OOG during deco

[lefrogster]

Hey everyone, if your buddy has an OOG emergency during deco, do you donate your deco reg and switch to your necklace?

Or do you donate your long hose?

 

[ajduplessis]

Rec or Tec? Planned or unplanned deco?

Generally speaking the OOG diver will always come for the demand valve in your mouth regardless of situation!! So what is in your mouth at that time will be the obvious choice.

During recreational diving this will be my primary reg, I will switch to backup and complete the dive if we have enough gas. If I don't have enough gas for both divers to safely complete the dive, then you are out of luck, sorry OOG diver! Unless your are my wife or close friend

During deco (Tec) dive the OGG diver should have communicated long in advance of insufficient deco gas, so hopefully no surprises! The team will determine appropriate gas management strategy based on situation, available gas and safely complete the dive, or use the spare/emergency deco gas on the boat.

If not, it going to be a long hard day for the OGG diver.

 

[kensuf]

Since this thread is in technical diving specialties I'm going to assume that it's a planned deco dive. And so you know, most instructors actually train their students for this during a course.

Buddy breathing is an option. Going to back gas and paying the longer deco penalty is also an option. Depending on the reasons for the loss of breathing gas you may have other options (was it a reg failure? you might be able to swap regs underwater).

 

[PfcAJ]

First option is that your buddy puts his backup in his mouth. Second is you donate the deco reg then sort out the situation depending on what resources you have.

 

[markmantei]

During deco (Tec) dive the OGG diver should have communicated long in advance of insufficient deco gas, so hopefully no surprises!

There are situations where there can be an immediate gas loss, such as Lynn's recent post about her husband switching to a stage tank on a cave dive and having a 2nd stage blow off (they weren't in deco at the time, but a similar situation could certainly occur with a deco tank on a hang), so I think the OP's question is valid.

Have to agree with PfcAJ, a trained tech diver should respond appropriately which means switching to backgas and shutting down the gas loss if possible. Options can be then be assessed and will vary according to the situation. Is this early in a multigas deco or at the final stop, etc? Assuming final stop on 100% and all deco gas lost, the diver with the lost gas can continue to deco on backgas until the the rest of the teams deco is complete and then switch with the other team member to exhaust their deco gas reserve (lost gas member goes on the o2 and other team member switches to their backgas). Obviously the correct response will vary depending on the teams available gas resources at the time of the incident.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

There are situations where there can be an immediate gas loss, such as Lynn's recent post about her husband switching to a stage tank on a cave dive and having a 2nd stage blow off (they weren't in deco at the time, but a similar situation could certainly occur with a deco tank on a hang), so I think the OP's question is valid.

Have to agree with PfcAJ, a trained tech diver should respond appropriately which means switching to backgas and shutting down the gas loss if possible. Options can be then be assessed and will vary according to the situation. Is this early in a multigas deco or at the final stop, etc? Assuming final stop on 100% and all deco gas lost, the diver with the lost gas can continue to deco on backgas until the the rest of the teams deco is complete and then switch with the other team member to exhaust their deco gas reserve (lost gas member goes on the o2 and other team member switches to their backgas). Obviously the correct response will vary depending on the teams available gas resources at the time of the incident.

Yup ... better yet, have a safety diver available either with a spare deco bottle or the ability to head up to the boat to get one.

Worst case, you're going to be hanging at deco depth for a while longer than planned while you deco on back gas ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[waterpirate]

We dive boat supplied deco gas down to 40 fsw. So if a reg failure or gas loss occurs you switch to your deco gas, if that fails you go to back gas and sort it out with any friends you can find. Many gas planning software programs have a " lost gas " button that helps you and your team plan for your scenario.
Eric

 

[lefrogster]

Is this early in a multigas deco or at the final stop, etc? Assuming final stop on 100% and all deco gas lost, the diver with the lost gas can continue to deco on backgas until the the rest of the teams deco is complete and then switch with the other team member to exhaust their deco gas reserve (lost gas member goes on the o2 and other team member switches to their backgas). Obviously the correct response will vary depending on the teams available gas resources at the time of the incident.

Ok this makes sense on the final stop; the other divers have already completed their deco obligation and can give their remaining gas to the diver who lost the tanks.

How about at an early stop at 21 m where a diver loses a 50% tank? Normally the diver could switch to a backup table for a lost 50%, but this would also change the deco profile for the rest of the group if they stay together.

Does the OOG diver stay on back gas until reaching 6m (and then go on 100%) and the group sticks to his deco profile? or do you donate the 50% to the OOG diver at each stop?

 

[PfcAJ]

You share the 50% and extend the stops.

 

[waterpirate]

If diving as a team, the team stays. How the team divides up resources is up to the team. Pre dive planning comes to mind. That button I mentioned alows you to cut tables for a plethra of possibilities.
Eric