Troy Springs Incident "DON'T PANIC"

[@terrismith9662]

Lost credibility?? Nope. Your willingness to use your mistake as a learning tool for others is proof of your integrity.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words

[@Mad.Chemist]

Utterly agreed! 👍🏻

[@michaelchristenbury552]

I completely agree!

[@cullengunnar7063]

I know Im asking randomly but does someone know a tool to get back into an instagram account..? I was stupid lost my login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me!

[@justusyael6708]

@Cullen Gunnar Instablaster ;)

[@christophersmith3652]

That's the sign of an excellent instructor. Bravo brother and stay safe.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You

[@breakingh2o311]

Wow! That was scary. In my 32 years diving, I've never experienced anything like that. Now thanks to your sharing I won't have to. I'll be sure to avoid that situation. Thanks!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome.

[@WadeAbout]

Lost no credibility with me - Lying about being scared or pretending you are perfect loses cred.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You

[@isomjarz]

This guy is a phony.... All is videos are phony... If you expect the title to reflect what happens in the video... You Tube should cancel his account...

[@ctclimberguy34]

@@isomjarz is a douchebag.

[@WryCackle]

I'll just add my appreciation for this video as well. Watching it, I didn't realize how far under the overhang you were until you came out from under it. Thanks for posting it - definitely a teachable moment. . I had a an similar experience (getting myself into something without realizing it) several years ago while retrieving an anchor. Dirty reservoir lake, max depth at the site was approximately 100feet. Still attached to the boat, the anchor was snagged on a tree limb from trees left over from when the river valley had been flooded when the lake was created. After finding the anchor at approx depth of 75', I released it from the limb and the rope and anchor slowly drifted to a vertical resting position directly under the boat. I hung onto the rope to maintain my situational awareness and position whereas I would then ascend directly straight up the anchor line to the surface. Unfortunately, the swing of the rope and anchor put me directly in the mass of a treetop with out realizing it. As I began my ascent, I realized what had happened. As I made my way up through the treetop I became entangled and had to stop and assess the situation. Just as in this video, my lights were only slightly effective. Dark, cold water and I had no ability to really see how I was hung up due to extremely poor visibility. Ultimately, I had to remove and neutralize my BCD (away from my body) and find my way out of the treetops while maneuvering and hanging on to my BCD. Lessons learned the hard way!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the appreciation, and glad to hear you made it back to the surface safely. Anytime a situation like this happens, talking about it is something I believe we should do. Hopefully others will learn from our mistakes.

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

Thank you for posting this you might be saving lives without even knowing it. No cred lost with me actually you have grown even more with respect

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words, they mean a lot.

[@SeattleRingHunter]

Bryan I just found this video and wanted to thank you for openly sharing your experiences with the community. You have demonstrated the signs of a true leader and those in your community, online and locally are very fortunate to have you as a resource and friend. May God continue to bless your family, business and future adventures!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks Jeff for the kind words. We have done an update to this video as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@lancelot1953]

Hi Bryan, I congratulate you for your courage and humility posting this video up. To me, this is one of the most important videos you have produced - I learned a lot from your honesty. I flew "US Navy Air" 28 years and lost 23 aircrews (accidents, combat). The Navy developed a system which anyone of us, from the youngest recruits to the top brass could report (anonymously or not) an event or personal experience they had (hopefully survived) for the benefit of the community as "lessons learned", one of such "in-house" magazine is titled "Approach" but other communities have their own. I learned a lot of bad things that can happen to "good people" given the right circumstances. I believe that sharing your experience - you, being such a professional, does more for the diving community than all the safety regulations that can be put out. You have explained the series of unfortunate decisions that could have led to your demise - at the same time, you demonstrated that mistakes can happen to the best of us. Again, thank you for your courage - you have all my admiration, Ciao, L (Captain USN Ret)

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You Captain Ciao, and thank you for your service. We do have an update video to this, where we revisisted Troy Springs, and you can see more clearly where I was in the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@monicabouteiller8482]

No lost credibility with me! I've seen many of your videos. Thank you for sharing because we can all learn from it and I'm thankful you and your dive buddies are safe!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words.

[@jackjackattack9137]

Wow, I appreciate you posting this !!! What I took from this which I am glad for all of yalls safe return, that water and environment are not yielding to experience or training. However, your training and experience and training did in fact brought you out safely while many may have become a fatality. As Edd Sorenson speaks of complacancy that one time may be your last even if youve done the same thing a hundred times. Glad for you and your family this was a near miss. Now I know if I was in this situation I would have freaked out and would be long gone. Thanks again for sharing you have saved lives by sharing. I WILL always try not to be too comfortable ever !!!

[@jackjackattack9137]

Oh btw it scared the crap out of me watching !!!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello jackjackattack, we hope others can learn from this video as well. And Mr. Sorenson is correct, complacency that one time could be the last.

[@Greyinplainsight]

Respect your transparency Sir. Thank you for sharing. I truly believe sharing your vulnerability with others is a true form of mentoring and coaching. Thank you for speaking the truth. God Bless.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

I have always believed that the only true way to teach someone, is to show them I am just as fallible as they are. No one is perfect in this world, and the only one that was, is up stairs waiting on us. God Bless to you as well.

[@guytrying4534]

@@LakeHickoryScuba Well, I'm glad you didn't have to meet Him that day! Keep making great vids, my friend.

[@ereynoldful3974]

I really appreciate you making this video and being so humble and honest about your experience. As someone who is just starting down the road of getting cave certified (only recently I became open water certified) its good to see experienced divers be so candid. Glad I saw this, and stay safe!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Glad you liked the video. Stay safe.

[@Litehamer]

I have the utmost respect for you , your knowledge and humility. It’s clear you are very good at what you do and it takes integrity to address these kinds of errors and moreover to turn them in to a learning experience for other. This video terrified me and I know you made it out .

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Litehamer, thank you for the kind words. Our goal is to educate all divers, even if we expose our own flaws in the process. As Professionals we feel that we should never stop learning, and that mistakes, all though sometimes can be very bad, will always have a learning point to them. The day I stop learning about Scuba Diving, will be the day I stop Scuba Diving.

[@leahymn]

Thanks for bravely showing how easy it is to gradually slip into an unsafe place, Brian. I agree with other commenters - transparently sharing this teaches us more ways things can go sideways. We’re all able to become better divers because of it! Much gratitude!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You are very welcome Dan Leahy, we hope all divers can learn from our mistakes.

[@timgosling6189]

Just came across this and it's great to see someone giving honest feedback. We're all human and looking at times when things went wrong is one of the most important contributions to learning. But nobody else learns if nobody fesses up. Here is the UK I'm used to the dark, zero vis thing and only finding out my nav was good when I bang my head on what I was looking for. If there's a lot of silt around and lots of back-scatter we tend to use our lights as location aids to keep track of each other rather than to see where we're going and, thinking about your situation in a cave you didn't expect to be in, all I would offer from my humble experience is to cover your light, let your eyes adapt to the dark and see if there's actually any ambient light. Mostly, that will be the way out.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks for the advice Tim.

[@robertchambers5756]

No loss of credibility with me, have gained a greater respect for you making this video. It shows us all what is possible and to always stay on our toes, as well as why it is important to keep training. Thank you !

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You are welcome.

[@uncommonclassix]

Glad you owned it up front and made no excuses yet explained, I appreciate it. As a newer diver I was just shaking my head "no, no, no" and you calmly explained why. That makes you a great man, thank you for posting and I think its pretty brave and badass that you posted at all. With conditions like these my rec training is NO NO NO haha but I am glad you all followed your dive procedures. Just learned about Delta P and good gracious, all of you commercial divers are crazy and badass. Stay safe and thank you for posting!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words. I have encountered Delta P several times through out my career, on a small scale of course. But, nevertheless, it is still dangerous. Safe Diving.

[@shelleymurphy1966]

Thank you for sharing. I feel that this helps all of us!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome Shelley. Hopefully this video will help others.

[@troop1026]

Thank you for sharing. As a dive professional I too have had some bad things that just proves that we are not infallible. It help to teach others. Kodos to you for sharing. Safe diving and stay safe with corona.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks troop1026.

[@TanyaLazenby]

Only liars lose credibility! I have so much respect for you for posting this video!! It's way worse when a person says they have never made any mistakes and they're all that. Admitting your mistakes and learning from them (and teaching others!!) is a sign of an honorable person!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You TanyaLazenby for the kind words.

[@sayittrue9570]

Cree has gone up not down.self rescue technique stay calm and retrace steps back.im always learning new stuff from you and it makes you more aware of the dangers lurking below..big thumbs up for Sharing this experience with us.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You sayittrue

[@la5150hi-lophoto]

Anything can happen to anybody...thanks for sharing and reminding us all that diving is fun but a serious sport.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome.

[@jasonmoretz5885]

Thanks for another great video. As I’m gaining experience, these videos are an invaluable tool to help one be prepared before they encounter a situation. Training and knowledge acquisition is what makes any professional. As an ER nurse (day job) we are educated and trained on numerous scenarios, however something unexpected happens daily. It’s those combined experiences that get us through. I can understand the skepticism in sharing, anyone who is considered a leader or expert in their field would. However, great, truly exceptional leaders are willing to share their mistakes in hopes that others will grow and learn. You sir, are truly exceptional.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words Jason. I had a lot of great diving mentors growing up, and they all told me to never be afraid to learn something new. These even means learning from my own mistakes. With this video I hope others can learn from my mistakes as well.

[@jackbonnette4289]

Thanks for sharing! I'm always looking for lessons learned. No loss of credibility if you learned something and shared to help prevent others from making mistakes. You have my respect sir.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You, that means a lot.

[@LisaDavis-ng2cs]

30 years ago this past April, my fiancé and his cousin went diving at Troy springs and sadly drown. I was supposed to be with them that day but didn’t feel like going. We had dove Troy several times in the past. Thank you for sharing this video so future and current divers will be prepared.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Lisa Davis, I am sorry to hear about your loss.

[@slfieck]

As a new diver I appreciate you sharing this video. I learned a lot. Thanks for being vulnerable. No loss of credibility from me.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank you for the kind words Stefanie Fieck. We hope other divers can learn from it as well.

[@MrTigertennis]

Thank you for sharing. As new diver, case studies is an excellent learning tool. I really appreciate your candor and it has been extremely helpful to me. Thank you again!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

MrTigertennis Your Welcome

[@gee4526]

Thank you for sharing this video with us. I realize this is an older video, but I have watched it numerous times. It serves as a reminder of the importance of proper training and skill practice. Without proper training a situation like this would most likely lead to panic. When in panic, all reasoning is lost and the results could mean death. I would recommend that all divers occasionally revert back to this video just as a reminder.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome Gee. This is the exact reason we posted it. We want all divers to learn, especially from our mistakes.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

That moment when you see sunlight must've been such a relief. I appreciate experienced divers sharing their experiences when things go wrong, and what they could've done to prevent it. You don't lose credibility, you gain it.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello @bloodymarvelous4790, we hope others can learn from our experiences.

[@andysPARK]

It demonstrated many useful points, foremost as titled: 'don't panic' even when things seem quite bleak. Wish could see your post dive analysis... And were you able to orientate towards exit of the overhead somehow? Systematic search? Or lucky on direction? Very glad you made it out buddy, well done and thanks for sharing.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Andy, I have told others that my experience as a diver is what allowed me to make it out alive, but in reality it was most likely pure luck. With this being said, I will take luck over skill any day. Here is an update to this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@SummersideDiver]

I first saw this video on Dive Talk and said the same thing there - you have lost absolutely no credibility in my book for sharing this. You have done all of us a service by sharing this, you made errors, that is not in dispute - however, you sharing these errors will hopefully help other divers be more aware of their entire situation before embarking on a dive that could be similar. This video is an awesome teaching and learning experience for us all! Thank you for sharing it and I’m very glad that you all made it out safely.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank you for the kind words @skirblah. We hope this video is an eye opener to all divers.

[@ljtlove4519]

Wow, gripping video! It made me nervous too. I'm wondering where you learned, or why you chose the ceiling as your reference point? I'm not sure I would have thought of that. Is that the best way to find your way out? I stay out of overheads because I choose to, and don't have the specific training. I have run into black water many times, so I can stay calm to get out of it. Thank you for your vid.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello LJT Love, a guide line will always be your best option in finding your way out, however, in this video, that was not an option due to the fact we never had any intentions of going into an overhead environment. As far as using the ceiling as my way out, this come with many years experience in overhead environments.

[@ljtlove4519]

@@LakeHickoryScuba Yes, I was referring to a situation like you found yourself in, an unplanned cave entry. Even if I had a line, I would still want more training than my wreck cert. and wouldn't enter. Thanks for the tip.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome. We hope all divers can learn from this video.

[@meljackson8282]

Thank you for sharing knowledge is power

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome Mel Jackson.

[@mahda17]

Thank you for the video, it's very informative. Nevertheless, could you tell how did you end up in this cave/cavern in the first place? Were you aware that you are swimming into it? Was the plan of the dive to go inside? or was the visibility so bad that you just swam inside without realizing it? And most importantly, how did you approach "looking for the exit" technique? Did you know more or less how this cave looks and where was the exit? did you help yourself with a compass or other stuff? Or did you just blindly look for an exit? What I want to know really, if there is any technical approach to the situation like that, e:g swim 2-3m in one direction then change it if no exit is seen, or look at the current and go with the current etc. I would be scared that I would go in circles or go deeper into the cave. Many thanks! and so glad you all make it to the surface safe!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

All great questions, so lets see if I can answer them for you. 1. I unknowingly swam into the cave due to the lack of visibility. Although I knew it was there, I did not know exactly where the mouth of it was. 2. I realized that I had swam into the cave after running into a solid wall of limestone. 3. Between the 3 of us, we did not plan on making any penetration into the cave system, only to explore the mouth of it. In retrospect, we should have cancelled the dive before it ever began. 4. I had a general idea of what the cave entrance was like, but did not have a clue to the cave system itself. 5. In regards to finding an exit, the first step is to remain calm and simply breathe. DO NOT PANIC!!! Typically you will have a flow of water, especially in tight spaces, that will assist you in determining direction. Unfortunately, there was no flow. So I resorted to finding the canopy of the cave, and used it as a reference point. Due to poor planning on my part, I had no since of direction for compass navigation, as I chose not to take a heading prior to entering the water. So I chose to follow the canopy in hopes that it would eventually lead me back to the surface. As with any scuba course, when you take a cavern or cave course, you will learn the techniques necessary to survive while doing that type of diving. With this being said, knowing when to say no, tends to be the toughest challenge. It is my goal to teach my students and divers, safe diving practices, and to know when to call a dive. I hope this lesson that I had to learn the hard way, helps others before they get into a situation such as this one. I encourage all divers to be properly trained in the area of diving they want to do, never panic, and to always breathe. Panic equals death in Scuba Diving. Thank You for the questions, hopefully I answered them.

[@conference-interpreter]

Thank you so much for sharing! Must have been so scary, but also highlights the importance of proper training and that it kicked in for you.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Christina Il-Sook YOUN-ARNOLD!. We hope by sharing this video, it keeps divers safe in the future.

[@ctclimberguy34]

I have been certified for years but consider myself a very novice diver. This would have scared me really bad. You lose no cred with me. I am a professional pilot & former flight instructor. I totally understand your thoughts as to why you would think people would discredit your abilities. In my opinion, that couldn't be further from the truth. As instructors of a technical skills, we are held to higher standards, you have give your students a hard fast lesson on what to do & also what not to do. Like you said , panic in scuba= death , it is the same in in an airplane . I have had some "situations" where I had to pause, take some breaths & focus on the training I had learned to get out of that situation. Take care, I really enjoy your videos & the knowledge you share.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words. You are correct, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, and I hope all divers can learn from my mistakes.

[@Ex7878]

Thank you for sharing this video. You just may have saved a diver from a similar incident. Glad everything worked out. Respect

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You are welcome, and yes we hope that our little incident does bring a since of awareness to all divers, no matter their experience level.

[@manwichsandwich]

I think you did a great job. All of that aside, I don’t know why any recreational diver would risk diving in conditions like these. The high viz area looked like pea soup. That doesn’t look fun. There’s no chance of seeing anything cool. I understand that there are situations that justify it ... people who make a living diving or training, sure. As a public safety diver to keep the skills sharp, absolutely. To save a life, absolutely. But as a recreational diver just as something to do with your Wednesday afternoon? The risk is just too great with literally zero benefit. At the end of the day, it’s just an entry in the log book. Max depth- 18m. Bottom time- 45 minutes. Comments- couldn’t see hand in front of face ... all that literally means means nothing at the end of the day. If there’s no reason to dive, don’t do it. (And I’m not saying this for you, cuz you make a living doing this, I’m saying this for other people watching the video) Risk benefit analysis is important and keeps people alive in all professions that put it on the line every day.

[@manwichsandwich]

Also Im not pointing any fingers or anything. I know it’s hard to tell a buddy no, and I don’t have the heart to sometimes too. I just think risk analysis is overlooked sometimes. It’s hugely influential. Also. I love your videos. Continue to learn a lot from them. Thanks for sharing them.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Risk analysis is a big part of diving, and you are correct is saying that Recreational Divers should never being in conditions as the ones we were presented with. All Divers that were involved have agreed that even with the training and experience we have, we still should have called the dive.

[@ketsuno4914]

I've dived in this type of visibility before and called the dive after 10 min. I knew the dive site very well, it's no fun if you can't see anything. You didn't know the site yet you still dived it when the visibility degraded to the point of not being able to see anything and thus finding yourself in a dangerous situation. Very good to see that you kept your cool and found your way out, a credit to your training and experience.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank you Ketsu No, and yes agree, its no fun when you can't see anything.

[@jacomia1015]

Having recently experienced my own underwater 'panic' (not nearly the magnitude of this incident!) I really appreciated this video. I only wish he had narrated during the footage so we could have understood what was taking place as it was happening...

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Ron Kleinsmith, sorry to hear about your incident, but glad to know you made it back safely. We hope others can learn from this video as well. We have did an update to this video, which I will link here for you. It is commentated. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@yjawhar]

Did everyone come back up ok? What had happened to the other diver?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

The other two divers aborted the dive with in the first few minutes and were at the surface waiting on me. Everyone was uninjured.

[@1989Goodspeed]

Well as the saying goes “If someone lives to tell the tale”, one should do exactly what you just did: Tell it! Brilliant video!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks T. B. Photo

[@jackgrant4795]

"Lost Credibility"??? Negative Ghost Rider, this video right here, show's you're a human being and make mistakes, it happens, and you learned from it, you kept your head, and Unf%^ked(pardon my french) yourself, it takes guts to show something like this, and is a lesson of what not to do, you showed 1st person experience of what COULD go wrong, which in my opinion, makes you even more of an awesome instructor. Honestly, because of this video Bryan, I have even more respect for you than I already do. this video shows humility. Think of the Fire Service, it takes someone going through the worst possible situation, so they can teach others of it, and how to get out of it. Thank you for this. so from one Nozzle Jockey to another, Thank you!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank you for the kind words Jack Grant, it truly means a lot. Stay safe serving your community.

[@Agranell]

Complacency hits us all, good from you for sharing. Posting this might have ben more though than getting out of there: respect

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hopefully by posting this video Alvaro Granell, we have helped many divers realize the dangers of becoming complacent.

[@Sarah.Riedel]

Something my dad who was an instructor and a safety analyst taught me during my first powered flight lessons years ago...you can't change your body's natural physiological stress response, it's designed that way to help keep us alert and focused in a hazardous situation - so you shouldn't try to fight it. But you can train yourself through practice and repetition to rely on your training rather than your emotions when troubleshooting a problem during a potential emergency. Every hour of training is a small deposit that you make into your "bank account" so that you have that banked experience ready and available in the event you need to make a big withdrawal all at once. Eventually you become familiar enough with that stress response that you can figure out which feelings you can ignore (e.g. your vestibular system giving you inaccurate feedback about your position due to spatial disorientation) and which ones you should pay attention to (e.g. the first symptoms of hypoxia). I get so nervous when I watch videos or accident recreations involving inexperienced operators (pilots, divers or whichever) bc it's not necessarily that it's all that difficult to know what to do when everything is behaving normally and going well, and that leads to so many overconfidence-related tragedies when something suddenly goes awry and the person freezes or panics and all their training goes out the window. Panicked people do the craziest most illogical, counterproductive stuff it blows my mind. It happens all the time in aviation unfortunately and I'm sure it's the same in the diving world.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Seems like your dad taught you a very valuable lesson Sarah.

[@scubadude2858]

Did the other two make it out? I didn't see anyone when you surfaces.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello damen rhinehart, they both made it out safely.

[@scubadude2858]

@@LakeHickoryScuba oh that is great news thank for clearing that up.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome

[@rontourage7384]

Appreciate the video and for sharing your experience. Dive the Hudson Grotto here in Florida if you haven’t done so already. That is a pure black hole and as close to being in space as you will get. KZbin videos don’t even catch how dark it is.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello ///RONTOURAGE///, next time I am down in that area, I will check it out.

[@rontourage7384]

If you want to dive in space, go ahead, but not recommending that place unless you have a death wish, lol! I am comfortable in diving limited visible, but that place will definitely be a place you will never forget and be a good learning experience to add to your arsenal of experience.

[@johndavid7783]

Cant see you loosing credibility. To me you actually gained credibility.. no shame ... great job and respect to you for showing us and not hiding it . 👍🤙.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks John David for the kind words.

[@zencat999]

thanx for posting this. yes, panic is a choice. you handled it well. cheers&aloha. we all fuck up sometimes but if we can learn from it, its not a wasted experience.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome. We all have to learn from our mistakes.

[@imsw1550]

No lost credibility here! My hats off to you for sharing for others to learn from

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks Rick. Our goal is to have others learn from us, even from our mistakes. Here is an update video to the Troy Springs Incident. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@jonathanbradley4896]

It sounds like you were a little complacent, and got a wake up call. It has happened to me too, we get a little over confident with ourselves with experience. Kudos for being honest with yourself about your near death experience, and learning from it. A mistake only becomes a failure if you refuse to learn from it.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You are correct Jonathan, complacency was the first major issue. Here is the update video to this incident. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@brandoningram9278]

This video does not hurt your credibility. This is a great learning video for new divers even with experience things can go wrong. Luckily with your experience you didn't panic and made it out safely. I have a lot of respect for you for posting this video because with 28 years experience and 5000 dives this video might hurt your pride but it could save someones life. To me a great role model is someone who can set the pride aside and admit mistakes and for that I think you are a great role model for divers.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words Brandon, they mean a lot. I hope all divers can learn from my mistakes. There is an update to this video, I will link it here if you haven't already seen it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@brandoningram9278]

@@LakeHickoryScuba I am going to watch that video now. I would love to learn to dive and if I get enough money to learn I will give you a call. I subbed to your channel and follow you on Facebook and Twitter.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Awesome, we would be happy to train you. And thank you for the subscribe and follow as well. Let us know if you have any questions about diving, and we will see what we can do to help you out.

[@rayamis9509]

I probably would have broken off the dive much earlier. (Never SURE! IQ under water -30!!). One question:- had you turned off your dive light would there not have been a glimmer from the entrance? Real good that you're still with us, and,------ no cred loss.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

The biggest issue with the light being turned off, it would have been much help, as there was so much turbidity, the ambient light from the surface would not have been strong enough to cut through. Here is part 2 of this video if you would like to watch it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@MohammedHassanien]

Thanks for sharing. I believe if I were you i would end the dive with this poor vis. It was too scary

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Mohammed Hassanien, ending the dive is exactly what I should have done.

[@paredair]

That was frightening to watch - thanks for sharing that. Did you have trouble going back in the water on the dive after this? I'm only asking because I had a panicky 4 or 5 minutes on a dive last weekend at 25 metres, and I'm diving this coming weekend - I'm a bit nervous! I'm a bit annoyed at myself, I've done just over 50 dives...

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Neill, to be honest I wasn't really scared to make another dive in general, but I was spooked to go back to this location and dive. I think with my years of experience, I was able to overcome the fear of diving in general, after having an incident like this occur. Over the last 30 years of diving, I have had several close calls, all that I learned from as well. We have produced an update to this video as well, and the visibility was much better this time around. In it we show you just how close to the exit I was, but was unable to see it due to the turbidity in the water. Check it out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@TheMuhaAdventures]

I will say this , that was intense for me just watching it let alone being you and having the wits about you to keep calm and figure your way out . You are the diver I would like to have along side me during my dives !

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words. Being calm and relaxed even in a stressful situation comes with experience. After 30 years of diving, and over 6000 dives, I still find it hard to do sometimes. The key is to relax, breathe, and remember your training.

[@moralesforlife]

Love your videos sir. As a new diver this scared the ever loving crap out of me. Unless really trained in high stress situations (while scuba diving such as yourself) this should be left to the professionals to dive as just diving for fun this could resort in a bad ending

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Totally agree

[@johnnycole7589]

We’re all human man. People in the major leagues that make $20 mill a year still strikeout. I enjoy all your videos and you coming out with this shows awareness for the sport. Kudos to you

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks johnny cole for the kind words. Hopefully others can learn from my mistakes. Here is the updated video to this as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@deerlakediver5554]

None of us are perfect, and this is just a demonstration that even with extensive training SCUBA diving carries inherent risk. Period. Divers can only be vigilant to minimize those risks. I'm very glad to hear that everyone is safe. When I was a young man my very first dive instructor explained that when events like these happen, share and talk about them, so that all can learn from them. Thank you for sharing yours.. That being said I have three observations to share based on similar situations in my dive life. 1. Red strobes are not useful. The wavelength of red light is least able to penetrate water. Blue-green or white, will give MUCH greater range. 2. Nearly every incident I have been in some way involved with, is usually preceded by some "problem" becoming apparent pre-dive, at the surface. I have made an oath to my wife and family, that in ANY pre-dive situation, if ANYTHING is wrong, or out of place, I will cancel the dive. I have canceled many dives. Yes, it has been inconvenient as hell, but it has far reduced "incidents". 3. I would like to share a modified "lost buddy search" technique with you, that is becoming very popular up here in the cold dark waters the Pacific northwest. .... We call it the "lost wolf procedure". Based on how a wolf in the wild will howl, when separated from the pack. Immediately the rest of the pack will return the howl. 1.When you loose sight of your dive buddy, hold position, and spend 10 seconds with your tank banger. Bank bang bang....Then listen. 2. Search as usual for 20 seconds. 3 Stop and bang for 10 seconds. Listen. 4. Repeat..... 5. Surface . This procedure also requires that any time any member in your group hears bangs, they immediately bang their own tank several times themselves, Sound location can work for 10s of meters, even when vis is near zero. Try this out on your next dive. In shallow water, separate from your buddies, all divers close their eyes and begin the procedure. Swim toward the bangs, everyone continue to bang, and you will find that you swim right into one another. You will easily find one another, even with your eyes closed.. Think about how much easier it would have been for you to make it out of that shelf, had there been a lot of banging going on to your left... God bless.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hey Mark, we also have an update to this video as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@darrenwootton2007]

Hi Brian, glad you made it out of that. Was this a training dive? I’m Newley padi certified correct me if I’m Wrong but could you not use a safety rope attached to a flotation device. I would of shit my pants if this was me.im glad I passed my open water and did not have to do any black out dives.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Darren, no this was not a training dive, but we use it for training purposes now.

[@frostahorse]

Thanks for all these well made videos

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome Sarah, and thank you for being a viewer.

[@stevewarren6608]

This kind of dialogue is so important. I've been in diving awhile, though at nowhere near your level. I've had a couple of scares and written them up for diving magazines. As an instructor, I felt obligated to do that. I think the only people one might lose credibility in front of of those unwilling to learn because they are too macho. I don't much care for divers and instructors, especially, who can't share mistakes and encourage others to be open about them as well.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks for the kind words Steve Warren, we hope all divers can learn from this experience.

[@techlord63922]

you not lost credibility with me ether glad you ok and share this video with us

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You Robert.

[@Mad.Chemist]

Good God, man! Glad you made it out unharmed. I am terrified getting stuck in lifts (elevators? in American English) 🤣 and here is just epic mud, visibility of nothing! Ref your credibility....nothing lost! As a professional chemist, over the years working in a lab, I managed to accidentally (wasn’t paying 100% attention) burn myself by some nasty chemicals 🤦🏼‍♀️ and more than happy to tell the story/terrify students, so that they, hopefully, don’t repeat the same mistakes.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

We hope all divers can learn from our mistakes.

[@frostahorse]

What caused the blackout? Bad viz or over head? Thank you

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Sarah, Troy Springs has very limited flow coming from the mouth of the springs. So anytime that area of Florida gets any heavy rain fall, the river will flood over into the springs. Thus, causing black out.

[@olympicjbrag5913]

I guess it's your training that kept you alive. What better advertisement than to show how you handled yourself when push came to shove. You, sir, have balls of steel.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Olympic JBrag, training most certainly helped me on that day.

[@mikeandbarb]

I think I would have ended that dive before 30 feet, and I often dive 5 foot Vis in the PNW. Glad y'all made it out OK.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You mikeandbarb. I have always heard that diving in the PNW was great. We have produced another video about this incident as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@John_Doe_6996]

That Viz though... glad you made it back! That looked pretty scary

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks John Doe, I am glad I made it back as well.

[@smockytubers1188]

Pretty sure I was more scared watching it than you ever got in the video.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hopefully my bad experience will help others learn.

[@TheRuben67]

I tried dive in pr I weight 160 I have 6 pounds of weights tried reach bottom couldn got panic taut I was out of air with a full tank make it to beach with snorkel I believe I panic other 5han I think have to little pounds on weights,any sugestions?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Panic can happen to anyone. The key to being comfortable underwater is to relax and breathe. This is probably the hardest thing to teach new divers, when ever we have a problem, we want to Stop, Breathe, Think, Breathe, and then Act. The more you dive, the more comfortable you will become. Here is a link that may help you with getting properly weighted. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4rIpnWAoLyrh5Y

[@scubamystic8860]

I’m a little confused about this. With all of your training - Why would you go into an overhead environment without a continuous guideline to open water?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Scuba Mystic, that is a great question. The short answer is, there was never any intentions for me to go into an overhead environment. Unfortunately, I became very complacent in all my years, I chose to continue a dive that did not have a purpose, and should have been aborted. We have actually uploaded an update to this video that you may find very interesting. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@bubbagump726]

Glad your ok!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank you

[@origamicrane685]

Did your dive buddies survive? I noticed they weren't at the surface at the end of the dive.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Benjamin Piper, they both made it back to the surface safe and sound.

[@origamicrane685]

@@LakeHickoryScuba Really good to hear.

[@chrishiggins8875]

I think you stayed pretty calm. I remember the first time I was in silt out and the first time I had a REAL problem underwater.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

I resorted back to my training. This is something I stress to all my students, too never let panic set in.

[@bugman9787]

This is why I dive in warm clear water! Props to people that have to dive in conditions like this! The only time I was in conditions close to this was on my first deep dive in my advanced dive class in 1972. We dropped down in pairs off the Redondo Beach pier at a point where it was supposed to be 100 feet deep. My buddy was having trouble clearing his ears so we started to kick back toward the surface so he could clear his ears. Visibility was about 3 to 5 feet. We could not see the surface or the bottom, until we hit it at 110 feet! That is when I checked my primitive depth gage. Didn’t think to check it when I thought we were going up! We could see the slope of the bottom so we knew which way we had to swim to get to the shore. Never thought much about deep diving since this and a dive to about 85 feet in Catalina to look at a wreck were the only two deep dives I had done, until I dove Turks and Caicos this past May. It’s a totally different dive when you can see 200 plus feet! I’ll let all you guys that enjoy this kind of diving to it but I’ll stick to my warm clear water!

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Bugman, thank you for sharing your story with us. Catalina is definitely a much better place to dive.

[@bugman9787]

@@LakeHickoryScuba yes it is, but not as good as Turks and Caicos! I love that place!

[@Kane6676]

Jesus Christ this gives me a panic attack just watching it. I bet you were never so happy to see sunlight

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Very Happy. Here is the update video to the incident. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@JD-hs7ib]

WOW - another great vid !!! Bee-ryan maybe your my brother from another mother. I too got my C-card in 1988 LOL. Plus, had a similar event happen to me. For brevity sake, I was trapped in side a wreck in the Bahamas trapped/pinned between a bulk head and a door. Could not move one inch forward or back. The more I struggled the more the visibility decreased and it was a night dive. No light from the surface - I did manage to get free and my buddy was there to help so all is well that ends well. No cred lost with me. If you haven't pooped your wetsuit 2 or 3 times you haven't been living.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Glad to hear that you made it out OK. I've never pooped my wetsuit, but I sure have pee'ed in it a lot. Thankfully I have never pooped, or pee'ed in my drysuit though.

[@ceska2007]

Takes balls to do what uve done and to admit it. Respect

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks John Berry, we hope all divers can learn from our mistakes.

[@DanBowkley]

Let's say I want to learn to do something kinda dangerous. I'm shopping around for someone to teach me this dangerous thing. I can choose between an instructor who's either never done anything actually dangerous or who's been exceedingly lucky and therefore has never actually gotten into and out of a bad situation, or I can choose an instructor who did make a mistake, did get himself into a really bad situation, but who also not only learned from it but has the cojones to help others to learn from it as well. Yeah, the dude who almost crapped his drysuit wins. So I've been thinking about getting into cave diving...seems a natural fit since I'm like an hour away from Morrison and Vortex springs.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Morrison has an awesome ballroom to start your Cavern and Cave adventure in. Vortex also has a small artificial cave built in it, which comes in handy for practicing line drills. There are excellent Instructors down in the Panama City Area, as well in the Williston and High Springs area as well. As a matter of fact, I will be in Williston Florida, at Blue Grotto and Devil's Den, March 22-24th, with some students.

[@c.patricksadowski9959]

What was the purpose of the dive? If you knew that the dive was beyond the training of the other two divers, why did you undertake it in the first place? Not being critical, but trying to understand the mind set. You all forgot the primary objective in diving “every dives primary objective is for all divers to return safety”. You guys, collectively, forgot you basic training. Glad you are ok.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

C. Patrick Sadowski, in all honesty we should have aborted the dive from the get go. Our hopes were, that at depth there would have been enough flow to clear things up. Unfortunately, this particular dive site had less than ideal flow. If you haven't seen the second part to this video, I will link it here for you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c. Also thank you for your concerns. We posted this video in hopes that others could learn from our mistakes.

[@c.patricksadowski9959]

Glad you made it home safely... we appreciate need to remember objective No. 1, when starting any dive. I sincerely enjoy your videos. Glad we will have you around for the future. Stay safe brother.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks C. Patrick Sadowski.

[@MrMihailo82]

Thank you for this video.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome, Thank You for watching.

[@Dharmarenee]

Thank you.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You're welcome dharma renee.

[@mrstihl16]

This is absolutely terrifying. Wish you would have went into more detail about what to do. I'm just open water trained and while cave country isn't my thing I could see accidentally penetrating a wreck and getting lost. It never actually occurred to me that something like this is a possibility without making the conscious decision to enter such an environment. This will definitely be part of my reasoning to only buy absurdly large tanks when that time comes.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello mrstihl16, we hope others learn from this video as well. The biggest advice we can give you is to always seek out training for the type of diving you want to do.

[@dwainsmith2106]

Share with us what you learned from your experience. I’ve been a rescue recovery diver for thirty years and have been in zero vis more often than not, but not for fun.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

The biggest thing I have learned from this and the return to Troy Springs video is, always breathe and remain calm. Not matter what situation you find yourself in, relax. Also, divers should never overestimate their abilities no matter how experienced they are.

[@bornaluckyman1]

Total Respect.....

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks David.

[@diveinstructordaniel1095]

Yesterday i had a situation where a student kicked up so much silt that there was no visibility at all. It was black. I lost her for a few seconds but kept calm and reached out. As I finally found her with my hands I was relieved 😅 the funny part of it was that I thought we would be at around 7 meters but we progressed our way slowly up to 1 Meter. As I signaled her to go up I had to laugh because our tanks were already out of water. But interesting how fast visibility can change.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Staying calm and relaxing is the key to any stressful situation.

[@sammy.scubaaddicts7846]

Hi im sam i love your videos good work

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks Scuba Sammy

[@PaulAnthonyDuttonUk]

Not a diver though have dived a few times.. Not really sure this is a diving issue anyway. Think the error was to do with training in an environment that was not conducive to training. Even the military curtails exercises when conditions are not right. Maybe the focus should just have been on staying together and basic pilotage when it got Uber murky. Plan B. Hunkering down.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Paul Dutton, please stay safe diving. We encourage anyone who dives to seek out proper training.

[@Jonhenrysneip]

Thanks for sharing this with us :-)

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Your Welcome. As an Instructor, I really enjoy teaching others, and being able to teach them from my mistakes, in my opinion, holds an even greater value.

[@edwardlyden7902]

I just think you should have mentioned that I really don’t care but Iam not sure I would have posted that dive.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

We feel that by posting it, others could learn from our mistakes.

[@ANDODUBZ]

“Flawed from the very get go.” That’s a no dive situation to me, especially with people you knew weren’t prepared for situations like low/black out visibility. The dive should have never happened.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

You are correct.

[@katec5105]

Were your buddies ok?

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Kate C. Both of my dive buddies that day, made it back safely to the surface.

[@katec5105]

@@LakeHickoryScuba awesome!!!

[@rgorji]

It takes a true gentleman to admit his error. Lost credibility: NO WAY. If anything you are more credible now than ever before and a honorable one. Glad you are ok.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You for the kind words, it means a lot

[@rgorji]

The strongest men admit their shortfalls and errors and move forward. We can learn a lot from what happened to you. I really appreciate the sharing of this video.

[@quarrydiver17]

Your candor is honorable. I do a lot or low viz diving and the dangers are never lost on me. I am happy you made it out and came out ok. A lot is to be learned from your sharing. That asshole Murhpy is always with us on every dive. Sometimes he chooses to say hi

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thank You, that means a lot. Unfortunately over the last 30 years, I have met Murphy several times. Thankfully, I have always been able to counter his attacks.

[@johnraymond7189]

Happy ending. Been there. I was hyperventilating watching this episode.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks John Raymond. We hope all divers can learn from our mistakes.

[@lazydave137]

I know we are all different, we all enjoy different things. But to me it doesn't make sense why you would do a _recreational_ dive if there is absolutely no visibility and nothing to see...

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello #David. You make a great point.

[@jerrywoodward1566]

Think you got the wrong spring Troy springs is crystal clear and straight shaft down to 60’. Royal springs is where you look like to me. Also can’t have any lights at Troy springs unless cave certified

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Jerry, here is an update to that video. We have seen Troy Springs when it’s absolutely gorgeous, but when the flow slows down, the vis drops very quickly. One of our favorite things about Troy is the Madison Shipwreck. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@americanallthewayredneck3917]

so what happened?.U inadvertently entered this cave or u went in and silted out?..

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Here is the second video to that incident. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c

[@wolfman2702]

I noticed that your team did a bubble check and an S drill. That makes me wonder if you were intending to enter the cave/ cavern zone. If that is true and you did it with out running a reel your plan was FUBAR from the beginning.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Hello Wolf Man, the gentleman you saw in the video was trained by Global Underwater Explorers, and every dive he makes he does a bubble check and S drill. Out of respect for him, we proceded to conduct the redundant checks at a depth of around 20 feet. Our intentions of the dive, as stated in the video, were simply to make a short little end of the trip dive, with no overhead(s) involved. Unfortunately, the conditions of the dive dictated otherwise. Troy Springs is very deceiving as the clarity of the water changes very rapidly. We produced an updated video of this incident to show you the differences and the severity of the incident. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJSWaoWBacuZg7c. Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding of my situation.

[@russelllamonaco2283]

Your awesome dude.

[@LakeHickoryScuba]

Thanks Russell Lamonaco.