.
Get plenty of rest before you go.
500 mile round trip "drive an' dives" ain't as easy as they used to be.
If conditions are less than ideal don't be afraid to say "Fuck It!". There's a TON of other things to do while you are there; food, beer, wine, exploring...take advantage of what's in the area besides the abalone.
Come back safe and make a report, even if you didn't dive.

Great post buddy...

I'm guilty of all of the things you have mentioned as well, but am trying to be a safer/more responsible diver, and to try and set a better example for people that might read/watch my adventures online...

We have some good resources here with several members who are FII instructors, and a standing offer to replace anyone's weight belt if they need to ditch it...

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=65106.0

I also encourage all divers to take out VHFs on their yaks with them, and to stay aware of changing weather conditions and head in to more sheltered water when needed...

Knowing your own limits and listening to your body is also really important...some days just feel off and have to scrap Plan A and dive shallower and/or with less bottom time...no big deal, but I really believe that lots of accidents can be prevented by listening to our own warning signs (tired, little hungover, dehydrated, cramping etc).

Anyway, cool thread and thanks for bringing it up!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

As a non diver.... I watch out for those in the water (mostly so I don't run over them). As a third party not involved in their dive/buddy/team... It's hard to know if someone is missing till it's too late. Education, pamphlets at dive entry points? Warning others it's too rough out there? Folks still gonna go out if they drove 2-3 hrs.... Sad we're losing folks. Happens every year Helping each other is always a good Idea and promotes PIF when someone might REALLY need it...

Seems like the top contributing factors are sacramento syndrome and exhaustion.  The cures are to know your limits and stay withing them, both as to conditions and as to your physical capabilities, which are intertwined and can be hard to tell where one ends and one begins.  I'm still a rank novice and as I increased my time in the water over the last couple years both are on my mind and I'm more than happy to call it a day and go do something else if it doesn't feel right. 

DFG basically forced me into the water if I still want abs, since rock picking is now limited to zero to at most a handful of days a year thanks to 8 am start time.  I wonder how many people that decision will contribute to killing?

Before my mother swam Alcatraz 3 years in a row (in her mid-sixties and not petite), she went to the doctor and asked how her heart was. Heart health is not an easy subject to talk about on the beach or out in a cove.  I think we can all help raise awareness about it with our diving and gathering buddies and encourage people to get a checkup before the ab season starts.  Remember that triathlon kills a lot of people, too, and it is almost always the swim.  Be good about communicating with other divers in the water and on shore about what is going on.  I also tell almost every ab diver I see about NCUH and NCKA.  I'm sure that participation on these sites saves lives. 

Take it easy. Have fun.
If you are older (me) pace yourself. Try to be in shape. Realize you can't swim like you used to.
You will tire faster, accept it.
It's not so much about getting an ab as it is enjoying the experience. And don't worry, you will get one.
Get plenty of rest before you go.
500 mile round trip "drive an' dives" ain't as easy as they used to be.
If conditions are less than ideal don't be afraid to say "Fuck It!". There's a TON of other things to do while you are there; food, beer, wine, exploring...take advantage of what's in the area besides the abalone.
Come back safe and make a report, even if you didn't dive.

I'm 63 and so much of what Tote put up here has become my normal behavior over the last few years, that and seeing a body recovery at SWN a few years ago.

I'm in the process of instilling all this in my 30 something son, luckily he gets it as we cancelled several dives over the last few years due to conditions,

And he reads about the several 60 something guys who have died of heart issues while out there.

So yeah Thanks for starting this thread,  my dive instructor back in the 80s said "some days ya just gotta sit on the beach and drink wine, the ocean will always be there next time".

In diving, as with other challenging activities, our knowledge, skill and physical ability dictate where we lie on a continuum.  Trying to achieve a higher level on the continuum without paying the required dues in time and conditioning is a recipe for disaster.

I think the most important part of being a successful diver is to become adept in the water.

The first thing I ask someone when I'm assessing their comfort in the water is "can you surface, clear your snorkel without lifting your face out of the water, and comfortably rest in that position?"  If one cannot do what I've described, I don't think they have any business trying to pull an abalone yet.

IMO, these are the steps to becoming adept (at anything):

Observe.
Emulate.
Learn.
Practice.
Hone.
Excel.
Teach.
Grow.

The last step is the most important and likely the hardest.

When I am older and my body isn't doing exactly what I want it to, I hope to have grown through the strong desire to still excel - I think that's what can be deadly to those who have conscientiously followed the other steps.

Those who don't follow the steps with commitment, and who try to practice when conditions aren't safe for them or their body isn't ready, are the ones who may be likely to become victims of situations where they should not have been out there that day.

There are forces beyond our control, and this is magnified in the ocean.  Still though, what I'm describing here has to do with choices that individuals make - to commit to learning and practicing prior to placing oneself in a situation where poor judgment can lead to disaster.

Teach - that's a step that can lead to growth and extend the excel period.

Thanks for the post, Dirk.

Before my mother swam Alcatraz 3 years in a row (in her mid-sixties and not petite), she went to the doctor and asked how her heart was. Heart health is not an easy subject to talk about on the beach or out in a cove.  I think we can all help raise awareness about it with our diving and gathering buddies and encourage people to get a checkup before the ab season starts.  Remember that triathlon kills a lot of people, too, and it is almost always the swim.  Be good about communicating with other divers in the water and on shore about what is going on.  I also tell almost every ab diver I see about NCUH and NCKA.  I'm sure that participation on these sites saves lives. 

+1 get regular check ups. Make sure your blood pressure isn't high.

Listen to your body and live to dive another day.

good reading this post. this is what this site is all about information past onto strangers and friends brothers and sisters.

Although we don't dive, Tiny and I have a similar outlook that we apply towards fishing.
We always say that the coffee is better on land and a hot breakfast isn't far away.
If it ain't our day, it ain't our day.
It's just a fish (in our case).

Man, some great thoughts and suggestions. I feel lucky to share the
sport (and coast) with you guys. BTW, what is Sacramento Syndrome?

And Tote, right on with getting smarter.  Yeah, we're all getting older. Just to make us feel better, the past couple years I've dove with a couple guys in Australia now mid 60s that are amazing divers, still complete slayers on deep drops. Same with another guy in NZ, to see him working 75 feet under (yeah, I'm watching him from 25 above), is amazing. Common thing with these guys: super relaxed; it's like watching diving in slow motion.

Big Jim, marine radio is great suggestion. got one last year, but haven't yet used it ."It's coming with me this summer for sure!And I did once ditch a weigh belt, no second thoughts at all considering the situation. That offer now is really meaningful, especially to just get us all to realize "it's just stuff."

Do you guys think divers push it beyond their limits trying to not give up a bag of abs/fish to rough conditions?

And the "enjoy the beach or coffee or wine if the conditions suck" theme is really good. I have to remind myself how stupid some friends of mine and I were, walking away from booming surf one day, then over a good breakfast convincing outselves we could "probably get out between sets" - big mistake, that was a day we almost lost a friend.

Yowlie if your mom swims Alcatraz you have some awesome genes and the rest of us are going to be yelling to you for help, not the other way around.

Do any of you guys use or carry a whistle? Or anything like that to signal? Or is that just another thing to tangle in kelp?

Also what about really buddy diving? I dove last summer in basically open water, about 2000 ft, and one guy who had taken a freediver class kind of called the rest of us out for not actually having any idea where or buddy was? I am usually totally guilty of having only a vague idea of where my friends or daughters are at any given moment? Are you guys/gals better at the buddy thing?

Man, some great thoughts and suggestions. I feel lucky to share the
sport (and coast) with you guys. BTW, what is Sacramento Syndrome?

Sacramento syndrome is just a generic term for when the inland crowd (or anybody driving several hours away to dive the coast) make it to the shore to find inhospitable or undiveable conditions......and dive anyway, cause they drove all that way.  Many of the cases that make the news usually leave us asking wtf the victims were doing diving cause the oceans been booming.

Aside from physical health, ignorance and inexperience are the other main causes, and it's almost always related to bad ocean conditions. We had a case last year where several newbs had a friend who was an "experienced" diver guide them to their doom.  Someone on shore reported that they told em it was a bad day to dive but they told him they're alright, their friend knows what theyre doing. 

I don't know how many of the people that wind up dying actually research (in addition to blindly trusting their friends) about diving, but I think a video that explains the common cause of death would be helpful. 

Cover ocean conditions, self reliance, explaining that diving a couple times a year for abs doesn't make someone an expert or a legit guide and youre still responsible for your own life, entanglement, to check multiple dive sites for the best conditions, when to call it a day (big weather usually means crap vis anyway) and things to do on the coast if you don't dive (bring a rod for perchin, hit the oyster farms, etc).

Sincerely,

Expert Who Dives Once a Year




PS....I've found that having to wake up early and having a multitude of other hobbies that are less work generally keep me home and safe on days the weather is marginally bad! 

I carry a whistle on my Banks Board and on my kayak along with a radio.

I carry a whistle on my Banks Board and on my kayak along with a radio.

Yes on whistle, small signaling mirror, VHF radio, spot GPS tracker, phone when there is a Signal.  I have all that but do often dive alone.  So don't listen to me.  I even take a PFD out when I am diving and think most don't.  Yeah I am in a wetsuit and plan on being in the water but have flipped my kayak in the surf Enough to wear it in case I get hit on the head or something.