Delhi Diver
Contributor
I ran out of air at 26 feet (Dutch Springs) during my final OW certification dive this summer. We had done all our required dives, and were all keen to go to the limit (60 feet) for the experience. At this point I had 1650 psi left. So we descended to the platform at 26 feet, and followed a rope down to the boat wreck near the training area. We hit a thermocline at about 35 feet, and my air consumption shot up. My buddy was a divemaster-in-training, so I stayed to the rear of the group with her. As we swam around the wreck, I noticed that my air was down to 500, but since we were about to ascend, I didn't worry.
We slowly asended up the rope to the platform, where I patiently waited for the group of about 6 to go up before following them. And then I felt it; the constricting air supply. I am a novice diver, and it felt like a nightmare come true. I swam towards my divemaster buddy who was monitoring student ascents about 10 feet away, made the correct sign, and grabbed her octo. It unfortunately didn't detach from the BCD, so I had to suckle air from the attached octopus, inhaling water since I really, really needed air after these exertions. She was on nitrox (30%) so that was my first nitrox high, although that wasn't my prime concern at the time! She later told me how happy she was that I didn't grab her primary second stage!
The instructor then descended, gave me his primary regulator, and we slowly ascended to the surface, where I let off the loudest series of burps in my life. I had obviously swallowed a mix of air and water in my efforts to get to my buddy's octo.
On the surface, my instructor was nonchalant, observing that I had breathed the air very fast. My buddy and the instructor performed very well during the "rescue", but his attitude grated on me a bit. It was his responsibility after all to make sure that novices and learners like me don't get into trouble.
But I will certainly be much more conservative from now on!
We slowly asended up the rope to the platform, where I patiently waited for the group of about 6 to go up before following them. And then I felt it; the constricting air supply. I am a novice diver, and it felt like a nightmare come true. I swam towards my divemaster buddy who was monitoring student ascents about 10 feet away, made the correct sign, and grabbed her octo. It unfortunately didn't detach from the BCD, so I had to suckle air from the attached octopus, inhaling water since I really, really needed air after these exertions. She was on nitrox (30%) so that was my first nitrox high, although that wasn't my prime concern at the time! She later told me how happy she was that I didn't grab her primary second stage!
The instructor then descended, gave me his primary regulator, and we slowly ascended to the surface, where I let off the loudest series of burps in my life. I had obviously swallowed a mix of air and water in my efforts to get to my buddy's octo.
On the surface, my instructor was nonchalant, observing that I had breathed the air very fast. My buddy and the instructor performed very well during the "rescue", but his attitude grated on me a bit. It was his responsibility after all to make sure that novices and learners like me don't get into trouble.
But I will certainly be much more conservative from now on!
