Panic/lost line
Incident Date
2002-01-03
Incident Description
Five divers - two on open circuit three on rebreathers were doing a number of activities in a flooded mine. A B C were on closed circuit filming. D was line laying/exploring and E was touristing. D was first back at the 3 m stop with an extended decompression schedule ahead. E exited past D first followed by A. B then met D holding the line at his stop depth and in the poor visibility assumed it was A and that the entrance had collapsed. C was directly behind B. B would not pass D so D let go of the line and B exited. Both C and D lost the line and had difficulty relocating it.
Lessons Learned
A jump line was installed on the 3 m and 6 m stops so that decompressing divers could allow others to pass. This also serves to mark the stop points should ones depth guage fail.
| Factors |
|
| Line Management |
Major |
| Gas Management |
Negligible |
| Equipment Management |
Negligible |
| Equipment Failure |
Negligible |
| Training |
Major |
| Medical |
Negligible |
| Planning |
Negligible |
| Procedural Error |
Major |
| Cave Environment |
Major |
| Weather |
Negligible |
| Other Factor |
|
