Unbelievable Scuba Diving Accident Reaction & Analysis

Unbelievable Scuba Diving Accident Reaction & Analysis
This is perhaps the most unbelievable non-fatal dive accident I've ever seen on video. During an advanced class, two divers experience serious health issues: one has a burst eardrum, and the other panics and suffers a blackout, almost drowning. Watch along as a scuba instructor reacts to and analyses this "cluster".
Many thanks to the filmer for uploading the video to KZbin and so glad you and your friends made it and went on to DM. I'm happy no one has suffered lingering effects from their injuries and we all have a lot to learn from its contents. Original Video: • Diving Disaster
Also, a nod to Cave Diver at the Dive Talk KZbin channel, who I see also did a review of this video. I found his channel and video shortly after I recorded this video. Have a look at his channel. He has a good analysis of this video and some great content in general, I’m sure he’ll be moving up the KZbin food chain in no time.
Video clip of divers drinking underwater: • DRINK BEER UNDERWATER
#scubaaccident #scubadivingaccident #discoverydiverstokyo
Safe diving!
Jim
Big Dog, DDT
DiscoveryDiversTokyo.com
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[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

What thoughts do you have on this accident/incident? You can now support the channel: Patreon - www.patreon.com/discoverydiverstokyo

[@grisom63]

I am an instructor, former course director. Absolutely you are correct thinking they where not prepared for the dive. I understand certain amount of weight looking at those 2 piece thick wetsuits, seems very cold water. The group is a mess from the moment they get in the water, they seem to be just SD certified with little experience. The guy with panic had trouble all the time. I think it's a near drowning, and that amout of water, for me is vomit, can't come from the lungs. I am a diving physician, that's why I think he got water in his stomach. A very serious problem. As you mention giving oxygen was absolutely the way to treat this diver and then to a hospital. Thanks for the video, very good to teach how important is to do the training as it should be.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Thanks for the medical elaboration. Water in stomach makes more sense. Do you suppose the total lack of recall was due to Narcotic/CO2 blackout? I've heard of that phenomenon in other fatalities, including on the Doria...

[@ronsnijders3636]

Woah, respect to eardrum-dude for not bolting up to the surface and even continuing to care enough about his buddy to stick around during all that! As for equalizing: I'm pretty bad too. Especially in the beginning of the dive/close to the surface, I equalize, I kid you not, about every 50cm. What really helped for me was learning to Frenzel equalize. I'm not sure of the exact science, but the feeling for me is that I can build pressure quicker, but more controlled because I'm using my mouth instead of my midriff. So on the first descent, I basically just equalize on the beginning of every exhale. Since I have a mustache, it usually takes a minute for my mask to settle and stay more or less dry, so the first minute of my dives usually goes 'inhale, clear ears, clear mask, exhale what's left'. Rinse & repeat until we're at 5m or so and the relative pressure differences become smaller. And, of course, pre-equalizing before we descend helps overcome the very first pressure.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Hi Ron...absolutely yes. Kudos to the eardrum-dude! I'd prolly have been vomiting into my reg. Thanks for the equalization info here.

[@nadiasanseverino3705]

I wouldn't say that's a good practice.. the injured person could become a huge problem on top of the other difficulties they were facing.. what about he fainted suddenly?

[@j.z.598]

I appreciate your tips!🙏 I'm a beginner and I have blood in my mask at every 2nd or 3rd dive ( no pain🙏). I'll use your tips on my next dive.

[@jasonmachula1472]

Your videos are great. I took for granted how great my instructor Mark Spychala in St Cloud MN was. I had a free flow regulator during my deep dive for advanced open water certification but he and I were as cool as a cucumber in that 34 degree water and got to actually do buddy breathing for real and calmly surface as planned. I'm going to watch more of your videos just to learn how bad things can go and how to avoid that.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Thanks for the support, Jason! I like learning from incident report/analysis as well. Such valuable learning in many sports. Look forward to seeing you around the channel!

[@Billssock]

Hubby & I share this account. I dive, he doesnt. I just found your wonderful channel& your teaching skills & calm demeanor are awesome err some! I have logged 117 dives (SSI) but am no longer to decend more than 30ft due to a recent liver transplant & 11 months later a kidney transplant. All in the past 2 years (+12 extra seugeries) but I still snorkel & freedive! I still have all of my gear because I just cant break away totally, but your channel is fantastic!! Jillian Sniffen

[@WaxP357]

I’m addicted to diving videos and really enjoy the opinions of experienced divers as I learn more about this fascinating sport. You my friend need to create more content and should be one of the biggest content creators in this field. Really appreciate your approach and how constructive you are without being obnoxiously maven

[@GranthamAtHome]

Good, accurate, thoughtful and constructive criticism. From a retired British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) Advanced diver, medical referee and club instructor.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Thanks Chris. Appreciate you taking the time to offer support 👍

[@OrenNoah]

I suspect that that squeaking sound is the filming diver's eardrum blowing bubbles each time he exhales. Notice that the sound starts when the caption says that that the eardrum was ruptured. Then, there's Waseem with too much weight, too little buoyancy and - of course - F'ing split fins!

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Hi, Oren. That would be grim. I saw the Diver's Ready vid near the end of the year where he had his ear drum become detached...found out by realizing bubbles were coming out of his ear. Was he split fins...LOL...I didn't even notice...

[@oioionionone]

@@DiscoveryDiversTokyo a young lad on our last trip fully tore his ear drum, we noticed when following him he had a steady stream of bubble from his right ear when exhaling! The resort we were staying at had an otoscope and one of the older guides knew a little about ears, had a peak and said it was like a scene from a horror show! Fortunately the bar was cheap and he spent the rest of the week chatting up the female dive guides!

[@jimgoddard3957]

@@oioionionone Good grief, Mark...now the second time I've heard of that! LOL...well, at least he made the most of it in the bar!!!

[@timgosling6189]

Agreed, kudos for posting this so people can learn. I love the 'nothing you could learn from a text book could prepare us'. Well, I think that's the first learning point. Everything that happened should have been covered in the classroom sessions both for the students and the training of the instructor and assistant/DM. These are clearly very new students. The DM and instructor should have kept a close eye on both of them, especially given their obvious lack of competence in the water on what appears to be a first boat dive in the open ocean. The bullet weights they're using are approx 2lb/0.9kg each. It's hard to see but I reckon the panicked student is wearing 14 of them, and as a rough estimate from body shape and type of suit is over-weighted by a factor of 2. Was their weighting not checked in confined water first? How to do a buoyancy check is in the book. There's a line to the wreck. Why were they not directed to use it? That should have been taught, briefed and executed. Squeezing an eardrum hurts well before it pops. Why continue down when you are in discomfort? That's certainly in the book. Signals to indicate a problem are also in the book and should have been covered in the dive brief immediately before entry - see also: keep watching your students! As you say, if you have a problem use the line on the way up. It may be that they were going direct to the RIB to save time, but using the line takes all the task loading away from maintaing a safe ascent rate for you and your victim. So it appears this was a cluster fugoid waiting to happen and I'd say it started in the dive centre, probably at leadership level.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Tim, top notch comments and observations here. Thanks for making the valuable contribution to the thread. These comments are a major asset to any upload.

[@tammyeldred2035]

Very respectful. Very well done.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Thanks, Tammy. That was as close a call as I've ever seen with no disastrous/lasting injuries.

[@triquetralband]

Thanks. It’s really good to see a positive response to something like this. We should all use these videos as a learning experience and take something away to improve our diving. It’s odd but the diving community can be pretty cruel and critical of others ( I’ve seen this clip before and the comments were very negative) and I’m not sure why. Your approach is good to analyse the situation and highlight where we can avoid the same situation. In this case: overweighted.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Hi TB, thanks for the comment. Yeah, I’ve been part of communities like that. The way I see incidents like this, it could have been, or someday could be me. Maybe on a bad day, but could happen. Best to learn what can be learned, and be happy it did not happen to me, enjoying the benefit.

[@sbmillward]

Nice commentary Jim. I've seen this video and many other KZbin videos like it. I call these people DSD, which stands for Disaster Scuba Divers. It's interesting that you comment on the "bicycle" finning, flapping arms and over-weighting. This is a very, very common sight where I live, and it's mostly a result of terrible training and handing out certificates to anyone who pays. Nobody ever fails an OW/AOW certification here. "Zero to Hero" courses. I really like that expression. It's so true. And so BAD!

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Thanks, Simon. Astute observations, all the warning signs were there. Sad to hear common where you live. Yeah, the Zero to Hero...what a concept!

[@lucienberton4538]

So true. There are way too many cowboys out there handing-out certifications for money. I got into a fist fight with a dive center owner who sold a close friend of mine an Open Water, Advanced, an Nitrox certifications in just five days of training. I reported him to PADI but they didn't seem to give a rat's a$$! I have also been trying to convince my friend to get properly trained as I think he isn't qualified even for an OW (I've quizzed him on several occasions), but no dice. L.

[@douglasljdunn]

Good share Jim. A narrow escape from tragedy

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Hey, Doug. Thanks for checking in. Yeah, I hope that instructor didn’t pick up a hard drug habit that evening. That dive was a PTSD nightmare.

[@medea27]

As someone who suffers from vertigo on dry land, I take my hat off to the cameraperson for finding ways to cope with the sudden disorientation & stay calm at depth 👌 It's quite different to seasickness - more of a lightheaded sensation where your brain feels slightly out of sync with where your body is, like your body is catching up to your eyes & brain. Usually your saving grace is knowing you can plant your feet on the ground as a stable reference point for up/down, so floating underwater would be a nightmare!

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Totally agreed, medea. I get vertigo easily as well...

[@alfsdungeons]

Love your videos. Very professional, informative, and respectful. Btw, you remind me so much of key from key and peele. Thanks for all your content!

[@phoradio1277]

As a person who's never.....dove,dived,diven🤔 I love this channel. "Before it becomes a Fugazzi" -What's a Fugazzi? "The dive" - No I mean what's a Fugazzi 😂 Thanks Donnie Brasco😂

[@author_ken8528]

While the cameraman is trying to get his regulator back, It looks like Waseem is releasing air from his BC--like maybe he got the buttons mixed up.

[@kinseybruno5920]

I never dove and I never will dive but I find the videos of u reviewing diving incidents very entertaining. Please make more ! A lot of the bigger channels cover the same incidents over and over

[@bornaluckyman1]

Great analysis Jim enjoyed your point of view and was able to learn from it.. thank u matey

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

David, great to hear from you. Thanks for dropping in and leaving the supportive comment 👍

[@CorruptKiwi]

LMAO! That clip at the end of the video where the divers are trying to drink underwater... They clearly did not think out the physics of how it was gonna go down. Had a bit of a facepalm moment watching them try to suck the liquid out of those glass bottles underwater. xD

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

I forgot I put that tin there!

[@papaalphaoscar5537]

Agree on the zero to hero.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Thought maybe 🤔

[@Maritime007]

I agree as well. The lack of buoyancy control demonstrated by the excessive kicking and arm movement is indicative of very inexperienced divers.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

@@Maritime007 Shocking, hey?!

[@udinsalam4751]

It becomes some sort of common practices where newly certified OW divers with several divelogs quickly taking advance course, which is sad. Based on personal experience, new divers will start to understand their buoyancy after they pass the 20th dive log. After 30 logs, usually they become more comfortable underwater and much improvements on their buoyancy and control. I suspect some of the divers here have around 10ish dive logs.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

You probably have that about right, Udin. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@Emmanuel-Power]

It appears they dove on the wreck of The SAS Good Hope. It is the second from southernmost of the 5 wrecks in Smitswinkel bay. This site is in a Marine Protected Area (2004). A permit is required. "HMSAS Good Hope" was one of three Loch class frigates transferred to South African naval forces while under construction. The ship was laid down in November 1943 as HMS Loch Boisdale, and was launched at Blyth on 5th July 1944 as HMSAS Good Hope and went into service on 9th November 1944. The vessel saw service as a convoy escort during the closing stages of World War II and was for many years the flagship of the S A Navy. The ship was sold for scrap and scuttled by explosive charges in Smitswinkel Bay to form an artificial reef at 3.45 pm on June 18th, 1978 and sank in 5 minutes. The maximum depth is about 36m on the sand, the main deck was about 25m, but structural collapse has reduced the height of the wreck and the high points are now (July 2011) at about 27m. Visibility is somewhat unpredictable and can vary from around 1m up to over 20m on an exceptionally good day. More often it is in the 6 to 10m range. The site is exposed to swell from the southeast, and to a certain extent, from the southwest. Longer period swell will make conditions on the wrecks uncomfortable or hazardous due to strong surges, but short period waves will just make it uncomfortable on the boat. The site is usually at its best in winter but there are also occasional opportunities at other times of the year, though least often in summer, when the southeast wind tends to blow much of the time. The average water temperature (surface) is around 10 - 15 degrees. It will be substantially cooler on the wreck. The West Coast of South Africa is for sure colder water dives compared to for example Sodwana Bay on the East Coast where water temperature never drops below 20 degrees Celsius - most of the time it is in the mid-twenties.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Emmanuel, thank you so much for adding to context to this dive!

[@mares3841]

Thank you.

[@mariiaAI]

I remember that squicking sound out of my regulator when I panicked due to sharp pain in my ear and trying to get the instructor's attention. I think because of shock, I was blowing the air out too hard and maybe making some sort of sound. Weird that you can hear it on the camera though...

[@WMCLComputers]

I have seen tons of instructors doing the same mistake of pushing unprepared students to advanced and even Nitrox courses, I have been diving since 1994 and even when I stop diving during the winter when I get back again in the summer I learned to take it easy on myself and my buddies. This is a sports to enjoy not a race, if just 1 diver calls it we end the dive and we enjoy our time with some friendly BBQ time, no need to rush or push anyone beyond their comfort level or skills.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Great outlook. Cesar. In it for the long game 👍

[@MYshamanEYE]

SHOULDN'T THE BUSTED EAR DRUM BE ABORTED RIGHT THEN? at a min that ADDS is a complexity risk for everybody compounding as they continue deeper.

[@dikdoc0079]

what made him panic and spit his regulator?

[@sala6275]

I'd imagine spitting the reg out is a panic reflex to get more air in. It's counter-intuitive but as you start to panic and hyperventilate, a regulator can feel somewhat restrictive (in comparison to breathing on land), so you want to remove any restrictions and start gasping for more air. Being over-weighted and not having total control of your buoyancy can easily lead to a panic situation because you feel like you're just going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. It looks like the situation probably started before that dude jumped in the water. As I learned in my DM course, panic/things that go pear-shaped start off as a series of small things that can/should be managed. Ultimately, if any of the divers, feel uncomfortable at any stage, they can and should abort the dive.

[@lyfandeth]

My instructor got narc'ed once on a Navy dive. He got curious to know why his bubbles were going sideways, so he (fortunately) followed them to the surface.

[@jamesstackhouse8882]

This video has convinced me to stay in pools no deeper than 8’. Thanks Bro.

[@MarkN67]

I really enjoyed watching that, your comments all make total sense. Not a good day at the office for that instructor!

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

That would be a career-ending dive for me, Mark…

[@markboscawen8330]

Because of risk of vertigo, nausea, etc, shouldn’t have burst ear drum diver aborted the dive right away? Also, if you listen to the reg squeak, it becomes much more rapid during the other diver’s panic attack. So the cam diver’s anxiety was heading north as well.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Yes! Immediate abort is absolute...I can't imagine how torturous that might be...

[@grumpycat4584]

I was Naui certified on Okinawa in 1971. I remember a pool drill, where each student dove to the bottom of the deep end, probably 12 feet, removed all your gear and placed it in a pile on the bottom. We surfaced, wearing only a bathing suit. Then, we returned to the bottom and turned on the cylinder, and completely dressed prior to assent. I would think a drill like this would help make students less likely to panic. Our instructor, Marine Captain Robert C. Tolar, did a free assent from sixty feet, to show the class it could be done. I think he asked us to free assent from forty feet, and we all survived. Semper Fi

[@oioionionone]

Great commentary, I’m just questioning the guys definition of “calm, relaxed, everyday dive” even without the panicked diver and the ear rapist it looked far from calm or relaxed

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Hi Mark! Fair enough, nothing every day about that dive. Maybe the person meant the conditions were "every day"? Did look reasonable...no waves, no current, viz was reasonable?

[@asimian8500]

Waseem should not be diving. He was overweighted. he had no idea how to use his BCD. He could have actually used the wreck to inflate his BCD or state he had issues. Nope. Just panicked. If you're watching this Waseem, I hope you're not diving. You're a danger to yourself and others. Having Waseem as your DM would be insane.

[@crossXsimple]

Great analysis! IMO, since this is a Deep Dive in AOWC, the instructor should have known how well/comfortable the students were under water beforehand. And based on that, the line could definitely serve a purpose. As an instructor we must know how to CONTROL our students instead of having them all over the place, worst with accidents happen.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Yes, totally agreed on that. Seems an instructor acquainted with at least this one students should have observed a lack of stability for deep diving.

[@erintheunready7575]

I don't know if you'll see this, but ever since I was a teenager I started having major issues equalizing pressure behind my ears when swimming, so before then I used to (not scuba, just free swimming) dive down 10-12 feet fairly frequently but I get pain when I do this now. Is this something that can worked on as a skill or is it something I would have to address with a doctor if I wanted to try SCUBA in the future, where obviously that would be an issue?

[@MYshamanEYE]

literally every available weight loop was full on that belt I checked twice... I myself am not a diver but wouldn't that overweight be known immediately when in the water for even 30 seconds?

[@sala6275]

When you have the BCD (bouyancy compensator device) inflated you are positively buoyant/floating, so it would be hard to determine at the start. If you heavily over-weight, as soon as you release the air out of the BCD, you will fall at a rate that is probably beyond what you feel as comfortable and controllable. That tends to be the very beginnings of a panic situation right there. It almost seems that they didn't do any buoyancy tests previously either in shallower waters or in a pool. This should have given them a better idea as to how much weight each individual diver should be using. Being a little over-weighted isn't necessarily a bad thing, but to have that many and feeling like you're going to sink to the bottom of the ocean and not having control over it is terrifying.

[@comptegoogle511]

If you find yourself using your hands but you normally don't check if your left-right trim is good. Frog kicking is better when you're close to the bottom but flutter kicking is more efficient. Unfortunately, the trim adjustment is not mandatory in the open water course and it sounds like a boring speciality that nobody takes.

[@nadiasanseverino3705]

You have bad ears having to compensate every few meters? I have to do it every bunch of centimetres going down lol Also there's a funny point in Grotta Azzurra in Palinuro, Italy where we have to go under an arch between OW and a gigantic cavern (with boat-accessible air pocket) and every time I swim under the arch my left ear starts to act up! Pretty annoying and no one seems to have the same prob

[@mumblesbadly7708]

I like airplane disaster videos. And now diving disaster videos. Wondering when someone is going to start an underwater diving airplane disaster channel.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Now that would be a new genre, MB!

[@danmarelli551]

Those divers were clearly not prepared for advanced level training, they had poor buddymanship, poor buoyancy control, poor trim and poor finning technique. There is no substitute for repetitive hours training in confined water and then shallow introductory dives. I agree with the analysis that the panicked diver ingested water into their stomach, not their lungs. I suspect that the panicked diver was hyperventilating, which led to the "blackout" although it does not seem that the diver ever lost consciousness. The panicked diver was clearly not familiar with his equipment (dumping air instead of adding air to his BC) and under stress clearly rejected his regulator (which can be see being tossed from his mouth in a shower of bubbles). Any agency or Instructor that promotes the "quickie" class with online class materials and minimal confined water training can expect this type of event to happen.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Excellent observations, Dan 👍

[@Phoxinsocks]

Another ear tip as someones who's tubes like to misbehave. Chew on some gum or a handful of skittles before the dive. Always seems to help mine behave a little better.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Great tip, Fox. I'll give it a try...my ears are actually pretty stubborn...

[@Phoxinsocks]

@@DiscoveryDiversTokyo I've taken to having a nice big pot of skittles in my dive kit. Also good for getting rid of the salty aftertaste post dive XD And sharing them around gets you boat points. XD

[@123danvc]

It would be nice if you fill the video to full screen and narrate over the video. It’s hard to see a little square in the upper left corner of the screen.

[@jamal69jackson77]

Wow, you called it! This does not seem like a group where many people were prepared or proper candidates for an advanced diving certification. I'm glad it all ended well though, certainly seems it could have ended much worse than it did. People should not take messing around with deep water, especially in the ocean lightly, there is little to no forgiving mistakes out there. That is why you dive with a buddy or buddies, but if more than one diver gets into trouble, it seriously compounds the risks and complications that can arise. My questions are... how did they get this guy to the surface without dumping some weight if he was so heavy? Was his inflator also malfunctioning? And why did he remove his regulator as well? Did he have a leak in his system or did he actually burn all his air in his panic breathing? (Which I find unlikely so early into the dive). Lastly, if he lost consciousness underwater, with all the issues of weight, possible lack of buoyancy and maybe lack of air... how did the instructor manage to get all that under control with a limp or blacked out diver? I mean, the way the instructor handled this after it all went sideways seems to be quite admirable. And I guess the gentleman with vertigo just followed everyone in order to keep track of his position in the water, otherwise there would be someone else at the bottom in need of rescue. What a situation to be in! But I guess if that guy doesn't remember the dive it's like it never happened... right? Lol

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

You said it...this event would have blown my mind. That one man is so damn lucky to be alive...and I'm happy he is.

[@jamal69jackson77]

@@DiscoveryDiversTokyo Indeed. Deep water is such a scary place for things to go wrong. We've had our few close calls and they are all such valuable lessons. Very good content though... nothing beats experience, but it's so much better to learn from instruction or a video than an actual emergency. Hopefully your content helps someone avoid making critical mistakes.

[@charliekezza]

I've had my eardrums burst twice. It's not fun. Vertigo and dizziness all at once.

[@damoddiver]

Those coated bullet weights are 2lbs each. I count at least 12 on old mate and theres likely more. So yeah... massively overweighted. My lower back aches just from looking at it.

[@ThomasAllen90]

I would love to get your thoughts on a diving injury I sustained a few years ago (blown ear drum), Is there a good way of private messaging you, or should i just ask under a video?

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Hi Thomas...you can message me at [e-mail]

[@thewatcher5248]

Surely you can drop one weight at a time

[@MrSoundstar]

All I can say is holy shit. This guy looks to be wearing 30 to 35 pounds of weight. My very first dive in Mexico, the instructor put 20 pounds on me and I was so over-weighted that at 25 feet I had to inflate my BC to max to keep neutral. I suspect that this diver had never been that deep and when his wetsuit compressed, he didn't understand what was happening. His instructor should have realized and made weight corrections before the dive. I weigh about 190 and I dive with about 4 pounds in fresh water and salt water. To get neutral with a small burst of air in the BC, 4 to 7 pounds should be more than enough for a person in that weight range. People with very high body fat at 190ish might need additional weight.

[@lyfandeth]

Wasn't there some special hood (scuba queen?) for people with ear problems, years ago?

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Ah, I think the Pro Ear...never tried...

[@ArmyVeteranAJ]

I immediately noticed the very same things you pointed out, re: lack of finning, hand usage, lack of buoyancy control, and more. By the time a student completes their basic course, they should already have solid buoyancy control, and established finning techniques to a degree where hand movement is at a minimum. These "advanced course" students were not prepared, and should not have been in an Advanced Course. It's not their fault, it's the instructor's, and they were done a disservice. Yet, of course, this brings back to mind one of the many "quiet" arguments thriving behind closed doors in the diving industry... "What actually qualifies as 'Advanced'"...

[@ArmyVeteranAJ]

Additionally... I realize you said you "feel for the instructor"... But honestly, I don't in the slightest. I feel bad for the students, but the instructor I have zero sympathies for. They were directly responsible for this event. 100%. And the instructor's lack of awareness and attention during the dive led to this event. Furthermore, it was entirely preventable. Not overweighting the panic diver could have prevented them from developing panic. Attention to students at the descent could have prevented the eardrum burst. Yet more so, long before the dive, a proper assessment of the student's understanding, knowledge, and capabilities prior, SHOULD have identified that these students had some serious areas of focus they needed to work on prior to progressing. This is an outstanding example of why "zero to hero" programs should be banned. Programs like these, along with an ever-increasing lowering of standards by many agencies, are consistently responsible for producing terrible divers, and way beyond sub-standard leadership, which worse, then creates a vicious cycle of growing another generation of terrible divers, and even worse, ever lower standards of leadership down the road.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Thanks for the comment, AJ...BTW, one of my favorite debates, "What actually qualifies as 'Advanced'".

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

On your comment followup, since I don't know the situation well, I tried not to comment on the instructor too much. For example, maybe they are apart of a multi-instrucotr facility and were handed these students on the boat for the day. Ata large facility, I can envision ways that this instructor could have had a lot of control taken away. If so, for sure the instructor could quit, but a lot of jobs are like that. This one almost lead to a fatality, though, so there is that. ON the weighting, one of the comments form someone in the local area said that those weights are 500g each and that time of year, folks wear farmer John 5mm wetsuit, so that weighting could have been reasonable. In any case, the dive was clearly "negative", where that was due to overweight or under-aired, I'll leave up to those on the ground.

[@ArmyVeteranAJ]

@@DiscoveryDiversTokyo I think it would be great to have that discussion with you sometime in person. It’s a good thing to have diversity of opinion and position. It helps us all grow... I’m personally of the position that the industry as a whole needs a serious change. What is commonly called “basic and advanced” today should be changed to “basic 1 and basic 2”, whereby together, once completed, the individual is now qualified as simply a “SCUBA Diver”. An individual entirely capable of planning and executing dives independently within all recreational limitations. To me, “Advanced” should be “demonstratable”, and the term left referred to individuals who maintain a high degree of competency in diver KSA’s. To me, the “Advanced Course” should sit where the typical “Master Course” currently sits, meaning there’s a whole other argument I personally also have about what qualifies as a “Master Diver” too... But like I said, a great conversation to be had in-person sometime.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

@@ArmyVeteranAJ I think your thoughts above are very representative of many dedicated instructors out there 👍

[@nrgmanifest]

it'd be awesome if you can do raw reactions btw 1st time watch reactions

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Yeah, I like the idea...but then I end up missing a bunch of analysis..and have to do revisions...the grass is always greener...THanks for the input, JD.

[@scubasteveandunderwaterroc3547]

To me the guy with the funky weight belt looked like he has way too much weight. Each one of those weights in his belt is a pound or 2.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Hi Steve! One of the locals added some context in the comments to this dive. He said those weight 500g each...

[@houseofsolomon2440]

'Cluster Fugazi' - lol

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

I think that was from Elaine on Seinfeld...showing my generational gap...

[@houseofsolomon2440]

@@DiscoveryDiversTokyo Great channel! Just subscribed - looking forward to your back catalog.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

@@houseofsolomon2440 So many thanks, HoS...I do have some stuff in there to keep you busy ;)

[@shibosuru]

If you have Buoyancy problems can you just take out some weights or drop the whole belt?

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

Both are possible, depending on the rig. In this case seems only weight belt, though dropping that could have led to an uncontrolled ascent.

[@shibosuru]

@@DiscoveryDiversTokyo thanks. I thought dropping the whole belt would be bad. I wasn't sure the prices were removable, it would make more sense to have removable weights, to me anyway. But since I've never dived I was just guessing.

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

@@shibosuru You're right!

[@TheEllery29]

I don't think these AOW students should have been on this wreck in the first place. It sits around 27-36m, and the AOW limit is 30m. That's a standards compliance issue right there. What are the odds these very new, still very unskilled, students will have the ability and discipline to stay above the 30m limit on this wreck?

[@jimgoddard3957]

Hi Louise. For a PADI course, right you are, great research and observation. If this were NAUI, there would not be that constraint. I'd suspect you're right that this is a PADI program, but I don't have any specific info on the training.

[@TheEllery29]

​@@jimgoddard3957 good point, I'd assumed it was the PADI course (I'm not an instructor) and forgot NAUI has a different standard. Either way these guys don't look ready for it...

[@DiscoveryDiversTokyo]

@@TheEllery29 Agreed!!!!!

[@detroitsurvivor4989]

So far what I'm getting from these videos is that these diving certs are absolute BS and they will hand them out to anyone who pays the money, to include instructors. I literally just got certified like a week ago and i can even spot a bunch of stuff going wrong! I guess it's like they say in the classes, you're responsible for your own safety. I'll take that to heart from the moment i step on a boat to the moment I'm back on land. There are way too many videos of boat staff and instructors absolutely failing.

[@steamedhamlet]

Yikes

[@kevindeneys]

squeeking = bad regulator, dirty membrane. My best guess

[@mustanggun]

This whole dive was a bad joke.