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Dive Logs for Vance Stevens PADI open water scuba instructor #64181 Dives 475-476 March 6, 2003 Abu Dhabi, UAE Outside the Breakwater

Diving with: Greg Heinricks
Dive buddies: Michael Ibrahim on his Rescue Course dives 7 thru 11
Others in dive party: just us
Conditions: pleasant, calm
Visibility: 5 meters or so
Wetsuit: my 5 mil farmer john with the 3 mil Typhoon top
Weight:10 kg-ish
Diving from:Argentina

Thursday, March 6, 2003

My 475th Logged Dive since 1991

Dive site: Outside the breakwater
Training conducted: Michael Ibrahim's Rescue Diver Training Exercises 7 (unconscious diver at the surface), 8 (egress with unconscious diver), 9 (first aid for pressure related accidents), and 10 (response from boat with rescusitation, egress, and first aid as integrated activity)

Data from dive computer:

Interval on computer from previous dive: nil, first dive of day

Time down on dive computer: 14:21
Max depth: 4.8 meters
Time started up from chart: no chart available
Dive time from computer: 9 min
Min Temp: 21 degrees centigrade
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

Description of dive:

We hired Greg to take us to the breakwater so we would conduct all the rescue diver scenarios leading up to the last one, where all the skills are practiced in one rescue. In the first scenario I drifted away from the boat and became unconscious and Michael had to come for me, remove kit, ventilate, and get me back on the boat. He did well but learned anew the lesson of NEVER remove fins when there's work to do in the water. We tried various ventilation methods including snorkel and face mask. Snorkel has danger of flooding victim's lungs and would require lots of practice. After I had been revived on the boat I reentered the water and went diving, lost a budy, surfaced, shouted diver down, and then resubmerged. This last move was a bit of a hitch for Michael since we had been practicing where Michael would swim to a buddy on the surface, but I wanted him to practice getting Greg to direct him to the spot. After waiting for him a while underwater I surfaced and saw him coming up on me on underwater on compass (I think he should have been at the surface unless he had started his search pattern already). I went down to meet him and we went in search of the buddy but don't recall if we found it on that go or whether I had him surface me (maybe so, we got lots of surfacing practice these dives because Michael wanted to try out various ways to do it). At the surface there was a neaby beach so Michael practiced breathing check and ventilation during kit removal and then exiting the water with me in three different carries, each of which he was able to perform. After that we had to recollect our gear (I had lost Michael's mask and snorkel, slipped off my arm - I need to learn about gear retrieval on these exercises). I got that back, and my weights, and then I believe we went diving along the rocks back to the boat.

Surface interval: 26 min on the beach

Time down on dive computer: 15:05
Max depth: 6.0 meters
Time started up from chart: no chart available
Dive time from computer: 17 min
Min Temp: 20 degrees centigrade
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

Pressure group out, from tables or wheel:

Surface interval: 46 min

My 476th Logged Dive since 1991

Dive site: Outside breakwater
Training conducted: Michael Ibrahim's Rescue Diver Training Exercises 11 (underwater search for victim)

Pressure group at start of repetitive dive: ?

Data from dive computer:

Time down on dive computer: 16:10
Max depth: 5.7 meters
Time started up from chart: 5 min
Dive time from computer: 5 min
Min Temp: 20 degrees centigrade
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

Description of dive:

This rather straightforward profile above charts the progress of me and my buddy, Mr. Pepsi Bottle. At some point during this scenic tour Mr Bottle went awol. I continued to dive and take careful note of features like rusted pipes strewn near the spot just a little ways out on the sand, just beyond where it could be seen from the boulders, where Mr Bottle had met his unfortunate mishap. Eventually I surfaced and informed the boat of Mr Bottle's incident.

Surface interval: 5 min - while Michael responded to the emergency and made his way to where I awaited at the surface. I kept my eye on a structure on the breakwater while waiting and noted that I had drifted some meters by the time Michael reached me. I informed Michael when he asked me about current.

Data from dive computer:

Time down on dive computer: 16:21
Max depth: 6.2 meters
Time started up from chart: 40 min
Dive time from computer: 41 min
Min Temp: 20 degrees centigrade
Nitrox 21% (normal air), no deco

After descent, Michael conducted search patterns which did result in the recovery of Mr. Bottle. I don't remember our action after that but whatever it was it was to complete whatever modules were missing to then from the first 11 exercises, and then we went for a dive. We found a little ray or skate, flat and sand colored, a lot of them had left winglike impressions in the sand where they'd been. We found lots of invertibrates prowling the bottom, esp hermit crabs. On the way back to port we encountered a pod of dolphins and Greg hove to so they came near.

Pressure group out, from tables or wheel: n/a