Another question for Chatterton.....If you had a teenage son that you were taking diving with you--and your son was OOA, would he be able to count on you to provide air. You know there is only one answer.
Seriously, if I had a teenage son, and I don't, and he wanted to be a diver, I would want him to be the best diver he could be. I cannot imagine anyone thinking anything different? Relative to this discussion, what does that mean to me? I would want him to dive within his limitations, be absolutely responsible, accomplish his goals, and learn about life from his diving. I would train him to never, ever, ever, ever, run out of gas. NEVER!! But being a teenager, maybe he would not listen to me, so he would be diving in 30 feet of water until he learned how to dive.
If we are diving in 30 feet of water on a reef, where I would expect novice divers to run out of air, it is far more expeditious to swim to the surface, using one of the techniques we all learn in training, than to involve a buddy. However, one size does not fit all, and situations are many where it is possible that the diver with the problem, is with the buddy, and together they share air, and head to the surface. This is all regular stuff. Diver screws up, runs out of gas, and bails to the surface, buddy or not? Both divers theoretically learn something? Hopefully, they learn to not run out of gas, but either way they are back to diving in 30 feet of water.
Okay, what about diving to 100 feet? What about 200 feet? What about 300 feet? What about 500 feet? First of all, if you are making serious dives, they are naturally accompanied by decompression, the soft ceiling. Your decompression obligation prevents you from bolting to the surface. You commit to a controlled ascent. You assume that responsibility, you make that commitment.
My point all along has been, if for any reason you are going to run out of gas, with no other option than to go to your buddy, for life or death support, then you do not belong on that dive. You are diving beyond your experience, your education, your equipment, and your capabilities. If you need a buddy for bailout on a 200 foot dive, then 200 feet is too deep for you. Go back to 100 feet, learn to be a better diver, and come back when you have all the skills you need.
My opinion is that I would prefer to be a self reliant diver, at a depth and environment in which I am competent, than to extend the depth and severity of my dives by being dependent on another diver. It is not okay with me, for another diver to dive beyond their limitations, by adding additional risk to me and my dive.
Cheers
JC
---------- Post added February 14th, 2013 at 08:07 AM ----------
I have only one thing to say......what the heck is up with the "Jajajajajajajajaja"? Maybe the backstory would be a nice break for everybody from this thread.
Sorry, it is the Latin version of, "Hahahahaha"
¿Habla español, mi amigo?
Salud