Last week a colleague, [SIZE=-1]Gregorio Vásquez,[/SIZE] from a neighboring club was lost while spearfishing in Quintero, a few miles north of my spot. Here is the news for Spanish readers:
Emol.com - Intensa búsqueda de buzo desaparecido en Quintero
I wanted to share this to help understand and avoid risks. Gregorio was a very experienced freediver/spearo/swimmer, an instructor who regularly taught monofin freediving clinics. The weather was perfect, 10M vis, no current, 14M bottom, close to the shore, and, with a buddy. His buddy kept and eye on his float, and returning to it after having seen him shortly before, could not find him. His body has still not been found.
I and other club members spent last weekend combing the area. There is now a robot searching, divers and helicopters. Still no sign.
Here is what I think went wrong:
1. He was with a buddy. But they had no buddy protocol. How many times have I gone in with a buddy only to loose sight of them every 5 mins. I am left thinking that diving conservativly alone is safer than pushing with a non-watching buddy. Re think your present buddy protocol (what!! spearos don't have one, i can hear). Watch your buddy dive as you breathe up, count down and watch him surface. One extreeme idea that works oh so well is for the buddy pair to share the one spear gun.
2. He was very experienced. Good tolerance, confort feeling etc, lead him to push. Don't always assume that you (as a novice) may be saved by the experienced guy. It may often be the other way around. Keep an eye on him too.
3. He was overweighted. He sunk and stayed sunk. Use of less weight makes for a little struggle on the surface to get down, but is better than not getting back up.
4. He wore a cammo suit. They look real cool, but forget finding an overweighted buddy in the kelp if something goes wrong. Paint a white (or whatever) blob on your back. The fish will never see it, but your partner will.
On a last note. Although we may never know exactly, my theory being a heart attack, the freediver saftey vest would have pulled him up after xxx seconds and he would probably have been seen and saved.
Sorry for the glum note, but I hope it helps someone. Good luck and safe dives..
Emol.com - Intensa búsqueda de buzo desaparecido en Quintero
I wanted to share this to help understand and avoid risks. Gregorio was a very experienced freediver/spearo/swimmer, an instructor who regularly taught monofin freediving clinics. The weather was perfect, 10M vis, no current, 14M bottom, close to the shore, and, with a buddy. His buddy kept and eye on his float, and returning to it after having seen him shortly before, could not find him. His body has still not been found.
I and other club members spent last weekend combing the area. There is now a robot searching, divers and helicopters. Still no sign.
Here is what I think went wrong:
1. He was with a buddy. But they had no buddy protocol. How many times have I gone in with a buddy only to loose sight of them every 5 mins. I am left thinking that diving conservativly alone is safer than pushing with a non-watching buddy. Re think your present buddy protocol (what!! spearos don't have one, i can hear). Watch your buddy dive as you breathe up, count down and watch him surface. One extreeme idea that works oh so well is for the buddy pair to share the one spear gun.
2. He was very experienced. Good tolerance, confort feeling etc, lead him to push. Don't always assume that you (as a novice) may be saved by the experienced guy. It may often be the other way around. Keep an eye on him too.
3. He was overweighted. He sunk and stayed sunk. Use of less weight makes for a little struggle on the surface to get down, but is better than not getting back up.
4. He wore a cammo suit. They look real cool, but forget finding an overweighted buddy in the kelp if something goes wrong. Paint a white (or whatever) blob on your back. The fish will never see it, but your partner will.
On a last note. Although we may never know exactly, my theory being a heart attack, the freediver saftey vest would have pulled him up after xxx seconds and he would probably have been seen and saved.
Sorry for the glum note, but I hope it helps someone. Good luck and safe dives..
