c-monkey:
There is no verifiable information currently available to the public regarding his gear config when the body was recovered (i.e. weights, light, etc). The visibility at Travis is actually fairly decent below 40' right now- the algae bloom is above the thermocline.
True, but it blocks light BELOW the thermocline. So if he didn't have a light, he possibly couldn't read his display even if the vis itself wasn't so bad.
I'm speculating as much as anyone else here, but it does sound like a confluence of poor judgement and narcosis were strong contributing factors here. Heck at that depth he could've even overbreathed his regulator and just THOUGHT he was out of air, much less 'swum til he ran out'. I've been with someone that happened to at only 60 feet or so: semi-overhead environment in lots of swimthroughs on a guided dive to the Devil's Den Spring in Florida - and the guy was semi-clautrophobic, started breathing too rapidly, freaked, and went for the surface before his buddy (not me, although I kick myself for not checking on him more often anyway) even noticed. He made it up without immediate apparent damage from holding his breath (although he didn't specifically remember afterwards if he was blowing bubbles or not) but we all stressed to him afterwards to pay attention if he felt ANY DCS type symptoms - or even just tired and lethargic during the rest of the day - because his ascent had been pretty rapid.
The Travis news is a very sad, and sobering, event. It's easy to point to reasons (speculating only, not accusing anyone of anything) and suggest why it happened, but harder to see the potential of being in the same place yourself but for a whim of fate, the assistance of a buddy in the case of impaired thinking, and the right training and habits to fall back on. Personally, I not only applaud Mongoose's "confession", but given he's made mistakes and is brave enough to openly say so and live up to them, would willingly buddy with him for doing so, because it sounds like his head is very much in the right place now. And I don't even know the guy!!
