At around 800 psi I noticed a slight resistance to my inhilation. I signalled my buddy that I was having a problem with air, and he came over. However, while looking at my SPG and inhaling, the needle made a very pronounced drop, recovering when I stopped inhaling. I showed this to my buddy, and then signalled him to check my valve. Sure enough, it was not open fully, he opened it, we completed our dive, and had a good laugh on shore.
Why did this happen? I am very methodical in my pre-dive. The answer is simple. We got distracted, and our routine was interupted. I had cracked the valve and checked the pressure just as I always do, but at that moment we were distracted by a boat that had started using the diver down markers as pylons. (Thats a whole different story!) Returning to my gear after a short interval, we carried on and entered the water. I did a final checked my buddies valve/gear etc... in waist deep water as is usual and he checked mine, however, my valve also has a sticky spot and it just happened to be at a point just after the valve is cracked open. He didn't turn hard enough to go past it and the result is what happened at the start of this story.
I've had the valve serviced, the sticky spot is gone, and I learned the value of communicating any special gear requirments with my buddy once again, like "hey my valve may stick a bit, turn a little harder than usual". I also learned that having a routine although good, can also mess you up if the conditions are right, and to start from scratch if you leave your gear unattended for even a short time. It's a leason that I "try" to teach all new divers as well.
Why did this happen? I am very methodical in my pre-dive. The answer is simple. We got distracted, and our routine was interupted. I had cracked the valve and checked the pressure just as I always do, but at that moment we were distracted by a boat that had started using the diver down markers as pylons. (Thats a whole different story!) Returning to my gear after a short interval, we carried on and entered the water. I did a final checked my buddies valve/gear etc... in waist deep water as is usual and he checked mine, however, my valve also has a sticky spot and it just happened to be at a point just after the valve is cracked open. He didn't turn hard enough to go past it and the result is what happened at the start of this story.
I've had the valve serviced, the sticky spot is gone, and I learned the value of communicating any special gear requirments with my buddy once again, like "hey my valve may stick a bit, turn a little harder than usual". I also learned that having a routine although good, can also mess you up if the conditions are right, and to start from scratch if you leave your gear unattended for even a short time. It's a leason that I "try" to teach all new divers as well.