A study of underwater rescue scenario and time
for surface supplied helmet divers

Sang-Weon Park

Interdisciplinary Program of Ocean Industrial Engineering,
Graduate School, Pukyong National University

Abstract

Recently, we have experienced many commercial diving incident involving with surface supplied diving systems such as hookah divers or helmet divers. The number of certified helmet divers in Korea now increases drastically without following international standardized education. Lack of knowledges and skills for underwater rescue for surface supplied diver will bring about an unexpected bad results when real underwater rescue events happens. To prevent and to reduce the diver involving accident, the divers should be exercised periodically and well prepared for underwater rescue procedure and equipment.

In this Study, we made 14 experimental diving to take total rescue time from “Diver down” to “Diver on Deck”, and established hypothetical golden time 5 Min. for unconscious surface supplied helmet diver rescue. For this, we created two different underwater rescue scenario “Umbilical freed (or can be freed) unconscious diver” and “Umbilical fouled (or can not be freed) unconscious diver”. The rescue diver trainees should use stretcher to recover the victim from the surface to the deck and treats as an injured.

The results obtained from this study are summarized as followed by the step of study;
1) Total average rescue time from ""diver down" to "diver on deck" was 8 minutes and 28 seconds.
2) The results for underwater rescue section from "diver down" to "diver on surface" was 5 minutes and 05 seconds.
3) The results for surface recovery section from "diver on surface" to "diver on deck" was 3 minutes and 23 seconds. The results revealed that no rescue trainee divers was satisfied the rescue golden time established 5 minutes. The main reason for failed was because delaying 3 min. and 23 sec. during the surface recovery section due to poor recovery skill using the stretcher. If the trainee divers can reduce time spending at surface recovery section, they could satisfy required established golden time 5 minutes because underwater rescue section 5 min. and 05 sec. was very closed to established golden time 5 minutes.

In order to complete successful task for underwater unconscious and injured diver for in case, the underwater rescue scenario need be picked up general and frequent accident cases from industrial diving field and it is essential the periodical exercise for underwater rescue scenario should be carried out.