{"id":887,"date":"2025-09-09T01:48:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T01:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/?p=887"},"modified":"2025-09-09T01:48:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T01:48:11","slug":"dans-incident-reports-edition-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/?p=887","title":{"rendered":"DAN&#8217;s Incident Reports (Edition 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">One of the great resources available to divers is the Diver\u2019s Alert Network (DAN) safety portal (<a href=\"https:\/\/dan.org\/safety-prevention\/diver-safety\/case-summaries\/\">Incident Insights &#8211; Divers Alert Network<\/a>), where real-world incident reports are shared by divers. I often find myself reading through these cases\u2014not to gawk, but to learn. In the September 2025 edition of <em>Sea Snooper\u2019s Safety Blog<\/em>, I\u2019ve pulled three incidents that, while uncommon, could happen to any of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Take a look at the summaries below, and ask yourself: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>How would I manage these situations? <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Do I have the training and practice to stay calm, think clearly, and act appropriately?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>Situation 1: A Mouthpiece Mishap &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dan.org\/safety-prevention\/diver-safety\/case-summaries\/missing-mouthpiece\/\">Missing Mouthpiece &#8211; Divers Alert Network<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Within the first ten minutes of an open water dive, a diver\u2019s mouthpiece detached from their primary regulator. The diver didn\u2019t immediately realize what had happened until they saw the regulator floating in front of them. After a few swallows of seawater, they switched to their secondary (octopus) and managed to regain control before ending the dive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lesson Learned<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes it\u2019s the smallest, cheapest parts of our gear that matter most. O-rings, hoses, drysuit seals, mouthpieces\u2014these are all made of materials that can dry out, crack, or fail. A whole dive trip (or season) can be cut short by something as simple as a neglected zip tie. Annual servicing and thorough pre-dive checks are not optional\u2014they\u2019re essential. Don\u2019t skimp on the small stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Commentary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The report mentions \u201cthree breaths of seawater,\u201d which sounds like drowning to me. But credit to the diver\u2014they didn\u2019t bolt to the surface; they calmly switched to their alternate air source. Could you breathe from a regulator without a mouthpiece? Yes.&nbsp; In fact, one can breathe from a LP hose, inflator, or even a tank valve.&nbsp; Is it pleasant? No. But it beats drowning. If you\u2019re curious, practice it in a safe, controlled environment like on of our pool sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>Situation 2: Out of Air at Depth &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dan.org\/safety-prevention\/diver-safety\/case-summaries\/air-starvation-at-depth-equipment-or-human-failure\/\">Air starvation at depth equipment or human failure &#8211; Divers Alert Network<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">On the first dive of the day in a flooded quarry, a diver went out of air at 85 feet (26 m). Poor visibility kept them from contacting their buddy, so they made an emergency ascent. Their dive computer logged an ascent rate of 230 feet\/minute (70 m\/min). Air became available again once they reached the surface, and they were able to inflate their BCD. Aside from a brief headache (treated with surface oxygen), they were lucky to walk away without further complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lesson Learned<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The most likely culprit here was a poorly maintained or improperly tuned regulator\u2014working fine at the surface, but failing under greater demand. I am assuming the tank value was fully open. Proper maintenance is of paramount importance to safe diving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Commentary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Equipment issues aside, this looks like a classic panic response. When stress spikes, even trained divers may instinctively bolt.&nbsp; It is easy to sit in front of a computer and testify as to how I would have handled this incident.&nbsp; Nevertheless, I would hope to have reached for my alternate reg around my neck or better yet a redundant air source (pony bottle).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">There are questions worth asking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">If visibility was poor, why weren\u2019t the buddies staying within arm\u2019s reach?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Why not attempt to switch to an alternate or redundant air source (like a pony bottle)?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Surfacing from 85 feet in just 22 seconds is extreme.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">We can\u2019t know exactly what the diver was thinking, but the case highlights why redundant gas, close buddy contact, and calm problem-solving are important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong>Situation 3: A Leaky Glove and Barotrauma &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dan.org\/safety-prevention\/diver-safety\/case-summaries\/leaking-glove-leads-to-ear-barotrauma\/\">Leaking Glove Leads to Ear Barotrauma &#8211; Divers Alert Network<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">During a cold-water dive (50\u201359\u00b0F \/ 10\u201315\u00b0C) with a drysuit and dry gloves, a diver noticed one glove was leaking. While trying to fix it, they unknowingly continued descending. The result: middle-ear barotrauma in the right ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lesson Learned<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Two core skills come into play here: <strong>buoyancy control<\/strong> and <strong>task loading<\/strong>. A controlled descent allows you to pause, equalize, assist a buddy, or address gear issues. Using the shot line and adding gas to your drysuit or BCD can help prevent an uncontrolled descent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Task loading is another challenge\u2014when too many things demand your attention, priorities matter. In this case:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Establish buoyancy (or hold the line).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Fix the glove\u2014or abort the dive.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Commentary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This diver expected their dry glove to stay dry\u2014 now that really would be something unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The full reports are available through DAN, and I encourage you to read them. The common thread across these cases is simple: <strong>equipment maintenance and intentional practice.<\/strong> Whether in a pool, quarry, or prepping for your next Great Lakes adventure, every repetition builds confidence and safety.&nbsp; We don\u2019t practice just to stay busy\u2014we practice so we can <strong>safely dive the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Have you experienced something similar? Share your story in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the great resources available to divers is the Diver\u2019s Alert Network (DAN) safety portal (Incident Insights &#8211; Divers Alert Network), where real-world incident reports are shared by divers. I often find myself reading through these cases\u2014not to gawk, but to learn. In the September 2025 edition of Sea Snooper\u2019s Safety Blog, I\u2019ve pulled three incidents that, while uncommon,<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-button read_more_btn_text\"><a class=\"read_more\" href=\"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/?p=887\">Read Now<span class=\"arrow_readm\"> &#x25BA;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9,12,21,8,22,23],"class_list":["post-887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-basics","tag-buddy-check","tag-divers-alert-network","tag-fundamentals","tag-incident-reports","tag-scuba-diving-equipment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=887"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":891,"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/887\/revisions\/891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasnoopers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}