2 flies on the ceiling...PANIC!!!!!!!

[driftwood]

Having dealt with a panicked diver, there is not much room/time to reason with them. Expect the worst and you just have to deal with the situation. To me, it seems like everyone did a great job, especially the OOA diver's buddy. One thing is certain, the OOA diver just got a life lesson that went way beyond any class she could take. Tough thing to be faced with no air and no direct access to the surface. A lot of other folks got a lesson as well.

One thing this incident does show is how unrealistic the OOA emergency training I received in my OWC was. That drill was very civil and organized. This situation was reality and chaotic.

 

[MX727]

Wow!? Cave certified and still doing the ol' Padi 1/4 turn mistake...??

I'm not so sure this was what happened. The fact that the valve was nearly off makes me think that she or one of her buddies set the gear up, turned the tank on and checked pressure, checked the regs and the inflator. Then they turned off the tank to prevent any small loss of pressure while they waited to start the dive. Only problem is, no one remembered to turn the air back on and when she checked her SPG she had pressure and probably got a few breaths of the reg to boot.

All speculation, but I would not be the least bit surprised if that is how it transpired. I've seen it done.

 

[Rick Inman]

Good job. Now those that don't think a diver OOA will act that way need to read this.

Gary D.

Over and over we read about OOG divers taking their buddy's primary. And yet, agencies and LDS's still encourage the use of a short hose primary and an octo on a long(er) hose.

 

[wreckchick]

What we hear about is the times that an OOG situation becomes a spectacle with the divers acting and reacting poorly. The write-ups on the calm, orderly gas-sharing situations that happen are boring and not so much posted. It is still my experience that the reaction of most divers to LOA/OOA situation is that they follow their training and don't freak out. I know it happens that panicky divers grab the primary of their buddy or a random stranger, but I truly believe it happens a very small percentage of the time. I've never seen it, ever, not once and I do this for a living.

Rachel

 

[SteveAD]

I'm not so sure this was what happened. The fact that the valve was nearly off makes me think that she or one of her buddies set the gear up, turned the tank on and checked pressure, checked the regs and the inflator. Then they turned off the tank to prevent any small loss of pressure while they waited to start the dive. Only problem is, no one remembered to turn the air back on and when she checked her SPG she had pressure and probably got a few breaths of the reg to boot.

All speculation, but I would not be the least bit surprised if that is how it transpired. I've seen it done.

I agree. It's very possible, and, I think, a very dangerous mindset.

Once, many years ago, a similar thing happened to me. I was on a boat on vacation in St. Thomas. Had all my gear set up early. Went forward to use the head (unbeknownst to me at this time the divemaster turned off my tank "so it wouldn't leak". 15 minutes later we arrive at the site, I slip into my rig, double check pressure (2800psi) and do a giant stride. In the water all is good, I drain the last of the air from my BC and descend. At about 15 feet I'm suddenly out of air. I check my guage-zero. I swim up, inflate the BC with a couple of breaths and swim back to the boat. When the DM asks me what's wrong, I tell him I've got no air, and he says "oh yeah, I shut your tank off so it wouldn't leak" reaches over my shoulder and turns it back on.

My pre-dive routine has always been:

1. Assemble life support
2. turn on gas
3. check function of regs
4. get dressed
5. double check
6. splash

I knew I had turned on my air- it never occurred to me that someone else would shut me off. I double checked pressure (I now take a couple breaths while checking pressure to make sure pressure is stable (and make sure no idiots tried to help me)). I am now extremely leary (violently defensive) about anyone else handling my gear.

Needless to say that divemaster did not get a tip from me that day (unless you count my friendly advice to keep his hands off other peoples gear unless asked) but, in retrospect, he did make me a better diver.

 

[stairman]

Check and double check everything before the dive.Unfortunetly diving a single valve tank,most have never attempted to turn the knob while your diving.Valve drills come into play with h-valves and twin manifolded tanks.Also her buddy donating his primary is the quickest way to get her the air she badly needed.If he had trouble locating his octo for himself,it may have been too late for her.Had he been set up to keep his primary and donate his octo she probably would have ripped it out of his mouth anyway.I did my rescue class with a guy set up to donate his backup.It took him 5-10 seconds to remove it from his goofy octo holder.Bungee the backup under your chin and donate your working primary.So easy and yet so many people disagree.

 

[DandyDon]

I'm not so sure this was what happened. The fact that the valve was nearly off makes me think that she or one of her buddies set the gear up, turned the tank on and checked pressure, checked the regs and the inflator. Then they turned off the tank to prevent any small loss of pressure while they waited to start the dive. Only problem is, no one remembered to turn the air back on and when she checked her SPG she had pressure and probably got a few breaths of the reg to boot.

All speculation, but I would not be the least bit surprised if that is how it transpired. I've seen it done.

I know that happens, I've turned mine on then off in advance, but if I forget to turn it back on - I catch it on buddy check and breathing check. If it was "nearly off" then it was not all the way off, leading me to suspect the 1/4 turn mistake I've seen and read about so many times.

What we hear about is the times that an OOG situation becomes a spectacle with the divers acting and reacting poorly. The write-ups on the calm, orderly gas-sharing situations that happen are boring and not so much posted. It is still my experience that the reaction of most divers to LOA/OOA situation is that they follow their training and don't freak out. I know it happens that panicky divers grab the primary of their buddy or a random stranger, but I truly believe it happens a very small percentage of the time. I've never seen it, ever, not once and I do this for a living.

Rachel

The few LOA/OOA I've seen, the diver has always requested air or I've offered - no jerking mine out of my mouth. If it happens, cool - I'll grab one of my others, preferably my pony as I have seen a couple of times that the excited diver breathing my back gas while I was really pulled the Spg a little faster than I would have thot. That's the reason I carry that pony rig around, and it is a hassle, but it goes.

 

[StephM]

Like another poster - John512 - I'm pretty new to diving and appreciate posts such as this. Great lessons to be learned. Thanks!

 

[John_B]

I'm not so sure this was what happened. The fact that the valve was nearly off makes me think that she or one of her buddies set the gear up, turned the tank on and checked pressure, checked the regs and the inflator. Then they turned off the tank to prevent any small loss of pressure while they waited to start the dive. Only problem is, no one remembered to turn the air back on and when she checked her SPG she had pressure and probably got a few breaths of the reg to boot.

All speculation, but I would not be the least bit surprised if that is how it transpired. I've seen it done.

Me too. If you watch your pressure gauge while taking several breaths from the primary before splashing in, for a tank that is turned off or mostly turned off the pressure on the SPG drops dramatically. Its also why I do a modified s-drill to start every dive, and why I practice being able to reach my own valve.

 

[freediver]

Thanks for the post InkDiver. I am relieved that all worked out for the best. As a sidenote, did you happen to notice the very talented freediver? When he found he needed air did you notice if he bolted to the surface to breathe? Likely, he did not. Point being, with that much comfort exhibited in the water, the OOA would be nothing more than a nuisance. There is MUCH to be said about having strong freediving skills for scuba, especially during any critical events. Thanks for discreetly pointing this out in your post!