How those idiots (us) run out of air

[TSandM]

I remember my first dive trip to Maui. We did several boat dives, all with a guide. I remember being horribly anxious when Peter would stop to take pictures or look at something, because the guide would keep going, and I was sure we HAD to be with the guide. I think, in retrospect, that was a reflection of my lack of confidence in my/our diving, and also my fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of the dive guide. Although I'm not sure I could have articulated it, I'm certain I thought the guide represented safety. (For one thing, my navigational abilities in those days were nonexistent!)

One of the most important lessons in diving, I think, is to realize that, if you don't feel as though you are safe in the water without being able to stay with a guide, you probably shouldn't even be doing that dive. And it's also important to know that guides don't always make the best decisions for YOUR safety. You knew, in this case, that you were low on gas and needed to head back, and you didn't do it because you put staying with the guide ahead of the single most critical parameter of a dive, which is your supply of breathing gas -- which my husband likes to tell his classes, represents your life expectancy! This is a case of misplaced priorities, combined with a too passive approach to safety.

Good lesson learned, I hope. Thanks for sharing this, because I think this error is all too common.

 

[uncfnp]

As noted, if it is time to turn, turn it. You know where the ascent line is.

Go over how to signal remaining air before you dive. Take your time signaling. KEEP IT SIMPLE. KEEP IT SLOW.

I insta-buddy a fair amount. There are lots of different ways to signal remaining air. Often folks want to flash through the signal faster than I can remember what system they are using. So now part of predive is always going over the system and reinforcing that they are to signal slow and definite. Even then I sometimes just look at their gauge if I don't trust the numbers or I am unsure what they are signaliing.

My preferred system is by hundreds. Sure it may take 5 or 6 seconds to give me the air early on but it is much easier if you are slightly narced at 100 ft.

Would not have helped this situation but ditto the review of signals prior to dive if unfamiliar buddy. Our last trip, my husband and I dove with a third for the first time in forever. Over time we had developed our own set of signals including air and did not realize that the third person would not recognize our numbers. It did creat some confusion that first dive!

This is a lesson you will never forget and I'll bet it will never happen again because you will be in control of your next dive, guide or not.

 

[tracydr]

Would you have also been more relaxed if you had your own regulators? Sounds like a gear issue started the dive off on the wrong foot and increased the level of anxiety, decreased your air.
Even if you don't want to travel with all of your own gear, its easy to carry on a regulator bag and a computer.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

As others have said...your responsibility to abort the dive regardless of anyone elses understanding, misunderstanding or lack of attention. The good news is that you received a hugely important lesson that you are not likely to forget.....and it didn't cost you. I guarantee that your SA regarding air management has now evolved.

The post sounds like your max depth was 50ft with a short duration of bottom time and you were back at the acsent line at 500psi. Although that is cutting it closer than is preferred, seems to me like a manageable situation and another good lesson in SA.. Considering your profile up to that point, I would say that you could have safely acsended the 35ft to 15ft in 30 seconds and even if you did somehow manage to suck up 500psi in 30 seconds (which I think would be really tough to do) blowing the safety stop is better than OOA.

Just curious as to what depth that both you and your wife "ran out of air"?

 

[idive2]

I think only once on a charter dive briefing did the guide mention that he was not anyones
buddy. I was impressed and I think it made an impression on some of the newer divers.
Ten years ago I made a comment to a friend, an experienced diver, that something didn't seem
quite right about this casual group dive with no buddy thing.

 

[Adobo]

First dive in a new location (St Eustatius). Heavy (for us) current at surface. Descended and regs sucked water. Returned to surface, changed regs and went down again with 2200 lbs. A bit anxious due to new environment and surface conditions. Had 1800 at bottom( 50 ft). Swam around a bit and signalled to DM at half a tank. Went a little bit more (1st mistake) and signalled to DM 1800 (but I meant to signal 1300). As with every dive guide I have ever had, she turned and went further from ascent line. Now the anxiety increased and air consumption with it. Back to ascent line at 500 and we began sharing air. My wife ran our of air shortly after me, she probably was overanxious about me.

We all returned safely and ascended slowly. So a happy ending. But we did both run out, and good thing there were TWO dive guides!

Second dives of the day were much easier and uneventful.

Bill

Both you and your buddy ran out of gas on the same dive?

Have you had a chance to read through NWgratefuldiver's gas planning document? Did Peter_C discuss gas planning with you when you went for a dive with him?

Going on dive vacations.. that sounds very expensive to me. And if I recall, you go on dive vacations at least once a year. I can't begin to imagine how diving can be fun when you don't have confidence in how you have planned your dive (or your ability to conduct the dive as planned). It might be worthwhile to reconsider spending some of that vacation budget on training instead.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Something is missing from this story. The bottom was only fifty feet, and you were at the ascent line with 500psi. Even with a strong current, that should have been more than enough air for two divers to make it to the surface. Were you both actually out of air under water, or did you feel that 500psi meant empty?

 

[Keith.M]

Something doesn't quite add up here. You made it to the ascent line at 50 fsw with 500 psi. At 30 ft per min ascent rate you are at 20' in one minute. Sure seems like you should have had enough to do a full 3 minute safety stop and still be at the surface with 200 -300 psi or more.

I don't even understand the sharing of air at 500.

+1 for at least bringing your own regs and if it is a diving vacation, I would bring all my own gear except weights and tanks,

 

[flots am]

I appreciate this thread. I'll hammer more firmly into my students that only THEY are responsible for THEIR safety.

On the ascent line with 500lbs at what depth?

I teach the "You're #1 and you're not getting a tip" hand signal, specifically related to DM lead dives.

It appears to be well understood, at least in the Caribbean.

flots.

 

[danvolker]

First dive in a new location (St Eustatius). Heavy (for us) current at surface. Descended and regs sucked water. Returned to surface, changed regs and went down again with 2200 lbs. A bit anxious due to new environment and surface conditions. Had 1800 at bottom( 50 ft). Swam around a bit and signalled to DM at half a tank. Went a little bit more (1st mistake) and signalled to DM 1800 (but I meant to signal 1300). As with every dive guide I have ever had, she turned and went further from ascent line. Now the anxiety increased and air consumption with it. Back to ascent line at 500 and we began sharing air. My wife ran our of air shortly after me, she probably was overanxious about me.

We all returned safely and ascended slowly. So a happy ending. But we did both run out, and good thing there were TWO dive guides!

Second dives of the day were much easier and uneventful.

Bill

I have several issues with this.....If it had been my wife Sandra and I:

1. If a gear issue/failure occurred, leading to return to surface, we would not want to begin a dive that we wanted to enjoy with a tank that had lost a third of it's air before the start of the dive....We would have grabbed new tanks...or made special plans for doing a dive with insufficient air for a normal dive
2. We would NEVER consider pulling down an anchor line to reach the bottom....if there is so little current that the boat can anchor, then you gear up, get totally ready, negatively buoyant( suck all air out of BC), and then together you hit the water, and should be swimming head down and more than 20 feet deep within the first 6 seconds....you should make the bottom on this dive described, long before the current should have been sufficient to push you far enough down current for it to matter...and since at the bottom, with skin friction drag and very slow or no bottom current, you can go where ever you need to easily, again there would have been no reason to go down an anchor line. I see this as a sloppy dive operation that expects this course of action, and one I would do MY way, and it would work out much better my way.
3. Sandra and I keep track of each other's air use, and with 1000 psi on this profile you were on, we would be heading back up the anchor line...Now you might need the line, since ascent is much slower than descent...but ascent tends to be easier than descent on a line, and even with ridiculous currents, you should still be able to manage a slow heart rate and slow breathing rate going up the line....
4. We would signal to a DM if they were involved in a group we were in, if we were leaving the group --but this is almost of zero significance if the issue is low on air, and they are not looking at us. With proper gas management ( which we have), this has never come up....