Very near miss - panic and hyperventilation at 70 feet

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jsnorman

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Location
Chicago, IL
# of dives
200 - 499
It has been a few years since this incident and I feel enough time is passed that I have a good perspective on it and can share my experience, hopefully for the benefit of others who might avoid making some of the same mistakes that I did.

There are about a half dozen errors in judgment that are pretty easy to identify in retrospect, but the main point to my story is that each error taken alone was not that big of a deal, but cumulatively they led to a situation that could very easily have left me drowned. Its the small things that really do matter. The other lesson I hope that folks take away from this story is that panic by itself is very dangerous, and panic is very hard to avoid when an unexpected problem occurs at depth. Fear is the mindkiller (Dune, I know).

I have been diving about 20 years, and have several hundred dives in that time. Almost all recreational, a few wrecks where you could enter through a gaping hole, but no penetration or cave diving. I am a good swimmer (IM water polo team in college) and have dived in all kinds of bad water conditions from 6-8 foot swells off the East End of GCM, to the middle of tropical downpours and lightning, to hike/dives where I had to carry my gear down hundreds of feet and make shore entry through fire corals and surf that could easily knock you down. I have also rescued two "buddies" (strangers I was paired with) (one had a bad o-ring in his first stage that we discovery during a night dive, another just ran out of air). Even though I live right by Lake Michigan, I had never dived in cold water or freshwater.

I have also started to get more serious about my UW photography, which I have been doing on and off during dives for the past 10 years or so. So, about three years ago I booked trip with an photo guru who was taking a group to Vancouver. When I booked the trip, I had a half a year to get prepared for the 60 degree water temps we expected. My plan was to spend the summer diving Lake Michigan. I paired up with an experienced wreck diver, and we chartered a boat for several weekends.

Then, I started thinking about my equipment. I did not have time to learn to use a drysuit, so I found a semi-dry 7mm suit with seals, a hood, gloves and boots. With colder water, more finning from location to location, bigger camera to lug around, and more weight to compensate for my thick suit, I decided to try diving a steel 120 (I have almost always dived with alum 80s before). I also upgraded my regulator to cold-water reg setup (Atomic M1 1st and 2nd), with a 40cu pony using my "old" regs (ScubaPro MK17 + S600). My BC was a ScubaPro Nighthawk.

I met my buddy for the first time live in the parking lot and we talked about the planned dives (2 wrecks in relatively shallow water 60-110 feet). We loaded our equipment on the boat and headed out to "sea". I started to assemble my gear as I usually do, and after about 20 minutes I noticed a huge problem. ScubaPro BCs use a proprietary/non-standard valve on the BC inflator hose. I did not know that, and when I changed out my reg I installed the inflator hose that came with the regs, which was a standard size inflator valve. My pony rig did (where the old regs were now) did not need an inflator hose, so I had left the ScubaPro inflator hose at home.

I immediately showed my buddy the problem and he quickly explained the issue about the non-standard ScubaPro valves. We checked our save a dive kits, but there was no adapter or extra hose that we could use. I wanted to call the dive off at first, but my buddy convinced me that it was not a big deal (and it should not have been). I could orally inflate after all, and the first dive was only to 60-70 feet. We could just do the first dive twice, and skip the deeper dive. That sounded good to me,

Since we did not have a wrench on the boat to remove the inflator hose from my M1 first stage, I decided to use my old reg. That meant no alternative air source (of course I did not have an octo on my pony, since the pony itself was supposed to be my alternate air source), but it was the only way either of us could think of to save the dive, and it was obvious that my buddy was not wanting to cancel the dive. I felt pretty stupid.

I had a lot of work to do before we got to the dive site - I had to reprogram my dive computer for only one sensor and re-pair that sensor. I had to remove the regs from the pony and move them to my main tank. I had to get into my 7 mil suit, and squeeze into the hood, don my gloves, etc. I was very uncomfortable in the new suit; I was not used to being so constricted and having a hood really bothered me. I was also frustrated and embarrassed for making a rookie mistake of not testing out new equipment (which would have revealed the incompatible inflator hose issue).

The next problem I had was figuring out how much weight I needed. In the warm ocean, I usually use 12-15 lbs depending on if I am doing a swimming descent or not. Here, I had freshwater to consider, a new 7 mil suit, and a much larger steel tank that more negatively bouyant than the AL80s I am used to. I loaded up my trim pockets and weight pockets with a total of 24lbs, figuring I could always take some out if it seemed to much.

With all that done we were ready to dive. My buddy went first and then I jumped in. I had fully inflated my BC orally before jumping in, so when I hit the surface I was bouyant. I took my camera from the dive boat captain, and signalled to my buddy that I was ready to descend. He used a swimming descent and was quickly at the bottom, while I decided to play it safer and descend vertically so I could adjust my weights at surface if needed. I usually prefer to be underweighted, so I have to empty my BC at surface to descend. This time, however, when I started to empty my BC I dropped way to fast towards the bottom.

I was severely overweighted. As I dropped towards the bottom of the lake, I instinctively reached for my BC inflator - which of course was not working since there was no inflator hose. I looked for my partner but he was just entering the wreck and too far away to signal. For the first time in the 20 years I have been diving, I felt a few pangs of fear. I was not panicked yet, but I felt a rush of adreneline and my respiration increased a bit.

I took inhaled deeply and then brought my inflator hose to my mouth. I put a full lungfull of air into the BC but I was still dropping. I also did not save any breath after trying to inflate the BC, so I hurriedly jammed my regulator back into my mouth to get air. In doing so, I purged the reg too late just after breathing in rather than before.

My first inhalation was almost all water. I coughed hard for several minutes trying to get my breathing under control. I almost lost consciousness from lack of air and water in my lungs. With the water in my lungs and involuntary coughing fits, I just could not get enough air and it felt like I was suffocating. I had moments where I could feel myself blacking out a little. That little pang of fear I felt before became full blown panic, despite years of martial arts training and meditation I could not calm myself down, I could not stop coughing up water, and I could not get enough air in the process.

At some point, I started to hyperventilate. Even the ScubaPro S600 could not keep up with my demand for air and I could feel it resisting my gasps for breath, which made my panic even worse. It felt like breathing through a straw that someone had pinched off.

Every fiber of my body and a very panicked irrational voice in my head wanted to rip the reg out of my mouth. Ever time I coughed up more water, I wanted to spit the reg out to make it easier to clear my lungs. Irrational, but I cannot describe how strong that urge was. I probably would have too, if it were not for the really excellent training I received from my first scuba instructor 20 years back (NAUI and YMCA). If there was one thing he drummed into us back then, it was NEVER take your regulator out of your mouth .. even if you are vomiting you keep it in. That was so ingrained in me that my panic and fear did not completely take over, and I kept my right hand on the reg pushing it back into my mouth no matter how hard I was gasping and coughing. I am 100% sure that saved my life.

I was at the bottom by now, hyerventilating and coughing up water - and in full blown panic. There was no way in my condition to orally inflate, and I was very severely negatively bouyant. I was not getting enough air, and I knew I was at risk for passing out. I thought about dropping my weights, but I feared I would rocket to the surface and I though that too could be deadly because I could not possibly control my breathing while ascending. Luckily, I had landed near the anchor. So I half swam and half-crawled to the anchor and grabbed the line. I then pulled myself up the anchor line hand over hand. I bit down very hard on the regulator to keep it in my mouth (I was still hyperventilating and coughing up water). It took about 20 minutes to climb up the rope to the surface and my arms were toast (lactic acid build up) by the time I reached surface.

For some strange reason during this climb, my mind started reciting the Diver DAN obit that would be written about my deadly and stupid accident. I started to list in my head all of the rules I had broken.

Once I reached the surface I had a wave of relief. I made it, I remember thinking. I finally gave in to my intense urge to spit out the regulator and breath in air in unlimited quantity.

That was how I almost died a second time. I was grasping the anchor line and spit out the regulator. I breathed in a couple of lungs fulls of air and coughed out some more water. Then the first wave smashed into me and I realized I was still in big trouble. Lake Michigan waves were not like the huge swells I had experienced on the ocean. The lake's waves were spaced more closely together and for some reason seem to hit harder; there was no time to drift up and down on the swells like I had done before. And, I was negatively bouyant so I couldn't really float above the waves at all anyway. I also was afraid to left go of the anchor line, even with only one hand. My arms had no strength left after the climb, and a good sized wave could easily have knocked me off the line.

I tried to find my regulator which I had spit out but it was somewhere behind me. Without letting of the rope I could not reach it. I also couldn't reach my waist to dump my weights without letting go with at least one hand and probably letting my head go underwater for a wave or two... I too afraid to take any risks at this point. I was on the wrong end of the boat and there was no way to swim to the ladder around the boat without going under. The waves were about 3-4 feet and they hit me every few seconds. I used my legs to push myself higher on the rope and tried to hold on there, but the waves still reached my face. I was still hyperventilating so each wave that hit me caused more water to get in my lungs. I was essentially stuck clinging to the anchor line with what little strength I had left, and praying that my buddy or the boat captain would see me.

Eventually, my buddy realized I was not with him and he surfaced. He helped remove my BC and tank, which immediately fixed the problem as that was all of the weight. With my BC and tank off, I could swim and keep myself afloat. My hyperventilation stopped after a few more minutes, and I was able to swim back on the boat on my own after that.

Here are my lessons learned:

1) Do not be shy about cancelling a dive if there is even the slightest equipment issue.

2) Don't let peer pressure move you to be overconfident in your ability to dive in an unfamilier situation or with faulty equipment.

3) Don't ever, ever, dive in open water with new equipment unless you have taken in out in a controlled situation first.

4) Always do a bouyancy check, preferably in the pool, with the exact equipment you will dive with, especially if trying out new types of equipment or when changing from salt to fresh water or vice versa.

5) When doing a bouyancy check in OW, make sure your buddy is right in front of you and watching.

6) Even simple procedures like manual inflation (and buddy breathing, changing to alternate air source, etc.) can be deadly if not practiced recently. I used to be very proud of my ability to handle emergency situations underwater. My OW instructor made us practice these over and over, and during class in the pool he would swim up behind us and close our primary off to a trickle for simulate an out of air emergency without warning. We practiced, over and over, signalling out of air and switching to our buddy's octo, and then removing our BCs to check the valves and fix problems, and re-donning our equipment. I had put these skills to practice twice, rescuing two buddies in out of air situations. I always stayed calm, and never panicked. I never thought I would panic underwater in any situation, much less a situation I was fully capable of handling. I practice switching to alternate air in my pool now until it is so natural I don't think about it.

7) When diving in a new environment for the first time, use equipment that you are very familiar with, and don't make too many changes at once.

8) If you do have an emergency and your primary air is working, never ,ever, take your primary out of your mouth unless it is the absolute last resort. I violated this rule twice and paid for it. In retrospect, before manually inflating my BC I could have dumped individual weights one at a time, until I was light enough for a controlled swimming ascent, but not so light that I would have to do an uncontrolled ascent. There was really no reason at that point to manually inflate and I overreacted. That lead to my first pang of fear, which lead to the failure to purge first mistake, which in turn almost led to my death. At the surface, with a working regulator and air supply, taking the reg out of my mouth was even more stupid. I gave in to my panic thinking I was safe. You are only safe (from drowning anyway) when you are on land or safely on the boat.

It took me a year to get back in the water.

Now, I dive with fully redundant everything. My last few dives I had redundant inflators (dual bladders), but I have recently been convinced to go back to a single inflator and I carry a lift bag instead. I moved most of my equipment configuration to the DIR configuration (not 100% but close). I always have at least a 40cu pony (with a high quality Atomic M1 first and second stage) on every dive below 45 feet. I carry extra light, a rope spool, and a signal device even on the majority of dives that are simple open water. I have my equipment checked out after every set of dives, and I practice emergency procedures in the pool with my equipment configured as I will dive it before I go out. I am considering additional classes too, but I really need to start logging my dives so I can take more advanced classes that require a minimum number of logged dives. Even with all that, if I feel like something itsn't 100% right or I am not feeling 100%, I will sit out a dive with no hesitation.

Anyway, I hope that something like this never happens to anyone else, but I know it probably will. Most importantly, I hope someone reading this will remember my story, and will feel absolutely confident in canceling a dive due to any discomfort or equipment failure, even if it seems like no big deal at the time. Small things can become huge problems, and huge problems can lead even a relatively experienced diver to panic which leads to more mistakes and more risk of death.. those are the lessons I really really want to convey and I hope it makes a difference having shared this.
 
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That's a very compelling story. Thank you for taking the time to craft it.
 
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it doesn't take much for all the disaster ducks to be in a row.......thanks for sharing.
 
Thanks for sharing your story.

One thing isn't clear to me though it might not be that important. In your post, you said:

Since we did not have a wrench on the boat to remove the inflator hose from my M1 first stage, I decided to use my old reg. That meant no alternative air source (of course I did not have an octo on my pony, since the pony itself was supposed to be my alternate air source), but it was the only way either of us could think of to save the dive, and it was obvious that my buddy was not wanting to cancel the dive.

Did your atomic set up have 2 second stages? Also, why did you feel compelled to swap regs to move your SP reg (which only has 1 second stage) from your pony bottle to your main tank?
 
Thanks for sharing your story.

One thing isn't clear to me though it might not be that important. In your post, you said:



Did your atomic set up have 2 second stages? Also, why did you feel compelled to swap regs to move your SP reg (which only has 1 second stage) from your pony bottle to your main tank?


Yes, I know that is not very clear.

Connected to my (then brand new) primary 1st stage reg (Atomic), I had two second stage hoses (primary and secondary), the standard size inflator hose, and my computer transmitter unit on the HP port. Without a wrench, there was no easy way to remove the inflator hose from the 1st stage. I wasn't whether diving with a "loose" or open inflator hose might let water into the 1st stage, so I thought we needed to remove the hose and put in a plug (ironically, my dive repair kit had a plug and allen wrench, but the my normal wrench/multitool had broken and the wrench size I needed fell out and was missing). It is very likely that I could have just left the hose in place (still not connected to the BC) and it might have been fine. But I wasn't 100% sure, so I thought it was safer to move my SP reg over to the 120 vs risking flooding the first stage.

I discussed the issue with my buddy, and he thought the safer course was switching to the SP reg. His reasoning was that he had an octo, we were not going into the wreck on this dive (we had already discussed that, given my lack of experience in freshwater and wreck dives, we would keep the first few dive trips to the exterior), and we were doing a relatively shallow dive (as far as wrecks in Lake Michigan goes) and doing a controlled emergency ascent from 60 feet would be possible if all else failed. I am not sure what the right answer was on that issue; except to say that I should not have dived at all in those circumstances.

A related issue... my Atomics were (and are) all DIN, but my older SP is Yoke. I have a Yoke -> DIN converter I used to carry (screw in), so I was able to use the SP yoke on the 120 (which was setup for DIN). But, even if I felt comfortable with having open ended hoses and/or was willing to risk damaging them, I could not just move my Atomic to the pony.

Two additional maybe less important lessons, but ones I also learned from this experience:

-- Having very complete toolkit and parts is a good idea (I now carry a complete set of individual regular and allen wrenches, a first stage holding tool, an extra inflator assembly and hose, HP and LP hoses, batteries, a bunch of hose ends and caps, and the usual straps and o-rings and stuff). Probably overkill, but basically any repair I can make at home I can make on the boat now. If its more complicated than that, I need to take it in. I put my repair kit in an old reg bag (actually its my old SP reg bag).

-- Avoid manufacturers who feel the need to make proprietary connectors. This may be a little controversial, but I feel very strongly about it, and all of my equipment is now from manufacturers (Dive Rite and Atomic) who use standard connectors, hoses and ports, enable field repairs by making parts available, etc. Scubpro is an excellent manufacturer, but there is really no good reason for a non-standard inflator hose connector. AFAIK, Scubpro is the only company that uses that style (other than on some inflator/reg combos like Zeagle).
 
I see another red flag. I understand why you may not be emphasizing it but your buddy and I use the term as loosely as the other diver appears to take it. Your story is a great cautionary tale but geez . ..I'm filled with anger for you. Not at you for you.
 
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Yes, I know that is not very clear.

Connected to my (then brand new) primary 1st stage reg (Atomic), I had two second stage hoses (primary and secondary), the standard size inflator hose, and my computer transmitter unit on the HP port. Without a wrench, there was no easy way to remove the inflator hose from the 1st stage. I wasn't whether diving with a "loose" or open inflator hose might let water into the 1st stage, so I thought we needed to remove the hose and put in a plug (ironically, my dive repair kit had a plug and allen wrench, but the my normal wrench/multitool had broken and the wrench size I needed fell out and was missing). It is very likely that I could have just left the hose in place (still not connected to the BC) and it might have been fine. But I wasn't 100% sure, so I thought it was safer to move my SP reg over to the 120 vs risking flooding the first stage.

I discussed the issue with my buddy, and he thought the safer course was switching to the SP reg. His reasoning was that he had an octo, we were not going into the wreck on this dive (we had already discussed that, given my lack of experience in freshwater and wreck dives, we would keep the first few dive trips to the exterior), and we were doing a relatively shallow dive (as far as wrecks in Lake Michigan goes) and doing a controlled emergency ascent from 60 feet would be possible if all else failed. I am not sure what the right answer was on that issue; except to say that I should not have dived at all in those circumstances.

I'm no expert on the workings of regulators so I'm sure someone will come along and correct whatever I get wrong but..

Your 1st stage will drop the pressure from whatever tank pressure is (assume 3000psi at the beginning of the dive) to an intermediate pressure of ~140psi (I think this varies a little from brand to brand). There is effectively no way for water to travel up the low pressure inflator hose since the pressure in the hose is going to be significantly greater than the ambient pressure.

Another concern to consider is by moving your other reg from the pony bottle to your backgas is that you had only 1 second stage. If that 1 second stage became accessible to you (gear issue or unable to retrieve it after it gets pulled out of your mouth), you have no backup second stage to go to. Also, you and your buddy were considering contingencies for you running out of air. If you consider the possibility that your buddy could be out of air, the only option he would have is to CESA. Not good.

This dive had fuster cluck written all over it so I think your initial instinct was right - dive another day when you had all your *issues* squared away.


A related issue... my Atomics were (and are) all DIN, but my older SP is Yoke. I have a Yoke -> DIN converter I used to carry (screw in), so I was able to use the SP yoke on the 120 (which was setup for DIN). But, even if I felt comfortable with having open ended hoses and/or was willing to risk damaging them, I could not just move my Atomic to the pony.

Again, having a backup 2nd stage attached to your backgas is the better approach. If you don't have a backup 2nd stage and your primary second stage becomes unavailable (or you have to donate your primary second stage to your buddy due to a gas emergency), you become completely reliant on the pony bottle. And it is in those unfortunate/stressful times that you could wind up discovering that your pony bottle doesn't have gas or doesn't have the valve turned on or there is an issue with the reg on the pony bottle.

To be clear, I am not saying that having the pony bottle is bad. What I am saying is that it might take some time to deploy and use the pony bottle. With that in mind, you should set up your gear such that you still have access to backgas even if you lose access to your primary second state.

The other thing is, moving gear around like this when on route to a dive site is really tricky. If you have a lot of standardization in your gear (like the DIR guys do), its not a big deal. But in your situation, you have din/yoke regs. One set of regs has 2 second stages, the other has only 1. You potentially have hose length issues. And on and on.


Two additional maybe less important lessons, but ones I also learned from this experience:

-- Having very complete toolkit and parts is a good idea (I now carry a complete set of individual regular and allen wrenches, a first stage holding tool, an extra inflator assembly and hose, HP and LP hoses, batteries, a bunch of hose ends and caps, and the usual straps and o-rings and stuff). Probably overkill, but basically any repair I can make at home I can make on the boat now. If its more complicated than that, I need to take it in. I put my repair kit in an old reg bag (actually its my old SP reg bag).

-- Avoid manufacturers who feel the need to make proprietary connectors. This may be a little controversial, but I feel very strongly about it, and all of my equipment is now from manufacturers (Dive Rite and Atomic) who use standard connectors, hoses and ports, enable field repairs by making parts available, etc. Scubpro is an excellent manufacturer, but there is really no good reason for a non-standard inflator hose connector. AFAIK, Scubpro is the only company that uses that style (other than on some inflator/reg combos like Zeagle).

I've used SP, Zeagle and Apeks regs. They all make decent products. I would have no problem diving most of the *good* brands of regs that are out there.

Like you said, I think the biggest take away here is to try and sort out all the issues before you get on the dive boat. Get accustomed to your exposure suit on a more mellow dive. Figure out your weighting on an easy shore dive where you are not time pressured. Check out that the gear is properly assembled and works. Trying to do all of that while on-route to a dive site with a buddy pressuring you is a disaster waiting to happen.
 
Fwiw you would been just fine with the loose hose.. I dive with my drysuit hose unplugged all the time if in dive wet.

Sent from my galaxy S5 Active.
 
I see another red flag. I understand why you may not be emphasizing it but your buddy and I use the term as loosely as the other diver appears to take it. Your story is a great cautionary tale but geez . ..I'm filled anger for you. Not at you for you.

I had mixed feelings on this issue. One the one hand, he was the more experienced diver and our deal was I was paying for the boat and getting mentoring in diving Lake Michigan wrecks from him. He probably should have supported my first instinct to cancel the dive, and not pushed for diving with incomplete equipment.

On the other hand, I have always been a pretty firm believer in the principle that each diver is responsible for their own well being and decisions. It was his idea and with his encouragement that I decided to dive without a working inflator, and to swap the regs. But it was my decision. Its also not like I was a new diver; I had 20 years of dive experience and have dived in challenging conditions before.. he could have assumed I would be able to handle a basic issue like manual BC inflation.

If there is something to say about my buddy, I wouldn't focus on the inflator and regulator decisions IMHO; I take full responsibility for those decisions regardless of whether I felt pressured or not, because I knew the risks and those were skills I had not really had to practice in several years. I think the one area were he failed me was in the weight area. I really had no idea how much weight to use, having never dived in cold or freshwater, and never with a anything more than a 2mm skin. I was relying on him for advice and mentoring on issues unique to Lake Michigan, and I really expected that he would help more with figuring out what proper weighting would be, and that he would stick around for my buoyancy check.
 
So, your buddy first noticed you were in trouble when you were on the surface after a 20 min climb up the anchor rope? What was he doing for close to half an hour while you were in trouble? That is just as scary as the rest of the incident
 

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