Out of air!!!

[hollandj]

I went for a 9m guided shore dive in Tel Aviv a few weeks ago. The dive leader was (is) a dive instructor. At 9m and 15 min into the dive, i noticed that the dive leader was looking at his air gauge, and he signaled me ( i was the only one that noticed that he was having a problem of some kind ) that he is out of air. I responded and gave him my octo, the situation was under controll for we did not panic, and we 'buddy breathed' to the surface.

He apperantly had a bad 'o' ring problem, that's why he ran out of air, it cound happen to any one at any time.

No matter how good or bad u are, if something can go wrong, .... it will. I'f been doing some 9m / 30m guided dives and i noticed that 60% of the time, the buddys don't notice what the other buddy is doing or that the buddys are seperated.

'0' bar

Later

 

[TSandM]

Situational awareness is a skill, generally not a talent. It takes time to be able to process all the information from being underwater, needing to manage buoyancy and ears and be amazed at the life around you, AND keep track of your buddy or team.

I was on a dive off Maui a couple of years ago, and the DM had a problem with his tank getting loose. I was NOT his buddy -- I had my own -- but I glanced at him and saw he was removing his BC, and I shifted into high gear and swam as hard as I could toward him, to see if he needed assistance (which he didn't). No one else on the whole dive (a dozen or so people) noticed that anything untoward had occurred.

It is incredibly important to cultivate the ability to see beyond your own dive.

 

[hollandj]

TSandM, i read your journal and it is very impressive , and tnx for the reply.

later

 

[Teamcasa]

Situational awareness is a skill, generally not a talent. It takes time to be able to process all the information from being underwater, needing to manage buoyancy and ears and be amazed at the life around you, AND keep track of your buddy or team.

I was on a dive off Maui a couple of years ago, and the DM had a problem with his tank getting loose. I was NOT his buddy -- I had my own -- but I glanced at him and saw he was removing his BC, and I shifted into high gear and swam as hard as I could toward him, to see if he needed assistance (which he didn't). No one else on the whole dive (a dozen or so people) noticed that anything untoward had occurred.

It is incredibly important to cultivate the ability to see beyond your own dive.

I donÃÕ know if having the innate ability to have good situational awareness senses or if it can indeed be a learned skill. I do notice that some people that would miss a bulldozer running through their bedroom and others notice a flea on their dog at a 100 paces . One way or the other, divers do need to be able to observe any change in the behavior of their buddy or any other diver in their area and react quickly.

Kudos to Lynne for assessing the DM's problem and deciding to react quickly even if the DM did not need it. And Kudus to you the OP, for rendering aid.

One problem with DM's in particular, is that most divers automatically decide that the DM can take care of themselves (and most can) and simply decide to stand by and watch. I sure they would rather wave you off than struggle with gear or run out of air! So, if you think there may be a problem, go over to them and ask.

 

[TSandM]

I am a living testimonial to the fact that situational awareness CAN be learned. When I started diving, I was so tunnel-visioned it was awful. It has taken me a long time and a lot of very diligent work to learn to defocus and monitor many different things during a dive. I may not be as good at it as someone for whom it comes more easily, but I am FAR better than I was to begin with. It CAN be learned.

 

[drdaddy]

Hollandj,

I would like to know more about your shore dive in Tel Aviv. My son was a PADI instructor in Eilat Israel and he has some good friends/Instructors in Tel Aviv. I love diving the Red Sea, along with our cold Pacific NW Coast of Oregon.

Concerning watching out for all on the dive - that's me. I'm a psychologist, not a pro-diver and have no interest in going professional (I am a "Rescue Diver"). However, I'm always watching and reading the emotional/behavioral language of others - even underwater. I have also found that I'm a better diver/buddy when I'm connected this way to others. I'm also more cautious (which is a good trait) when I take responsibility for others.

Out of hundreds of dives, the only ooa situation was where I was not responsible for others and I wanted to catch "just one more crab". Yes, I carry a 13 cuft pony, but there is/was no excuse for needing it - except my own foolish "one more itis" (my wife calls it). Since then I have put my self on a strict regimen and made myself accountable to others.

William

 

[Mike Newman]

But you could keep working on the modesty...

Smiling...

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

Good job hollandj. I've found diving in groups more difficult because you have to keep your eyes on multiple people (even if there's only one 'official' buddy). I guess another factors is probably people can't see the Divemaster being the one to run out of air so aren't watching them as closely. But it's situations like this where some people missed an out of air emergency that makes me want to buy a pony: while I trust my buddy, I'd prefer to be as self reliant as possible.

 

[hollandj]

Coldwater_Canuck, i feel the same way, self reliant as possible is the way to go. I'f been thinking of getting a pony..... and i did just yesterday. I whent diving today and wow, It makes a big difference in feeling self reliant.

 

[drdaddy]

Hollandj,

I too carry a pony (I answered you in your question about pony bottles). NEVER depend on your pony and ONLY use it if you have to!!! What I mean by this is to always come up with enough air in your main tank.

Also, you must adjust your weight for neutral buoyancy with the pony on. And if you ever run out of air and then switch to your pony, remember that you will not be able to fill your BCD directly from your tank. You will have to take a breath from your pony reg and then force that air into your BCD via your inflater hose. Do not wait until you get to the surface to do this as you may be exhausted and even a bit panicked. Put some air into your BCD before you come up and let it gently lift you up - then you will be floating when you reach the surface. I speak from (foolish/scary) experience. I came to the surface without enough air in my BCD and overweighted (partially from the large crabs I had caught and mostly from the fact that I had not adjusted my weight enough from the added pony!!!).

William