Have You (or Your Buddy) Ever Run Out Of Air?

[MXGratefulDiver]

Had a few cases of dealing with OOA/LOA divers over the past 15 years. None of them reached for anything ... in one case she gave me the classic hand across the throat signal and calmly took the reg I offered. In the other cases, I saw them coming and had a reg out there at arms length where they could easily get to it before they got in close enough to reach for the one in my mouth.

I'm not a big fan of the "take" approach ... last thing you want is someone reaching for your air source when they're in a mental state that is, at best, stressful. Learn to recognize the signs of a diver who's approaching for a donation. More often than not they won't yet be OOA ... but they will instead be in a situation where they just realized they're too low to make it back to the surface without assistance.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[kelemvor]

I had an instabuddy run OOA once while we were on the line waiting to climb back onto the boat. Since we were on the surface it really wasn't that big of a deal; he didn't even tell me till we were on the boat. Diving with that guy wasn't much fun. It was a dive site called "Plateau" somewhere in Key Largo area (Florida Keys Dive Center). I missed a pod of dolphins chasing him down the side of the plateou into far-to-deep water. I've always wondered wtf he was thinking as he swam down the side of it into the deep.

 

[northernone]

During my AOW training, dive shop unmentioned, my instructor had me breath my tank dry on 4 dives, insisting it was standard and necessary practice. So, it was catch his fins when the reg breathed hard and spend with the last 10-15 minutes of the dive, including deco, on his reg. In hindsight I needed to take ownership of my own safety. He was spear fishing on an al100 with another diver as a charter, I was along for the ride.

I've also encountered a random DSD diver who text book signaled me out of air, share air while on a wreck.... he was from another boat, was out of air, and I was the nearest diver. His dive master was a haze in the distance gathering a gaggle of dsds to look at an eel he was poking at. We ascended, safety stop and signalled the boat before anyone below noticed despite hammering on my tank to signal.

In regular diving, proper gas monitoring has never had me or anyone I'm diving with OOA, so far.

Dive safe,
Cameron

 

[Steve_C]

Twice - both went smoothly

Once a private DM in Greece missjudged my air consumption (much lower than she expected) and had grabbed a tank that had less air than she expected for a night dive. Late in the dive we air shared for a while so I could dive longer.

Had an instabuddy who was doing her first ocean dive post cert. Her mouthpiece came off and she thought reg was broken and unbreathable. Her other reg was in pocket since no holder on rented bcd which was not where she was trained for. She gave the the OOA, we shared for a couple minutes while she relaxed and I figured out what had happened. Took good reg out of her pocket on put her on that and we finished the dive.

 

[Laurie S.]

No, never have, but I've seen other divers run out and have to share with the DM. The closest I ever came was in Raiatea, French Polynesia. I had a leak, and was surprised to see that that I had only had about 300 psi left. LOL We had been at the surface for 10 minutes looking under a pier. I finished the dive with 70 psi.

 

[Chavodel8en]

I have had one occasion where my buddy had a bigger tank than me (and prob a better SAC rate), so I got on his octo in order to extend our dive (I actually wanted to turn back, he was the one who suggested his octo) -- but I still had about 1500 psi in my tank, so its about as far from an OOA experience you could have while still air-sharing.

In my hundred or so dives, Ive witnessed several similar "lets extend the dive by sharing air" occurences, but only one real underwater OOA event, where a tourist (Corsair in Oahu I believe) fairly hectically signalled OOA to a DM while already heading up - maybe at 60 ft or so. The DM handed her his octo and they proceeded. I also cut it close on this dive (or might have been the next), leaving my buddy on the bottom at 100 ft (after chasing and signaling him) and making it to the surface w ~ 200 psi left.

 

[WetLens]

Three occasions in 45+ years of diving. First time was under the ice at full length of the line. My buddy's reg froze up - free-flowing - so we started buddy breathing. The third diver in our group offered an octopus, but having not seen one previously and having practiced buddy breathing with the other buddy numerous times, it was easier to simply continue buddy breathing on the way back.

Both of the other times were with newer divers that mis-judged air supply and ran short without notification. As the more experienced diver, I shoulder the blame for not monitoring their air better throughout the dive. Both situations were handled without issue using a safe second. In one instance, it was my clipped off octo; in the other, it was my primary and I breathed off my Air II.

 

[Darnold9999]

Have had to rescue a diver instabuddy who had just jumped in and was sinking like a stone. Instead of adding air to the BC he was venting - caught up to him at 75 feet. Took the BC valve from his hand and added air. First cold water dive in a while and I suspect it was panic - the dive got worse.

I have never unintentionally run out of air but have seen a diver (part of a group dive) run out and go into passive panic. She just stayed glued to the line and watched the SPG go to 0 in her hand - no signal no nothing. Fortunately the DM saw the situation and managed to push an octo into her face and managed to get her to the surface. I only saw the rescue part when the DM I was with took off like a shot toward the diver hanging on the line. No idea how he knew what was going on but it was a real education on what passive panic looks like. Diver was a wreck when she got to the surface and did not do the next dive. I suspect she never did dive again.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I have never unintentionally run out of air but have seen a diver (part of a group dive) run out and go into passive panic. She just stayed glued to the line and watched the SPG go to 0 in her hand - no signal no nothing. Fortunately the DM saw the situation and managed to push an octo into her face and managed to get her to the surface. I only saw the rescue part when the DM I was with took off like a shot toward the diver hanging on the line. No idea how he knew what was going on but it was a real education on what passive panic looks like. Diver was a wreck when she got to the surface and did not do the next dive. I suspect she never did dive again.

Passive panic is frightening, as you have to catch on the clues. I was helping out in a course being taught by our course director, and we had a 13 year old who basically shut down. I had to hold onto her BCD and basically pull her through the water as she simply shut down. We obviously didn't certify her. But I was glad to have seen it in such a controlled environment.

 

[TMHeimer]

I was already a PADI MSD (AND Deep Certified) in 2008, but did a silly thing. Miscalculated my remaining air (Nitrox I think) at 120' on a wreck, and spent too much time (like 3 minutes?) trying to locate the anchor line to ascend on. Actually, during the safety stop I had to switch to my pony. Well, at least the idiot got some use out of the pony he bought the previous year....