Close call in Hawaii...what happened?

[Captain Walt]

There is your problem. 75/25 H2O/O2 is a dangerous mix.

Check your tank for the water that should not be there and the Nitrogen that should.

I fell over. I got a good laugh.....thanks for the diaphragm work out.

Captain Walt

 

[westladog]

I have two regulators: OCEANIC GT3 W- CDX5 REGULATOR and Dacor Viper Tec

The GT3 is totally dry in any direction.
The Dacor is totally wet upside down.

 

[wilde100]

I want to echo BigKen and Unclejohn's posts. Speaking from personal experience...
On a previous dive trip in Sydney I ran both my reg and octo through the sand (don't ask, long story).

Of course I suspected a malfunction, so on my next dive trip. I did an equipment check on both once I hit the water. Sure enough I encountered the same problems highlighted by Devil on my Octo. My reg worked fine.

I took the gear back to my shop to be serviced and no surprise we found it was clogged with sand. Love my Atomic B2 for working despite this.

Ok so the point I'm trying to make is it is probably a problem with equipment. For both gears to malfunction suggests a faulty servicing standard of the rental gear. Enough said.

Oh, and yes agreed with all the well meaning posts here. Go do your dive course proper. That you were sane enough not to panick but insane enough not to reach for your octo tells me you need proper instruction.

 

[wilde100]

I don't think the reg failed twice.. Quite a bit of regs breath wet when inverted in a head down position... I doubt the tank had anything in it because it would restrict airflow and instead of getting water he would just find it hard to breath... He said he wasn't certified and was most likely doing a DSD having done 3 others before.. I believe that the reg started to breath very wet he got flustered and believed that the reg was totally flooded... I can't think of any problem that could be "breathed" through which would cause a reg to initially 75% flood

Jaybombs, if I understood you correctly you meant you couldn't imagine any reg only flooding partially?

I'd like to say I went through the same experience. In my case, my octo's diaphragm couldn't seal properly since it was clogged with sand. Result was water seepage. However the part delivering the air was still functioning. Which was why I still managed to get abit of air between the water.

 

[wilde100]

Thanks to all for their input on this. Just to clarify a few ponts...

1) I do not want to point fingers at the dive company other than to say they are a "large" company operating in Hawaii. My only real complaint I had was how they treated the situation afterwards by looking to dismiss the subject asap.

2) I am not certified (hadn't found the time) but I was taking an intro course for the third time and think that was the only thing which prevented me from panicking. Had it been my first time I may have lost it.

3) I did not know some regulators can "breath wet". This seems like a dangerous proposition to use equipment like this on beginners without explaining the possible consequences. Still, I am inclined to believe that this was not the normal operation of the regulator. After the the initial pop there was plenty of water...a mouthful. It was enough that I was not able to take any air into my lungs. Under the circumstances I had totally forgotton about the octopus hanging at my side and decided my only option was to use the residual air in my lungs to blow the water out through the regulator and hope that my subsequent breath was water free. My next few breaths still contained water, but in much smaller amounts. In fact, the regulator kind of gurgled each time I breathed, which was very slowly to prevent the inhalation of seawater. I can safely say the mouthpeice was firmly in my mouth and no leakage was occuring through the sides of my mouth.

4) I did not see exactly what was replaced as I was seated at the end of the boat with my back to the captain who made the switch. After the regulator was replaced I mentioned it continued, but only off and on and only when I dipped my head with nothing more than the gurgling that had occurred previously. Being stubborn, I continued the rest of the dive while keeping my body position and head tilt in the forefront of my mind.

I think the best advice I have heard is that I need to forget the intro tours and just get certified. That feeling of helplessness still lingers in my mind, but maybe I can regain my sense of control and confidence if I take the full training course.

Thanks again to all.

GS

Devil, you'll see plenty of my replies here because I "survived" the same equipment malfunction.

I had the same shock when I breathed water through my Octo. My first thought was "...this was impossible, probably some water leakage... ok don't panick, just purge and breathe again..." So it happened on my 2nd and 3rd breaths, purging the Octo had no effect.

By this time, it dawned on me I was in no real danger. Equipment failure on my Octo, but I still had my reg. Also I could still breathe (with some discomfort) through the octo.

So once past this initial shock, it became a rational decision making process.
Point of the post is if you can evaluate the state of danger you are in, quick guesstimate of the breath you have left, it will form the first two steps of stop, think, act. Something they teach in a proper dive course.

 

[wilde100]

I am surprised that an instructor left you 25 feet behind. There is no excuse for that. As a beginning OW student I was taught that if you stay with you buddy at all times. It just makes no sense that any instructor would not keep a close eye on you as you are not certified and very much in the early stages of learning to dive.

I disagree with this post. It implies that all student divers should rely on the instructor to stay near them and save them from any difficulty.

There is a reason why we are buddied up as students. And while the buddy may just be a student as well, both are taught in OWD to do alternate air supply incase of equipment failure. As should have been done in this case.

However if the instructor WAS the buddy, then my sincere apologies.