Blacked Out Knots

This project, like the blacked out flange tree project, was a way of testing our knowledge of knots and knot tieing in a no visibility underwater situation. Divers are often required to rig things for lifting underwater so having a working knowledge of rigging is nessecary to complete lifts in a safe manner. To ensure that we have gained this level of knowledge the instructors once again covered the face plate of the helmet with duct tape and sent us to the bottom to tie 10 knots that they felt we should know. We were required to tie a reef knot, single and double sheet bend, clove hitch, rolling hitch, round turn and two half hitches, bowline, bowline on a bite, figure eight, and a figure eight with an eye.

Blacked Out Flange Tree

The clear water around Campbell River provides for some excellent visibility which can be great but unrealistic. Most of the working dives in our careers as divers will be performed in little to no visibility so the instructors set up projects that mimic working with no visibility. For the blacked out flange tree project the object was to put five pieces of pipe together underwater with duct tape covering the face plate of the helmet. While one diver worked on the project blacked out the other diver would observe with a camera so topside could see what was going on and act as a standby if something went wrong with the diver who couldn't see. The various pipe sections were lowered from the boat on a crane and the diver would have to direct the piece into place and bolt it down with a gasket between each piece. For added difficulty the divers were given just enough bolts, nuts and washers to complete the project and some of the bolts were different sizes meaning that they had to be placed in the right section. The project was completed with all divers taking turns working on the project so it was a big team effort.

DEEP DIVES

As a requirement to get our certification it is necessary for each of us to perform at least one dive in the hat to 100 feet. When going deep it becomes much more important to control buoyancy and have clear communication and planning with topside. When descending to a depth of 100 feet it is imperative to periodically inflate air into the drysuit. As each of us felt, the suit squeeze at 30 feet was much different than 100 feet and if you do not inflate your suit during the descent it will be nearly impossible to move your arms or legs at 100 feet.

For our dives we dropped straight down to nearly 100 feet to a rocky flat. From there we were free to look around and watch the fish. There was what seemed to be a wench from a small tug boat on the seabed and lots of rockfish. Going deep is always a heart pumping experience and I think it is important to learn how to safely push yourself to gain more trust your skills and abilities.

Side Note: Divesafe has uploaded a bunch of pictures from our class. Follow this link if you would like to see: http://www.divesafe.com/photo_gallery.php?gallery_id=43

Emergency Situations

Divers never want to be in an emergency situation but because of the fact that we are underwater and in unknown surrounding we are constantly surrounded by dangers. Even if we know where dangers are located there can always be another unknown danger underwater or something topside can happen which could put the diver at risk. All these things require us to be vigilant with our safety and emergency training.

It is nearly impossible to recreate an emergency situation. That is the emotions, surprise and adrenaline that would be present in a true emergency, but practicing for an emergency, no matter how different, does make us more prepared. For our exercises in the marina we would have one diver go down and entangle his umbilical before calling up with a mock situation. The diver could say he had injured himself, or he was getting a headache and the air tasted bad, he cracked his mask or even say nothing, like he was blacked out. At this point the rack operator would, depending on the situation, attempt further communications with the diver then jump the standby diver. Regulations in British Columbia Canada state that the standby diver needs to be able to be in the water within one minute. This was our challenge each emergency drill. It was difficult but each of us got three tries in each position; the rack operator, standby diver, standby tender and injured diver.

These types of drills are important to experience and practice, they keep us focused and aware. As with any profession with danger complacency is the factor that will take an emergency situation and turn it into a deadly situation.

The Daily Routine

We are now in our 5^th week of class and everything is beginning to fall into place. Each day our diving operations are running smoother and faster. Setting up the boat, dressing in the diver and breaking down after the day are all becoming second nature to each of us in the class. I will duly note that this does not mean we are becoming complacent with our duties on the boat but rather that we are becoming aware and comfortable of what is expected of us.

At the beginning of the day the instructors select one person to act as the dive supervisor. The dive supervisor will then ensure that all the checklists are completed and that we are ready do begin diving before we leave the marina. These checklists include one checklist for each helmet that we will be using and a surface supplied air checklist. The helmet checklists include visual inspections of the helmet as well as setup procedures. The surface supply checklist includes checks and setup procedures for primary and secondary air, the rack manifold, safety harnesses and includes redundant checks for the helmets. This procedure forces us to always have clear communications on the boat as well as ensure that no one person can fall into a routine of performing the same tasks each day.

At the end of the day we all break down the boat storing some of the equipment on the boat as well as brining in the oxygen tanks, helmets and tools from the days projects. At this point the dive supervisor need to ensure that the boat has been properly broken down then the supervisor will need to check each helmet used during the day. The supervisor alone will go over a final checklist cleaning and checking over the helmets before filling out their dive logs. As with everything we do on the boat safety, teamwork and communication are always first on the checklist.

The Story of Pogo Ogo

Pogo Ogo is the sea monster of Queen Charlotte Sound. Chased here from Alaska by Chinese whale hunters Pogo Ogo has a harpoon shaped mark on its back from the hunters. Pogo Ogo came to Queen Charlotte Sound because of the plentiful amount of fish and clean water.

The natives never knew what Pogo Ogo was and were frightened by it until one faithful day. On that day two native boys went out on their canoe to fish during rough weather. The sea got so rough that their canoe overturned throwing the two boys into the freezing water. Pogo Ogo saw what was going on and came up to the surface. Though initially frightened by the monster the boys quickly realized that Pogo Ogo was coming to help and they grabbed onto his back. Pogo Ogo brought them to a rocky ridge on the coast, saving them. This ridge is called “Po-Oh Ridge”.

Now the natives say that Pogo Ogo is a part of their family, a protector. When on or near the water a tell tail sign of Pogo Ogo is two humps in the water, often mistaken by a log with two humps.

*This story was told to me by a local on the boat.

Pipe Puzzle

Working in teams of two we were charged with putting together a ‘pipe puzzle’. When we reached to seabed we found a bucket filled with the pipe pieces, 2 wrenches and Teflon tape. The assembled pipe was supposed to be a square with one side having a T piece with an inflator nipple, which allowed our instructors to pressure test our pipes at the surface for leaks. The side opposite the T piece was supposed to have a coupling which would allow for the pieces to be tightened and assembled correctly. The two adjacent sides were matching long pipe pieces.

The most difficult part of this project was making sure the pieces came together correctly. Since the t and the coupling were different sizes the 4 pipe pieces given for those two sides were all different sizes. This made it so that there was only one correct way to assemble the pipe where the coupling would close correctly. I think all the teams ran into the problem of not having the coupling be able to close, which I can say from experience, was a frustrating moment underwater.

This was a fun project to do and though any one of us would have been able to put the pipe together at the surface in under 30 minutes underwater it took quite a bit longer.