On the weight-dropping subject, I've been thinking back to my OW training. I took OW in 2005, and then, after only making four dives in a period of four years, I took it again in 2009. Different instructors and in a different part of the country.
My first class was in cold water up north, but it's so long ago that I don't remember it as vividly. I do remember being able to ditch weight be an important concept, and I know we did it once, but I don't remember whether it was on the surface or at depth (and the open water depth was only about 20' on those dives).
The 2009 class was in the Florida keys, so "warm" water (although it was winter and we were in 3mm suits). Again, I remember learning about ditching weights, and how it was important, but I am pretty sure we ditched them on the surface (not that I'm saying we were told NOT to ditch them at depth; I just don't remember).
The thing that sticks with me MORE, is the constant training (and fear of) "the runaway ascent." This was stressed both times (for obvious reasons). I'm thinking that with the tendency of beginner divers to bolt for the surface if there's a problem, and with the instructors/agencies trying to impress upon students the importance of slow ascents and not getting bent/barotrauma, that the runaway ascent is taught as a very real enemy (and indeed, when we had bad-control moments in OW class, we were usually finding ourselves going UP not down).
I don't remember us talking about what would happen if we got into trouble on the bottom and we *weren't* fighting off a runaway ascent. Again, it may have come up, but I'm not sure, and in any case it didn't really stick in my mind.
It was stressed to have ditchable weights, absolutely. The buckle of the weight belt was supposed to always face the same way so your buddy would not be confused if he/she had to help you ditch them. And they ALWAYS had to be ditchable. So, it's not that that wasn't covered.
So, I'm just wondering if the combination of the propensity for a runaway ascent among beginners, and the fact that (as I now understand) rescue has been taken out of OW and moved to Rescue, that there is less emphasis on (or maybe even lack of) the idea/scenario of ditching weight at depth.
Also, from my own experience, I can easily imagine these divers being overweighted if they were close to OW certification. I know I was, and I was not trying to "sink" a 7mm+ suit (as I would imagine they were?). Although the effects of that would have been diminished by empty tanks...
Obviously, I don't have anything conclusive here, and my instructors were not their instructors. I just was thinking out loud about the weight-dropping question as I was vividly remembering practicing dropping them in the pool, and at the surface in OW, but not at depth. I guess maybe students could practice ditching at depth with full tanks, presuming one's configuration would allow for that without the runaway ascent (I'm imagining a lot of runaway ascents in our class though...so I'm not sure.) At least it could be discussed if not practiced.
Jax, I could see your anonymous speculation --- it seemed really plausible to me. Presuming we had both run out air by suprise (or one of us had and the other was close), I could imagine that scenario starting to shape up with my buddy. Maybe the second boy didn't really think about the fact that the OOA was because they were *both* about to run out, but instead thought it was some other problem that had caused his buddy not to be getting air, and then was trying to help and really focused on his buddy, in challenging conditions, and then by surprise he ran out of air too (?)
