WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

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GALAPAGOS - TOO DEEP



Our days on the Astrea followed a pattern; dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat. Charging batteries and setting up the camera for each dive didn’t leave a lot of time for other activities. After the evening meal I was ready for some quiet time and sleep.

On day two we had four dives planned off Wolf Island. On the last dive we saw eels, turtles, and lots of fish. Toward the end of the dive I suddenly realized I had lost my buddies (we actually dived in a group). I started to come up and then worried that I was too close to the island and might get battered against the rocks so I decided to go toward open water at the 20 foot level. When I found the drop off I would know I was safe and I could come up. I was holding my dive computer in my hand. Suddenly it read 183 feet!! I was diving with nitrox, a nitrogen oxygen mix that is best for repetitive deep dives, but it is toxic at 130 feet and one of the side effects is seizures. I was terrified… I thought, “I am dead.” Then I told myself, “Well, get to the surface so they will find my body.” I monitored my depth carefully and came up slowly. I had only a little air left. I arrived at 21 feet, nearly out of air and my computer said I needed a 40 minute decompression stop…I had maybe six minutes of air left. I had no choice but to come up too soon. I wanted at least enough air for one blast into my buoyancy compensator to keep me afloat till help came. The waves were about two feet high and I was so scared and weary I didn’t have enough energy to orally fill my safety sausage (a bright orange, three foot plastic tube) that signals the boat where I am. Although my air tank was empty, it floated, and I lay back on it to rest. I waited until a wave lifted me high…then I flipped my orange plastic to one side. It fluttered in the breeze. When the next wave lifted me I tossed it the other way. I was praying someone was looking for me. The boat appeared almost immediately. I dragged myself aboard, still waiting for symptoms of decompression sickness. I was near tears while the dive master reassured me that all the dive tables are conservative and I was fine. I just wanted to get back to the Astrea and get the DAN emergency oxygen kit. Administering oxygen is the first response to a diving accident. The crew had painted the large oxygen tank on the dive deck shut and it took about twenty minutes for them to bring the portable kit to me. I sucked oxygen for about thirty minutes and I still had no symptoms. My computer shut down, locking me out for thirty six hours. The divemaster told me he would loan me another computer with plain air which is safer and I was fine to do the next dive…the following morning. I carry dive insurance and I knew if I broke the rules it would be null and void. And symptoms do not always occur immediately. The divemaster felt I was worrying unnecessarily but I remained convinced to act with caution.

That night the boat moved to Darwin Island…the high point of the cruise. I did the third dive. I used a different computer and didn’t take my camera. I wanted to be completely aware of my depth and stay in visual contact with the other divers – I was nervous. Almost immediately after we submerged a huge whale shark appeared and passed us like a locomotive. We were above it and it was diving, trying to put distance between us. My eyes were glued to my depth gauge and I saw the shark was heading for deep water. Later, when we were on the zodiac returning to the Astrea, Anthony said he looked at his depth gauge because he felt dizzy, a symptom of narcosis and he realized he was too deep. The others went even deeper than he did.

The whale shark was an amazing encounter but I was glad he was at our depth when he first emerged out of the blue. And I was glad I was extra cautious, watched my depth gauge and stayed above a hundred feet.

I went over and over that deep dive of the day before in my mind. I think I must have been caught in a down draft that pulled me to 184 feet. Luckily I had my gauge in my hand so I was aware of the problem and almost immediately began my assent. It was more like a bounce dive, which means I hadn’t been at depth very long. I was incredibly lucky. I continued diving in the Galapagos, but it took me almost a year to become really confident and comfortable in the water again.

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Photos

BAT RAY
There were many of these rays; the best photos of multiple rays were with video.

BUMPHEAD
I loved the colors. Beautiful.

TURTLE AND COMPANION
Not very good composition because he was wedged on a shelf under an overhanging rock face.

GALAPAGOS SEA LION
Who knew the flippers were a contrasting blue grey?

SEA LION
Curious and playful. Entirely delightful. You can see the lens that covers the eyes.

FRENCH ANGELS
I didn't know they schooled. I had only seen one or two together before I dived the Galapagos.

PAIR OF EELS
There were so many eels u.nder the rocks where we perched to watch for the larger sea denizens

SCHOOLING FISH
Huge schools of fish were everywhere.

SNAKE
I got quite close to this one. There was so much diversity on these dives.

RED-LIPPED BAT FISH
Very fast, it was difficult to capture a shot of this guy. He looked like a child who gets into his mother's lipstick.

TURTLE IN FLIGHT
A curious turtle investigates the divers.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

When things go wrong
As a diver I appreciate all that can go wrong and appreciate you sharing this story. I would have reacted the way you did. I've had oxygen narcosis and it is dangerous because you don't always realize what is going on. Stay safe.