Out of Air Emergencies

[jonnythan]

Yeah I decided I will only teach through correspondance from now on. Wanna learn solo diving by mail.

How about a Nitrox card? I've been begging my local shop since November for a class, and they keep saying "soon." I'll call you up, you can quiz me, then get the card to me in the mail

 

[MikeFerrara]

Only ever had one OOA event.

I was diving with a brand new openwater diver that I had never met before that morning,

She was diving with her brand new pony bottle her boyfriend had gotten for her...

After a (longish for a new diver) surface swim to our descent point she proceded to breath off her pony bottle untill it ran out after about 10 minutes at 60ffw. She immediately switched to her new pony (really her main tank) and signalled me she was OOA.

As she seemed calm at that point, I took a moment to look at her hoses and guages and realized what had happened.

I learned some very valuable lessons that day.

1: NEVER use the same 2nd stage brand/model for a pony bottle as your main tank primary without having some unmistakeable method of identifying it in low visibility conditions. Even 2nd stages that have similar size/look should should be clearly identifiable.


The person I dove with that day told me that when her air ran out she was OK going to the pony bottle. When I showed her the empty pony guage was the point where she got scared. She said the main reason she didn't panic was that I stayed absolutely calm and made only slow controlled motions througout the entire event. (This was about her 4th-5th dive after openwater cert.). If I had acted scared at any time it's possible I may have been faced with a paniced diver.

This kind of mess is what I have against many equipment configurations that include a pony botle. They're just a mess and don't lend themselves to mistake proofed procedures. I've heard of several incedents like this and considering how rare an OOA should be it seems tp present far more risk than not having it ever could.

 

[novadiver]

How about a Nitrox card? I've been begging my local shop since November for a class, and they keep saying "soon." I'll call you up, you can quiz me, then get the card to me in the mail

it sounds like they know you too well. and they just don't want to teach you. are you sure you haven't been PREACHING to their instructors again. LOL

 

[Sideband]

Here is where I did a DUMB thing... Rather than agree with her thumbs up and call the dive RIGHT THEN,

I have a problem with that statement. Thumbing a dive is NOT a question to be agreed or disagreed with. It is a statement. Granted, it would be nice to solve as much as possible at depth but when the thumb goes up the dive is over. Make a controlled ascent and discuss the problem at the surface.

Good points on using good markings on pony regs and SPGs.

Joe

 

[wedivebc]

How about a Nitrox card? I've been begging my local shop since November for a class, and they keep saying "soon." I'll call you up, you can quiz me, then get the card to me in the mail

If you think about it why not? There is no in-water skill involved in nitrox training which is why even PADI lets you combine nitrox dive with another specialty dive. It may be difficult for the instructor to verify the students' mixes by mail.

 

[jonnythan]

If you think about it why not? There is no in-water skill involved in nitrox training which is why even PADI lets you combine nitrox dive with another specialty dive. It may be difficult for the instructor to verify the students' mixes by mail.

How much do you charge? I'm tired of calling the LDS every week..

 

[Rick Inman]

If you think about it why not? There is no in-water skill involved in nitrox training which is why even PADI lets you combine nitrox dive with another specialty dive. It may be difficult for the instructor to verify the students' mixes by mail.

When I went for my 2 required Nitrox dives with the instructor (which he said he was required to make with us), when we got to the beach, he set up a beach chair, sat down and sent us off on the first dive. When we surfaced, he was gone. Later at the shop, he asked, "Did you make the second dive?"
"Yup", I said.
"Good", he said, and a few weeks later I got my card.
Somehow, I've managed not to tox out since then.

 

[wedivebc]

How much do you charge? I'm tired of calling the LDS every week..

Although the TDI nitrox course does not require that the student does the 2 recommended dives it does require that you attend the classroom session. I am pretty sure we would have to at least be in the same room for a few hours for me to certify you.
Nothing really surprises me in the scuba industry so it's just a matter of time before that will change.

 

[wedivebc]

When I went for my 2 required Nitrox dives with the instructor (which he said he was required to make with us), when we got to the beach, he set up a beach chair, sat down and sent us off on the first dive. When we surfaced, he was gone. Later at the shop, he asked, "Did you make the second dive?"
"Yup", I said.
"Good", he said, and a few weeks later I got my card.
Somehow, I've managed not to tox out since then.

I believe that is called "indirect supervision" in the manual. What agency? You can PM me if you're shy.

 

[Rick Inman]

I believe that is called "indirect supervision" in the manual. What agency? You can PM me if you're shy.

Well.. yes... I am rather shy.............










PADI!!