Lucky to Be Alive

GUEST BLOGGER - BUBBA MCLEAN

October is my favorite time of the year to dive in NC.  The water is still warm (mid 70’s to low 80’s), the winds are light (usually 5-10 mph.), the visibility is fantastic and most of the boaters have gone back inland.

On Tuesday, 10/13, we dove around Jerry’s Reef (80-90’).  The forecast for later in the week looked great, so Al, Roy, Matt, and I, planned a trip to the “Lobster Hole”.  The dive site is about 40 nautical miles south of Bogue Inlet in 120’ of water.  Therefore Thursday, 10/15, we left early (around 630-7am).  It was a pretty day, not the flattest, but pretty.  This was the first deep dive (over 100’) I had been on in several years.  I wasn’t nervous, but I was acutely aware of the risks associated with deep diving, specifically nitrogen narcosis.  Narcosis occurs when breathing an air mixture under pressure and is exaggerated at depth.  It produces a state of confusion or compromised thinking and slows reaction time similar to being drunk.

On the way out, we passed several dive spots and marked the bottom (on the GPS) for any type of relief for future dives.  We finally got out to the Lobster Hole about 10 am.  It took about 10 mins. of marking the bottom to find our location.  We dropped the anchor and watched it for what seemed like minutes descending.  Roy and I “hung a spare tank” at 20’.  This is a safety measure in case your primary tank runs out of air while you are decompressing.  I remember there being some discussion about who would dive first.  Being the first diver in the water has pros and cons.  If you are hooked up on the ledge, it’s great because you get the first glimpse of any marine life that hasn’t been scared away by divers presence.  Typically, the second divers have to work a little harder to get within a reasonable distance of marine life, especially if you’re spearfishing.  If you are the first diver in the water and you are NOT hooked on the ledge….it sucks!  It’s like swimming around in a desert.  You basically use a lot of your air going down and up and down and up again.  Problems associated with this practice of “bounce diving” are also compounded by depth.  Somehow it was decided Matt and I would go first.  We geared up.  I had 3,400 PSI in a 100 cubic inch tank.  That’s a lot.  We rolled off the boat and headed down.  The water was warm (82 degrees) and an incredible, crystal blue just like a bathtub.  About 30’ down, we could see the entire ledge system and marine life.  The visibility was so good, I forgot how deep it was.  I kept checking my depth gauge several times until I hit the bottom….115’.

The horizontal visibility on the bottom was even better than the vertical visibility. 

I estimated it at about 150’.  The ledge was completely alive.  The first thing I noticed was the anchor was perfectly hooked into the ledge.  There were large bait balls casting shadows on the seafloor.  We headed east down the ledge.  Matt saw a turtle.  There were stingray and flounder free swimming.  Large fish were meandering around the ledge.  It was truly mesmerizing.  We hadn’t gone 50’ and I saw my first lobster.  I was so excited to see one I shot it with my speargun.  He retreated under a rock.  I swam down and got on my side to be able to extend my arm as far under as I could.  After a very few seconds, I found it hard to breathe and was extremely surprised.  I realized I was holding my breath.  At that exact moment, I thought of my childhood in the Caymans.  We would snorkel for lobster and have to hold our breath until we were able to bring them up.  

Realizing I was scuba diving I took a huge breath of air and brought the lobster out!  I could hear Matt yelling and looked over where he was pointing at another rock 20’ away.  I swam over and saw 3 large lobsters peering out from under the rock.  I swam down and hit one with the Hawaiian sling.  Matt shot another one beside me.  We now had bagged 3.  Just 15’ away I could see more antenna waving in the gentle current under another rock.  When I went for a better look, I could see about a dozen under one rock, which was only twice the size of our dining room table.  I heard a faint beeping sound and realized my computer was alarming.  Thinking it was a mistake I muted it and kept hunting.  As I was bagging one, I noticed they were slipping out the back of the rock.  I chased one that was free-swimming.  After swimming 30 feet, I realized I wasn’t going to catch it. I immediately swam back to the rock and grabbed another one that was crawling out.  They kept coming.  I dropped the bag and grabbed a second one.  They continued to crawl out, as Matt was harassing them from the opposite side.  I tried grabbing a third with my elbows, but couldn’t keep him.  It was thrilling pandemonium until I heard the continuous, confusing, chirping alarm of my computer again, which I muted again.  I looked up and saw Al and Roy swim past.  I was confused because I thought they were waiting for us to surface before coming down.  No time to think about that.  I grabbed another lobster and realized there was barely room in the bag for anymore.  In all the excitement I hadn’t checked my pressure gauge the entire dive.  I had 725 PSI left to make 2 deco stops in 115’ of water; not enough.  I immediately swam for the surface trying to ascend at a safe rate.  It was slow going as I was carrying the bag of lobster, had another lobster in my hand, a spear gun, Hawaiian sling, stringer, and flashlight attached to my BC, while trying to check my pressure and depth gauge.  On the way up, Matt helped me bag the last lobster.  I could see the underside of the boat and the hang tank.  I had 400 PSI.  It was getting harder to breath….300 PSI.  I started swimming faster….200 PSI.  I was so close to the hang tank, maybe 10 feet.  I swam harder and reached it just as my tank expired.  I stayed on the hang tank at 20’ for about 10 mins. often closing my eyes to rest.  Matt and I surfaced together.  I had a splitting headache.  I wasn’t able to climb onto the boat with all my gear and the lobster bag.  Matt held the bag and I climbed up.  When he handed me the bag, I realized why.  The bag was probably 50 lbs.  We had gotten 9. 

After putting our catch on ice and switching out our gear, I laid on the floor of the boat dozing in and out.  I ate an apple and drank a little water.  Confused, I kept looking at my computer, which wouldn’t give me a “plan”.  Dive computers are designed to calculate your air mixture, bottom time and surface interval to produce your next dive plan based on your next planned dive depth.  After a 2 – 2 ½ hour surface interval and rationalizing this must be a mistake, Matt and I suited up and got ready for our 2^nd dive in the same location.  We stayed at the same location for two notable reasons.  First, nobody had come up the anchor line and I knew it had dropped in that crevice and would not come up without assistance.  Secondly, we had only worked the east side of the ledge (only out about 100’) and thought the western side would be just as fruitful. 

I knew I didn’t feel 100% sitting on the side of the boat.  Thinking to myself, I’ll just go down, free the anchor, grab a couple of lobsters and come up, I rolled back for my second dive.  Immediately upon entering the water, I grabbed my computer to see if the dive plan “mistake” had been corrected by water activation.  I vividly remember seeing a flashing warning in bold, black, block letters in the middle of my computer, “GET OUT OF THE WATER”.  Confused, I swam down another 10 feet or so and checked again, “GET OUT OF THE WATER”, “GET OUT OF THE WATER” flashed slowly on my computer.  Looking back at this moment, I have no idea what I was thinking, but I could see the anchor and I could see a lobster and remember being amazed at the beauty and visibility.  I continued down.  When I got to the bottom, I heard the boat motors start.  Al was pulling the boat forward to “take slack off the line” to help me free the anchor.  I grabbed the anchor and chain and begin moving it forward (south).  I placed the anchor in the sand and turned to the ledge.  I grabbed the lobster I had seen earlier and begin looking for more.  I turned around and saw Matt moving the anchor, as well.  I was more confused, because I had just moved it.  I grabbed another lobster and checked my air; 2000 psi.  Matt grabbed a lobster and I helped him bag it.  I grabbed my final lobster and was not feeling well.  I looked at my gauge; 1500 psi, exactly.  I headed up at what I thought was a safe speed.  My computer blinked “Slow down”, which I did.  At about 70’, I started getting nauseous.  I knew I needed to decompress.  I got to the hang tank at 20’.  After approximately 2 mins., I begin to dry heave.  I knew then I wouldn’t make a full stop.  I threw up.  I threw up again and decided to head up.  As soon as my head broke the surface, I threw up again.  I came up on the starboard side of the boat and remember seeing Roy and Al’s head poke over the side.  “I’m fine”, I said and climbed onto the boat exhausted.  I threw up a few more times and laid down with a splitting headache and aching right arm and shoulder. Having lost track of time, the next thing I remember we were moving and I heard Al say, “Bubba doesn’t feel well.  We are heading in”.  An hour and a half later, we reached his dock and started unloading the catch and taking pictures.  I threw up again.  I felt horrible and left.  I called Bryson on the way home to tell her we were back and I didn’t feel great.  When I got home she said, “Do you think you are bent”?  I have been seasick a hundred times and thought it just that and said, “No”!  I remember her saying, “Denial is one of the symptoms”.  Apparently, I sent several texts to folks excited about our catch.  I have no recollection of that.  I got in bed at 7:30 and slept until 7 the next morning. 

I woke up feeling “beat up”, similar to how I have many times after a long day of diving.  Bryson convinced me to call D.A.N.  I read them the dive profiles to which the attendant, Brandy, responded, “We would consider these aggressive dives”!  We had plans to head to Ocracoke and OBX that afternoon, for which I was excited.  I dozed off for most of the 2 ½ hour ferry ride from Cedar Island to Ocracoke.  After eating dinner, we went to bed early.  Saturday and Sunday, I felt the same exhaustion, headaches, and aching right shoulder.  Monday morning I called D.A.N. again.  They recommended seeing my local physician, who is an outstanding doctor, but doesn’t know “diving medicine”.  I called for an appointment and he checked me out.  Late that afternoon, I remembered a friend that serves as the dive doctor for MARSOC, the marine special forces group at Camp Lejeune.  I called him at about 4 pm.  He is not allowed to take his phone into the office, so he didn’t call me back until he was on his way home from work around 6 pm.  I explained the dive profiles and my symptoms.  He said, “You need to get in a chamber”.  That night his wife, Valerie, texted Bryson and said, “John said Bubba is lucky to be alive”!  This hit me like a ton of bricks.  First thing Tuesday morning, I called the Duke Hyperbaric department.  They agreed to see me as soon as I could get there.  After coordinating with my local physician and getting a Rx for the chamber, dad picked me up and we left at 10 am. 

We arrived at 1 pm and were seen immediately by Dr. Moon, head of the department, Dr. Winstead, the attending physician, a 4th-year medical student, and another doctor who all came in the small room with dad and me.  They begin with a routine checkup; height, weight, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., etc., The exam then shifted to more of a neurological assessment, much like what I would consider a drunk driving test; following a finger with my eyes, dilating my eyes with a light, balance tests, sensory tests, spell ‘WORLD’ backward, count down from 100 by 7’s, most of which I didn’t pass.  It was frustrating and I felt horrible that Papa had to watch!  They recommended a 5-hour “dive” in the chamber. It was 3 pm.

(Come to find out, Dr. Moon is the world’s leading authority on hyperbaric medicine.)

Prior to a chamber dive, the first thing they require is for you to remove all your clothes (except underwear) and have you put on all-cotton smocks.  This is to reduce the chance of any static electricity igniting the all oxygen environment.  Then they fitted my neck with a hard-plastic collar and rubber seal.  They placed me in “Charlie” chamber (1 of 7 chambers at Duke), which is similar to what I imagine is like begin in a submarine; somewhat confining, although I could stand and walk, gauges everywhere and massive, thick doors with small portholes.  Absolutely no electronics were allowed.  Katherine was my “dive buddy” or attendant.  She was the first line of defense if something were to go wrong.  Being “at depth”, someone could not just walk in or out of the chamber.  It would have to be slowly depressurized or we could get bent “coming up”.  Mainly, she would be there monitoring me and administering the oxygen.  The call came over the radio, that we were “diving”.  I squeezed my nose with the base of my right “pointer finger” and the end of my right thumb and blew to help clear the pressure.  As soon as I stopped, my ears were blocked again.  I immediately realized I would not be able to keep up clearing my ears using this technique because of how fast we were “dropping”.  I cleared my ears as fast as I could using just my lower jaw until we reached 60’.  Katherine had warned me it would get warm, but I was so focused on clearing my ears I didn’t realize it was close to 100 degrees from the air being pressurized.  Within seconds of reaching the bottom, the air conditioning kicked in.  Katherine asked me if I was ok.  When I responded, I was surprised by my voice.  It was a high-pitched tone similar in sound after you have breathed in a helium birthday balloon.  I had obviously never heard my voice “under pressure” before.  Within 30 minutes of being at depth and breathing oxygen, I felt so much better.  Over the next 5 hours, I would alternate breathing regular compressed air for 5 mins, then Katherine would place a clear hood over my head and I would breathe pure oxygen for 30 mins.  Although the hood was clear, it was extremely claustrophobic, and scratching an itch on my face was impossible.  The 5 hours were spent trying to sleep, reading 5 different issues of Our State Magazine, and chatting with Katherine.  Luckily, I had gone to the bathroom before we had gone into the chamber.  Once you are in, the only option for men and women is using a bucket. 

After the treatment, I went directly to the bathroom.  Afterward, I was placed through the same neurological tests.  I passed most with flying colors, but no diving for 3 months.  Papa drove us home the entire way.  We arrived at midnight.  I was tired Wednesday but felt better.  Thursday and on, I seemed to have slipped back into the “fog”, which is similar to being hungover; headaches, confusion, loss of memory, etc., According to Dr. Winstead, it could take several weeks to months to fully recover. 

Looking back, I made so many mistakes.  The first was diving on air at that depth.  Diving air at 120’ gives you about 13 minutes of bottom time.  I spent 38 minutes under the first dive and 23 minutes on the second dive with limited decompression stops.  Depending on the depth, going forward I will dive nitrox and use air tables to remain ultra-conservative.  Nitrox is an air mixture with significantly increased oxygen and decreased nitrogen.  Breathing Nitrox significantly reduces the percentage of nitrogen you breathe, which reduces the amount of nitrogen absorbed by your body, which increases your bottom time and reduces your surface interval times. 

My second mistake was ignoring my computer alarms on the first dive.  I am assuming I was suffering from nitrogen narcosis, which is alarming because I was hyper-aware of the potential risk. 

My third, and probably the worst mistake, was getting back in the water for a second dive.  This mistake very easily could’ve killed me.  I felt horrible and my computer wouldn’t give me a dive plan.  I assume I was still suffering from narcosis. 

Another mistake was ignoring the “GET OUT OF THE WATER” flashing warning on my computer.  When I initially mentioned this to Dr. Winstead, he was surprised because he had never heard of a computer with this type of warning. This has intrigued me and does not have any definitive explanation.  Unable to let it go, I called the manufacturer, Oceanic.  I spoke to one of their engineers and gave him my dive profiles and told him about the warning.  His response was, “You must not have been using one of our computers”.  I was holding the computer in my hand, which was their Oceanic ProPlus 3, and read him the serial number.  His response was, “That is our computer, but I don’t know what to tell you.  Our computers are not programmed with that type of warning.  It’s impossible to give that warning”.  Attempted divine intervention? 

Finally, I waited far too long to get into the chamber.  If I had listened to Bryson, I could’ve gotten treatment the very next day, not 5 days later. 

Here’s what I’ve learned, that I would like for you all to remember; LOCK. 

·        L – LEARN.  Whatever your interests or hobbies, get the best training out there and don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t understand” or “Teach me”, regardless of the situation.  Question something if you don’t understand.  Never stop learning or getting better at something you love!

·        O – OVERCONFIDENCE.  Confidence is good.  Being overconfident can kill. Just because you have mastered something (or think you have) or done something 1,000 times, be thought-filled, methodical, humble, and open to the fact that there is always room for improvement.  This can be applied to anything; walking upstairs, diving off a boat, driving (speeding, texting and driving, etc.), drinking, lifting heavy weights, hiking, climbing, surfing, etc., etc.,  Anything!     I have been diving for almost 40 years.  I have made over 2,500 dives.  I’m rescue certified.  Look what happened to me.  I made the most basic of diving mistakes. 

·        C – CORRECT.  First, we all make mistakes.  However, compounding our mistakes because we are embarrassed or ignoring them or God forbid by adding to them is dangerous and stupid.  Acknowledge your mistakes, take corrective action, and move on!

·         K – KIND.  We are all flawed but made better by the people with whom we surround ourselves.  Surround yourself with kind people that will always look out for you, support you, and complement your weaknesses. The “buddy system” saves lives.  Be kind, compassionate, and gentle with each other.  We are all different and unique; none better or worse. Treat everyone with dignity and respect.                                                                                                                                                             There is no better feeling than being adventurous, trying new things, and “feeling alive”.  However, there are smart ways to go about all the above that will ensure you remain healthy.  Believe it or not, life gets better and better the older you get.  Make sure you are around to enjoy it! 

John "Bubba" McLean is a member of the Carteret County Board of Education. A graduate of the school system, he is an adventure-enthusiast and enjoys the incredible outdoor opportunities available on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.

Photos from Google Photos