Good to hear you learned a lesson and survived, but I'm wondering if there is more to the lesson you learned, did you assign a responsibility to your DM that he or she was not aware of?
Did you and the DM plan the specific details of your dive plan together. During your briefing did the DM plan a single dive plan for all divers? In most cases a DM doesn't plan for you, they only provide info to help you make decisions about planning. You had a buddy, you were aware that you were running low on air, but you chose not to act, and you placed the burden of your own dive plan and safety on someone else.
Did you discuse this problem with the DM after either of the dives. Could be that your expectations of roles and responsibility may not match what the boat owner/cptn has actualy assigned to the DM. I would suggest that on your next trip, talk to your DM and get a clear understanding of what his or her role is, and what you are responsible for. One thing that never changes is that you are always responsible for your decisions, not just when to end a dive, but also if you should make the dive at all.
There is an old saying, if your buddy jumped off a cliff would you go along? In this case you put one foot over and hoped someone else would stop you. The point of my post is not to flame you so I hope you don't take it that way. The point is to make sure you clearly communicate with your DM and that you both have a clear understanding of who's responsibility is what.
Geek
