Setting myself up for ridicule

[randytay]

Two weeks ago I went with a group to Croatia to do some diving. The location is in the North with shore dives along several deep walls. You can choose your depth to view the wall from 10 meters to 50+. Depends on what you want to see or what your goals are for the dive.

We arrived a bit later than I wanted to and began setting up our equipment. There were two guys from our group going to dive between 30 and 40 meters. The second group of three consisted of a man and wife along with another man doing his first dive in a dry suit. The wife had not been in the water since last year sometime and with the one trying out his new drysuit, that group intended to dive to between 20 and 30 meters.

The husband and I have dived together many times and we intended to carry a stage just for the practice. It was possible we may do a deco dive on a wreck over the weekend and he wanted to be ready, having not been in the water with his full doubles set-up and stage and camera and...

I intended to breath down an al80 on this dive that I had filled at home. I was going to save some money so I pumped my doubles up and filled my one stage to use and not have to pay for a fill until after 2 or 3 dives.

I told them I would go with the two going deeper as I enjoy deep diving and felt they were more suited to my style and goals. As I was sitting inside the hatch of my van I just had a sudden feeling that I should go with the other group. I had no reason to, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

We all jump in the water, have a great uneventful dive. My max depth was 24 meters. The woman on the dive with us fared very well as did the man doing his first dive with his new drysuit. We climbed out of the water after 50 minutes and were removing our gear and beginning to stow it when I realized what a nearly deadly mistake I had made.
I brought two stages with me on this trip. One filled with air and one filled with 50% nitrox. It was during the process of dismantling the gear that I noticed I had carried and breathed from the wrong tank! There I was swimming along at 24 meters breathing 50% nitrox thinking everything was just fine.

The more I thought about it the more it bothered me. I intended to go with the two divers to 35 meters. The most likely outcome is that I would have O2 toxed and died. As it was swimming at 24 meters gave me a partial pressure of 1.7

Of course I, as a Christian and a Pastor give credit to God for redirecting me prior to entering the water. Only divine providence kept me alive that afternoon. Some of you will say it was dumb luck and I do not begrudge you that opinion.

What did I lear and why am I writing this here?
I looked at my oxymeter and made a conscious decision to leave it at home because I "KNEW" what was in my tanks and which was which. Nearly a fatal decision

I should have taken the tester AND tested the tank at water's edge prior to entering the water to confirm what was in it.

So, don't be as dumb as I was. Always test your tanks prior to a dive, even when you "know" what is in them.
I also learned that complacency can not only kill others.........it can and almost did kill me.

Hi, this is a great read. Do you mind if I repost this as an article in my blog? It will be a great lesson to all divers. Thank you!

 

[Potapko]

No I don't mind. I wrote it so others might learn from my mistakes and perhaps not make them.

 

[EastTNDiver]

Glad you are ok.

I had a fellow question me re-analyzing my tanks last weekend because he knew I had analyzed them at the shop when I picked them up. I just informed him you never know when the shop analyzer was last serviced, and doing it onsite keeps me safe and reminds me to make sure my computer is set to match my mix. I then jokingly said, "Besides, it's really hard to say 'oops' while you're having seizures." He laughed at my humor...then he borrowed my analyzer to check his tanks, and vowed to check his mix onsite from then on.

 

[Jax]

Glad you are ok.

I had a fellow question me re-analyzing my tanks last weekend because he knew I had analyzed them at the shop when I picked them up. I just informed him you never know when the shop analyzer was last serviced, and doing it onsite keeps me safe and reminds me to make sure my computer is set to match my mix. I then jokingly said, "Besides, it's really hard to say 'oops' while you're having seizures." He laughed at my humor...then he borrowed my analyzer to check his tanks, and vowed to check his mix onsite from then on.

Whoa -- Can I steal this for my sig line???

Edit: Analyze your tanks before the dive:

" . . . it's really hard to say 'oops' while you're having seizures."

 

[Couv]

"... it's really hard to say 'oops' while you're having seizures."

This line is definitely a keeper.

MOD Sticker Nazi here; thanking the Preacher for sharing his story and thanking God the OP was here to tell it.

 

[EastTNDiver]

Whoa -- Can I steal this for my sig line???

Edit: Analyze your tanks before the dive:

Sure...my wife will be so proud...someone wants to quote me. I feel like Steve Martin in The Jerk...the new phone book's here, the new phone book's here, things are going to start happening to me now.