Close call...

[sparten177]

me and a few other divers were out diving on a boat, and they were diving the plm 27 i believe, and he was down 70 odd feet and had a freeflow( he had a warm water reg, from ebay and hit a newfoundland thermocline) and started to panic and when his buddy offered the octo to him he had already started to panic and booted it to the surface by inflating his bc and then held his breath. when he came up me and the boat captain were the only ones onboard( i wasnt yet certified to dive deep). so we got him on O2 and he had blood coming from his mouth and such so anyway we had a fastboat come meet us and get him, he then wasnt allowed to dive for a month due to the fact he was put in the chamber for minor bends, but it couldve ended worse and i just wanted to post this to say that **** happens and you just gotta keep cool, whether your the one in a bad situation or the person onboard helping with the situation. anyways ttyl

 

[Aussie scuba chick]

Mate...that's kinda freaky. If I'm ever really stressed underwater and feeling like I just want to get outta there, I always always am more freaked out by getting the bends via a fast descent...thus I have to make myself chill out and communicate with my buddy.

 

[stairman]

Another reason to dive an h-valve with two first stages and practiced valve shutdown drills in ccccold water where freeze up is likely.Or practice feathering the tank valve on to breathe off to exhale.

 

[I Dive]

If he held his breath, he's lucky he only got away with the bends. He could have also had a bad case of lung overexpansion

 

[TSandM]

Freeflows are scary -- All those bubbles obscure your vision, and the noise is tremendous. But the bottom line is that, once you have initiated air-sharing, the emergency is OVER. Now you just have an inconvenience to deal with. As with so many other things in diving, you won't get hurt if you keep your wits about you.

 

[jimdiverman]

I can't remember now. Is breathing off a free flowing regulator taught in basic open water? If not, it should be. There should be no emergency because of a free flow. The dive may be over, but it is a calm normal ascent breathing off the free flowing regulator. It takes a long time to drain that tank.

 

[Arizona]

started to panic and when his buddy offered the octo to him he had already started to panic and booted it to the surface by inflating his bc and then held his breath.

That is a panic! Glad he is okay and thanks for sharing. TSandM is right on with her post above.

Learning how to breath with a Free Flow reg is required for PADI OW. Indeed an essential skill.

AZ

 

[InTheDrink]

I can't remember now. Is breathing off a free flowing regulator taught in basic open water? If not, it should be. There should be no emergency because of a free flow. The dive may be over, but it is a calm normal ascent breathing off the free flowing regulator. It takes a long time to drain that tank.

The theory is taught in the PADI OW course, I can't remember whether it's implemented practically, I have a recollection that it is. I *think* you practise breathing while pressing the regulator purge.

 

[BTravlin]

It was definitely taught in my PADI OW class just two years ago. Push the purge button to simulate a free flow and you can easily breathe air out of the cascade of bubbles.

 

[Standingbear56]

I can't remember now. Is breathing off a free flowing regulator taught in basic open water? If not, it should be. There should be no emergency because of a free flow. The dive may be over, but it is a calm normal ascent breathing off the free flowing regulator. It takes a long time to drain that tank.

This is indeed a requirement for PADI OW certification. You simulate the free flow by purging the reg while breathing off of it for at least a minute. If for some reason, it is a problem with only your primary second stage and the 1st stage is working properly, you can switch to your octo. This won't save any air, but is much more comfortable to breath from for an inexperienced diver.

Redundancy is always the best way to go, and this needs to be taught in any OW course, whether it's an H valve or a pony.

Safe Diving,
George