Cozumel OOA

[WeekendDiver]

I was in Cozumel this past weekend and as we were diving the Santa Rosa wall an OOA occured:
I was swimming ahead of a diver, at about 90 ft or so when I looked behind me (I am trying to be better about my situational awareness on all sides (up, below, behind)). I saw him grab his reg and suck on it, spit it out and in a panic take his octo. He sucked on that, and then swam has hard as he could to the nearest person and yanked their octo and stuck it in his mouth. By that time I swam over (I was carrying a stage bottle in addition to my main tank), checked his SPG (2300 or so), pushed both purges and checked his valve (which was open). By then the guy’s DM had come over and he did the same check I did. I offered my stage (which was rejected – and that actually made sense) and sent the OOA diver and his new found buddy up to surface. By then I had lost my group so I stuck with this DM. Our boat then came and picked me up (I didn’t even get out of the water onto the other boat).
My guess is that the first stage must have gunked up. Assuming the reg was functioning fine before it is quite possible that aluminum oxide from a poorly maintained tank clogged his first stage. It reinforced my whole stage bottle idea. It just plain makes sense. Several other people from our group witnessed the incident but because they were ahead of me they could not come over because of the strong currents on the St. Rosa wall.
It reinforced what I’ve been trying to do since I started the local diving thing – have a real, working alternate air sources, and have and be a good buddy – actually be within a few feet of each other at all times, and aware of each other’s whereabouts. My stage was pressurized but turned off. By the time I got to the guy I had whipped it out and turned on (with one hand). I took the thing (a slung AL80) on every dive because I want to become comfortable with it. Once I’m in the water I barely notice it, it is pretty much buoyancy wise neutral. All I do is bring a stage kit and a second first stage, second stage and a little SPG with me. It’s not a big deal and could potentially save my ***. (or somebody else’s for that matter.) Even if you take care of your equipment you have no control over rental tanks. The probability of both tanks being bad is small (I think). I’ve read about aluminum oxide in rental tanks (which sometimes get run down to zero PSI so moisture can get in) before, but now I am a bit less dismissive about the probability of this actually happening.

 

[WesTexDiver]

Great post glad everything worked out.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Thanks for the post and I certainly respect your trying to be more situationally aware. That is honestly impressive.

I just want to make sure I understand, you bring stage gear and ask for a second AL80from the dive op?

Jeff

 

[WeekendDiver]

yes, I bring the stage kit and reg and just grab an AL80 (with air). If 40's were available I'd grab one of those but not too many tropical diveshops have them.

 

[DennisW]

Interesting post. Thanks and for the record, I'd dive with you anytime.

I am surprised the OOA guy grabbed the new found buddy's Octo and not the one in the other guy's mouth. He must have not been panicked and was still a thinking, reasoning human being.

 

[diver 85]

what dive shop were you with??...I'm thinking it was not Aldora, they use 120 HP steels...thanks......

 

[Guba]

Hi, Weekenddiver
Your analysis of the situation is probably right on. I actually had a similar experience while diving off Playa del Carmen.
I rolled to take a picture of a turtle and when I righted, my reg immediately felt very "tight". I was getting maybe 20-30 percent of normal demand. I ran through some of the same steps your "victim" went through. I attempted a purge, switched to my octo--same effect, not enough air. However, I found that if I drew my breath VERY slowly and stayed absolutely still, I could get enough to survive. I was at 65 feet, though, and my partner was only a short distance away, but he was UP CURRENT and not watching me (he was an "insta buddy" with only nine dives). Getting to him would mean fighting the current, thus demanding more air, and I wasn't sure how he would react, so I considered other options. The divemaster was directly under me, so I simply dumped air and dropped down to him. After a short hand signal exchange (comical in retrospect, but it wasn't too funny at the time) he understood I needed air. The whole episode only took about a minute.
I was able to stay on my reg but I had his octo in my hand as we made a slow ascent. On the surface and upon removal of my first stage, the outflow of the tank was a smooth, white paste. Yup, it was aluminum oxide, and it effectively shut down the flow of air. You should have seen the faces of the DM and dive operator when they saw it! The dive shop cleaned and serviced my regs, and other dives went well. However, I won't dive with them again, and I'm much more particular who I book with now. The event also made me much more "buddy conscious". I stay closer and in better position to get and give assistance if necessary. I also go over emergency procedures with insta-buddies and make sure we know the same hand signals.
Good learning experience, and good post. You did well.

 

[split0101]

Do you know if the person was using rentals? I always fear renting equipment since I always see divers beating up on rentals.

Last year when I was in Coz, a diver on my boat was using rentals, and on the first dive his 2nd stage leaked like crazy. The DM came over and pinched the hose so it would not leak, and signaled the diver to continue the dive with his octo....

 

[WeekendDiver]

I don't which dive op the OOA diver used. In retrospect I really wish I'd look a bit better at the boat he came off of.
His equipment looked like it was his because octo was one of those models where the mouthpiece is in line with the hose. It seems highly unlikely though that the tank was his.

 

[ctimms]

Guba I'm not sure I would have let the shop that can't take care of there own equip. come anywhere near my reg!!!