How common are OOA incidents?

[Sas]

I've done just over 200 dives and have had two buddies go OOA. Neither panicked and things went smoothly, especially the second time when I had a longer hose (5') as it just made things easier to manouver. I have heard of about half a dozen other instances locally in the year and a bit I've been diving of people going OOA and even more instances where people have gone LOA (mostly heard about this in diving classes OR something like a freeflow) and needed to share air. I haven't heard of anyone coming out of it worse for wear yet, so I think it is quite rare for serious incidents resulting from OOA.

In regards to the hose length, I prefer bungeed backup and long hose with donating primary in OOA myself for the following reasons:
-you know you are handing over a working reg. Whilst I test my backup you never know if it could break and if it is broken I am better dealing with this given I was not previously OOA
-can swim side by side and easy to manouver with longer hose when someone is OOA (in OW, in overhead where it might be single file 7' is better)
-bungeed back up is very easy for me to locate for myself and the primary reg is very easy for my buddy to locate if needed
-more streamlined - there is not a big loop out to the side like there is with a standard setup
-I can more easily share air with a buddy who might have a mismatched air consumption rate to extend both our dives (a situation far more likely to arise than an OOA)

I am not convinced that an OOA diver will go for the reg in the mouth. However, if they do, then a long hose is better for this and if they do not, either a long hose or a standard setup is fine so I would prefer to cover both situations.

Anyway, my 2c.

 

[Puffer Fish]

In the old J valve days it happened a lot... but since then, have seen other divers run out of air maybe once in every 1,000 dives..never had a buddy or myself run out, but seen others on a boat dive have issues - even had to provide air several times.

As others have pointed out, there is a huge difference between running out of air versus having a relaxed event. Even a blown o-ring (saw several this last week) is preferable to someone not having gas, as while the time is short with a blown o-ring, you still have some time to get ready, and the soon to be out of gas person still has air for a short time.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

LOA (low on air) situations are far more common than OOA (out of air) situations ... but for the prudent diver they require the same response. Get the LOA diver on your air (first making sure that you are not also LOA), then begin an orderly ascent. Why? Well ... because a diver who is LOA will be distracted or stressed to the point where they are well into the chain of events that can lead to a diving accident. Break the chain, begin the ascent, and do what you can to calm the diver down.

And yes, for sure, sharing air on a longer hose will give you better options for making that orderly ascent because you won't both be locked onto each other's BCDs while making it, and you'll have your hands available and a degree of independence to better control your buoyancy and make your stops (if appropriate).

Is it necessary? No ...

Is it better? Depends on the circumstances ... but in most cases, it can be.

As Diver0001 pointed out, however, if there's an OOA ... or even a LOA ... situation, it indicates a skills deficiency that needs to be addressed.

In my 2,300+ dives, I have assisted two OOA divers ... and several LOA divers ... to the surface.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[promocop]

Never had one or seen one. When I dive with my kids, we do 'ditch and recovery' in a pool before diving. We breath of each others regs for MINUTES at a time and do ascents HOLDING each others BC's. This way we are familioar with each others gear. My kids have dedicated octos and I have a SS1

 

[illinidiver]

I've seen one, and it would not have been a big deal except for the high current, they would have been fine if they used their heads, but instead of coming out by following the bottom to the shore, they made a swimming accent and got swept out into the Cooper river in Charleston, SC, they got lucky and snagged a sailboat anchor line. Ended up getting rescued by a passing speedboat.

 

[Matt S.]

After about 100 dives I witnessed another diver pair have an OOA incident that resulted in a fatality.

Then there's Bob or any of the other guys with THOUSANDS of dives who have never seen anything like that.

So is it common? No. But you train like it could happen anyway. Diving is serious business.

 

[scubafanatic]

My wife and I are brand new divers, certified last year in Key Largo and headed to Key West this year. I have caught the bug and taken my AOW and Nitrox at the local quarry and am reading this forum like crazy to try and soak up as much information as I can.

I think though, that I may have gotten a little over excited, and told her how I thought it would be a good idea to switch to a necklace setup with a 5 ft primary, just in case anything ever happened with an OOA situation. With 14 dives I am brand spanking new and have no illusions of cave, or single file exits from anywhere, but we have 3 daughters who want to get certified and I thought the easier to share air with someone in need the better.

She asked if that happened often and I said, well if it does it probably won't be one of us, it will be some ding-dong stranger that will just yank your primary, and bing - you'll use your left hand to put in your back-up and give the panicked person room.

She was not keen on the concept that we need to plan for panicked strangers attacking our air supply, and then said maybe this whole diving thing isn't worth the hassle and risk. ALL ASTERN FULL!!! I quickly explained how safe rec. diving is when we do this exact thing - plan and discuss and practice, then we can relax and enjoy knowing what we'll do and how to do it. She was less than enthused.

How much focus on the pitfalls is healthy? Are OOA situations not an IF but WHEN? I would love to tell her its no biggie - one in ten thousand but what the heck, lets just practice a few times anyway, but I don't want to say that if it really is more common occurrence -

Insight from those who know? (and btw - is it plain silly for a newbie like me to show up on a boat already kind of leaning towards a Hogarthian set up with only a few dives? Am I putting the cart before the horse here?)

...well, with my 'recreational' set ups, I'm diving a 4' Apeks Egress 'omnidirectional' bungied 'octo'.....since it 'works' upside down as well as right side up, I can run it shorter than a 'conventional' octo.....it's only a little bit longer than my 'standard' primary, so something like that might not be as 'techie/intimidating' as a traditional 'long-hose'.

...by the way, it's actually a good thing you've unexpectedly discovered 'wifey' is having 'issues' about OOA contingencies now......rather than discovering this 'in the field' when the 'caca hits the fan' as it were. As you do more dives and gain experience, you will come to realize things DO go wrong sometimes and it's dangerous to be 'Pollyanna-ish'.....and an OOA situation is one of MANY things that can go wrong on a dive...if she's squeamish about thinking about such possibilities scuba diving may not be appropriate for her as a sport afterall.

....look on the bright side though...you only brought up the subject of 'OOA'...at least you didn't mention 'shark attacks'......

 

[jimdiverman]

I was on a guided drift dive on the Rampage off West Palm Beach in the summer of 1999. I was with a buddy that is a big guy (250 lbs), hadn't dove in a while, and really sucked down the air. Before I was half empty and as a newbie diver myself (it was my first non-training dive after OW), he hits me with OOA. I immediately offer my octo (at that time I was diving an alternate second stage on a single reg setup), and he declined, and instead, made a free ascent to the surface in 40 feet of water after 19 minutes of diving. It was a drift dive, and I saw him get on the boat. Had I been more experienced, I probably should have exited with him. That being said, I had plenty of air, and made a leisurely 45 minute dive with the guide/DM who was right there and witnessed the whole thing. That is the first and last time that ever happened to me. Now, when I dive with a buddy, I am constantly asking for tank pressure, and the dive plan is discussed prior to the dive, and air consumption is discussed with a new dive buddy, among a host of other things. Luckily, I have never gotten too close to an OOA experience, nor have any more of my dive buddies in the last 10 years of diving.

 

[ivobj]

Since 1986, when I started to dive, I saw it happen twice (never with myself or my buddy though), once a defective hose after some time passed into the dive just blew, followed by a catastrofic air leak, the guy received air from his buddy (we were 6, diving in 3 pairs) starting from around 70ft, making a safety stop at 15, myself and my buddy followed them all the way in case we also need to help in some way, everybody got out ok with many stories to tell and a hose brand to avoid forever...

The other one was not an OOA exactly, but the guy was low on air and still a little away from the boat, as his buddy had a good safety margin, he decided to donate him during the swim back to avoid reaching an OOA situation. Botton line is that the first guy was a little careless, probably didn't want to call the dive before and took more than he should to ask his buddy to turn around, heading back to the boat, again myself and my buddy just followed them back to the boat in case they need our support.

 

[diver 85]

After about 100 dives I witnessed another diver pair have an OOA incident that resulted in a fatality.

Then there's Bob or any of the other guys with THOUSANDS of dives who have never seen anything like that.

So is it common? No. But you train like it could happen anyway. Diving is serious business.

In the past few years(close to post 1k dives for me), for some reason I have started preparing every dive to be a solo dive---even with a dive buddy...Don't know why the sudden change of thinking(used to never think it) but just something that came about for no reason???....

I do know this in retospect, my dive buddies for almost 20 years---up until a few years ago,...hmmmm, were my 2 sons(one's an instructor with over 6k dives)...Now we hardly get to dive together so my buddies have become(adult) friends I have introduced into diving with maybe not the skills I am used to.....----maybe???.......