KP - it was the second stage on the O2 mask, not sure exactly which part. There was a second cylinder waiting on deck, so that solved the issue at the moment, and afterwards it just didn't occur to me to follow up on that issue. The backboard decision was mostly because the Vic weighed in somewhere around 250 pounds, and was completely limp and unresponsive, so strapping the Vic's body to something that we could manage better was the thought process there. If it had worked, I wouldn't have such sore muscles today!
I found it extremely difficult to lift a 200-something pound rag doll in a wetsuit from the swim step to the deck, (five feet up).
The AI (who was on his other side) and I managed the vic into something like a sitting position (picture in a chair) with our hands on the thighs and buttocks, while the crew above us steadied the vic's torso until they could apply some lift too (the deckhand got a thick rope under the arms for that). Had the board not failed, we could have had two more people on the swim step, and ropes attached to the board would have allowed assistance from above.
Had the vic been smaller, I think we would have simply heaved the vic to the deck.
As for the Vic's mental / emotional state - you're right, it's hearsay and opinion. But I feel that it is something to consider. It seems that a lot of divers get into a mind set of "I paid $XXXX for all this stuff, and another $XXX for these lessons, and another $XXX for this boat trip - I'm diving even if it kills me!" and sometimes it does. Especially newbies, who haven't seen more experienced divers opt not to dive (for whatever reason), will feel more obligated to dive, or ashamed if they are feeling fearfull of diving. Again - All this is IMHO.
I will be in touch with the DM - I have a lot of respect for him (I've taken a lot of classes with him as an AI), and would like to find out what he thinks of the incident.
