Near miss at 90 foot.

[z3r0c00l]

Just also want to suggest not using a full face mask or a reg that needs you to dial all the time - that seems needlessly complex and dangerous. And the idea that we are even debating if looking at your gauge would have helped is pretty scary - if I am not getting air I am looking to my gauge pretty quickly and often. Trusting your buddy to thumb when he thinks you are low on air is a scary situation, for some reason that made me more nervous than anything.

I also enjoy going deeper - it is like going farther into a new world, and there are so many great things to see deeper down.

But when you go deeper make sure you are ready, and take your time so you can enjoy it. There is an important story about a diver who tried to break the AIR depth record -

An echo sounder was able to track his depth for his dive team to watch. When he broke 400 feet they started to cheer, at 500 they were really impressed, and when he hit 600 ft they were silent. I think he finished below 1500 feet.

BTW coming late to the argument, I am of the mind that my most important buddy is me. Sorry but I would only help a guy if it was clearly safe for me to do so, that means not following a guy shooting for the surface. I dont dive with a buddy to increase my risk of injury...

 

[Otter]

To summarize:

• Highly unlikely you experienced anything more than panic. While there may be some stigma associated with panic over narcosis or CO2 buildup, physiologically its even more dangerous.
• You were/are not certified nor prepared to go to 99'. I know of no training agency that (1) requires only 2 dives for DEEP, nor (2) doesn't require a dive deeper than 100' for at least one of those dives. You might have done a DEEP dive to 68' for PADI AOW (which while meeting the minimum standards, is not deep enough to allow most people to experience even a modicum of narcosis.
• While FFMs are not inheritently dangerous, they do require training. Knowing your equipment is VERY important
• YOU are responsible for YOU. Knowing your limits is critical.
• Your Buddy's first priority is to make sure there are not two victims.
• You, we, all of us want to learn from this so we don't find ourselves in a similar situation

 

[Tollie]

This is a great cautionary thread and thanks to the OP for opening up on this dive.

Two thoughts come to mind. The OP did two "deep" training dives 5 months prior to this dive and yet found himself unable to manage a 90 foot dive. While the "deep" dives may have narrowly been within depth standards the training he either received or retained was not up to a deep recreational dive. I wonder what, upon reflection, the OP's view is of the training he received... and what might have better prepaired him for the dive.

Last, while its been touched on before the FFM, especially for a new diver is a very bad idea. Equipment in search of problem to resolve is never the way to go. Just keep it simple. The accident chain begins with a simple problem that spirals.

I'm delighted the OP has found the sport again yet I cant help but wonder if the "personal best" mind set is still there. Just relax and enjoy there is plenty to see and do beyond setting depth records.

 

[Otter]

...snip...Last, while its been touched on before the FFM, especially for a new diver is a very bad idea. Equipment in search of problem to resolve is never the way to go. Just keep it simple. The accident chain begins with a simple problem that spirals...snip....

While I 'may' agree that adding an FFM may task load in a OOA situation [which was not the case here], there are several 'normal' 2nd stage regulators that require adjustment at depth for comfortable breathing. Secondly, there are many FFMs that don't require an adjustment at depth. The Ocean Reef mask is one of the few that do. The issue was the operation of the equipment and likely training that did not accompany its purchase.

As for a FFM being 'equipment in search of a problem', I find diving my AGA recreational much more comfortable both in terms of jaw fatigue and it terms of warmth. Not sure if you classify mild-hypothermia a 'problem', but FFMs have value and like any tool, proper selection, training, and experience is key.

 

[Tollie]

Otter,

No doubt that the FFM has a utility but for the OP, a new diver, I cant imagine the problem he was trying to solve. He had a piece of gear that he did not know how to use and for what reasionable purpose? The gear was part of the problem that could have ended very badly.

Its a bit like a novice diver who buys a rebreather... why add a task load and an elivated risk level? Every time you add a risk there needs to be a reasion. In this case I doubt if hypothermia was a problem he was trying to correct.

 

[SEA~TEC]

In this case I doubt if hypothermia was a problem he was trying to correct.

Tollie,

Actually, that is exactlt the reason. I don't like cold being from Michigan originally, and the water temp at 90' was 44.

 

[z3r0c00l]

44 is seriously cold, even for New York divers. 90 feet at 44 may seem like 150 feet at 70 degrees.