The Angels' Story
Posted By Laura Harris on 16 July 2004
When Hell Freezes Over
Throughout the winter in mind numbing 4°C water the squad trained together perfecting rescue techniques, working the bottom plate, watching the line, testing kit and always fine tuning the system until eventually, each new support diver felt totally comfortable with what was expected of them.
Of the many rescue systems in place internationally, without doubt the FHOF (Freediver Hook On and Forget) has to be up there with the best. It is the quickest and most reliable method of sending a distressed freediver to the surface from depth. This system utilizes the DSMB principle of a lift bag with a dedicated compressed air source. Simple and effective!
One of the objectives we had during the training sessions was to ensure each support diver gained proficiency in rescuing a freediver using the FHOF devices. This was done with the primary goal in mind of responding to an emergency situation and activating an FHOF in less than ten seconds. Using the Suunto D3 gauges and downloading the rescue profiles we were able to see that towards the end a 30 minute dive in cold water our reactions had slowed considerably. The anaesthetizing effect of the chill had more than doubled our reaction time. Further modifications to both the FHOF’s and our system followed to help facilitate our 10 second target.
Between the Devil and the Deep Green NDC
We had been in discussion with the NDC crew to build us a dedicated freediving pontoon with scuba safety lines and a deco station running from it. Some months and numerous designs later we christened the finished product. The extra lines transformed our diving allowing us, finally, the luxury of staging gas mixes for bailout, a trapeze to decompress on and our own descent / ascent line. This has in turn massively improved the safety for the team. A further bonus is that it is easier to orientate at depth. We now have numerous points of reference with all the deep training lines as opposed to the single shot line we originally started out with.
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