Almost out of air situation

[phil8diver]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to share a recent "near miss" with my dive buddies. No flaming please as I just wanted to share the importance of clear communication during dives and how slight miscommunication "even with your friends" can be catastrophic.

Just last yesterday, three of us (both of them are my usual dive buddies) went diving in Anilao, Philippines. This was our first dive and I was leading the dive as this sites around Anilao is very familiar with us. I gave my basic briefing and then headed out. We descended and I started to lead. As we were 8 minutes into the dive, I was feeling bit of current so I decided to check if everyone was ok, everyone replied back ok. We were at about 32 meters and proceeded onward. After about 15 minutes into the dive I asked again and one of my 1st buddies gave me sign which I thought he meant "getting tired or exhausting". So I told him ok and proceeded to 20 meters and looked for an area behind something. Told both of them to rest 2 minutes while I checked around. Then 2nd buddies told me he was half tank, so I said ok. I checked and found the current was getting stronger towards the area so I told them lets move backward. As we I was going and looked back my 1st buddies gave me the "getting tired or exhausting" so I went to him and helped pull him and while doing that asked him to show me his gauge. When I saw it I was shocked to see he had only 30 bars. At this point we were at 18 meters so I wasn't worried per say since I had over 100 bars. I gave my octopus to my 1st buddy and asked everyone to get closer to me and do a daisy chain ascent which I believe my 2nd buddy understood. Told my 2nd buddy to hold on to 1st buddy and I was holding onto the 2nd buddy to make sure we don't loose him. So we drifted to open blue water since there was current. Asked my 2nd buddy to hold on to me as I deployed my SMB/Balloon at 18 meters. Told my 1st buddy to deflate his BCD as I felt he was little stressed and was going up a bit and hold onto the SMB line. I was controlling our ascent and reached 10 meters. Told everyone that we will stay 1 minute and then proceeded to 5 meters and did our safety stop.

This was my first real situation and I really thank my training. Once we got out of the water, my 1st buddy had almost 0 bar and I had 40 bar left. My other buddy had 40 bar also.

Basically I was misunderstanding my 1st buddy telling me he was "low on air" and I thought he was saying "getting tired or exhausting". It basically shows that its very difficult to communicate and easy to misunderstand. There are so many "ifs" and "should have" to eliminate this whole situation but I also felt that this was wake up call on how important it is to physically double check the air myself. After this dive, we went thru all the signs again and told the 1st buddy to come to me and "alert" if he was already at cut off air. Our cut-off air was 70 bar.

Regards,

[Rick Murchison]

Good write-up.
As your story illustrates so well, "Low on air" - indeed, all gas supply related signals - need to be crystal clear to the entire team before anyone gets in the water.
Thanks for sharing this.
Rick

[herman]

Thanks for sharing and nicely handled. To head off problems like this one I make it a habit to ask for air pressure instead of just OK and will not accept OK as an answer. I brief my buddy(s) that I am going to be asking, that I want an air pressure as a responce and that an OK is not sufficient. At the same time, I respond with my air pressure, a sanity check for me and IMO they need to know my pressure as well. If anyone is a lot lower that the rest, I indicate to the group who is lowest and everyone knows the lowest pressure in the group. I ask shortly after the beginning of the dive, again at around 2/3s and 1/2 of my tank pressure. The values are chosen to give me a heads up of some problem. Checking at he beginning of the dive prevents starting the dive with a less than full tank, the 2/3s and 1/2 points give me a feel for how everyones gas usage is tracking with others in the group. How much I ask after 1/2 that depends on the dive and the divers. That way if I get back answers that do not make sence or are way off I have early warning that something is not right and have time to respond. So far this has prevented me from having a low or OOG emergency but several dives have been aborted early because of unusal gas usage.

[gypsyjim]

As Herman suggests, asking either for other divers air pressure, or to show you their gauges, at several points threw out the dive is a good way to avoid such an error. Had your fellow diver actually shown you his gauge, of told you his pressure there would have been no such misunderstanding.

[Rick Inman]

Just wondering, did you guys discuss a turn pressure before the dive? Also, what was the signal that you misinterpreted as "getting tired or exhausting"?

Thanks!

[gypsyjim]

Right, since any diver can abort a dive at any time you would think the buddy would have called time before he passed the half way point.

[phil8diver]

Turn pressure was discussed and it was 70 bar. He showed me a sign to his chest.

Regards,

This was answer to Rick Inman:

Just wondering, did you guys discuss a turn pressure before the dive? Also, what was the signal that you misinterpreted as "getting tired or exhausting"?

Thanks!
_________

[phil8diver]

Right, since any diver can abort a dive at any time you would think the buddy would have called time before he passed the half way point.

True but according to 1st buddy, he apparently gave me the half tank sign but I don't recall. Also my 2nd buddy said he didn't see it since he was at the end and very close by. Basically I was at the lead and then my buddy who had OOG and my 2nd buddy who was at the end since his experience was higher than 1st buddy.

Regards,

[TSandM]

I think he said his "cutoff gas" was 70 bar, or about 1000 psi. I'm assuming that's either turn pressure or rock bottom.

I think there are two lessons here. One is that signals should be unequivocal, and should be given in a emphatic fashion so they are clear. The other is that the person with the problem needs to be insistent if he doesn't think the message has gotten across. When you didn't respond appropriately to the first "low on air" signal, he should have repeated it, or shown his gauge, or pulled out his wetnotes -- something to ensure the information was conveyed. It's very easy to be too passive as a follower.

In the end, if nothing else serves to convey the information, there is always a thumb.

[phil8diver]

Good write-up.
As your story illustrates so well, "Low on air" - indeed, all gas supply related signals - need to be crystal clear to the entire team before anyone gets in the water.
Thanks for sharing this.
Rick

Thank you for reading it. Definitely, I will now make sure to read the actual SPG. Learned my lesson.

Regards,