The RIGHT thing to do in a blackout.

[SCUBA_Phil]

kazbanz,
Planning is key! But we don't always plan for every situation. In the case you have described, vis dropped very quickly. In this case I would return to the place just before the vis dropped and wait for your buddy. I had a situation in June where the vis went to Zero in seconds (my fault).:shocked2: Just a few feet away (next deck down) the vis was fine. In short, don's panic, and move to an area where the vis improves. I have included a link to the zero vis situation, we were at 190' when it happened. The time marker is 8:30 in the video.

Lakeland Car Ferry on Vimeo

 

[Danielle's_Dives]

Do you have a tank dinger? I would use that first and stay still. That will allow your buddy to get a bearing on you. Then have my light on so I can find him or he can spot me. The most important thingg is not to panic. We have a rule, if you do not see your dive buddy within 3 minutes, head to the surface and regroup.