Dove Treasure Island, but I don't think my buddies enjoyed it as much as I did. Due to my failure to ensure complete communication, there dive was cut short and they were worried. Sorry guys.
Now for the story:
The dive was marred only by a communication error. 3 minutes into the dive and at a depth of 15 FSW I signaled thumbs up and ok to my buddy, and he acknowledged with an OK and then I surfaced. I was having issues with my mask and nasal passages that I was not getting fixed underwater and I thought (correctly it turned out) that I could resolve the issue easier on the surface. At the time I thumbed the dive I planned to resolve the problem on the surface and if that failed to return to shore. Dive partner, thought I meant only that I was going up a few feet and did not realize I was terminating the dive as far as the group was concerned.
I was successful in resolving the issue that caused me to surface. I had tried to keep an eye on their bubbles but by the time I resolved everything the bubbles were out of site. I dropped down and continued on what I thought would be their course to attempt to rejoin the group and if that failed to at least continue the dive. With the vis at 10 feet or so naturally we did not link up. I continued on with the dive plan figuring they were ahead of me. The group leader had commented before the dive that he tended to swim rather fast. Today of all days, he made marked improvements and swam at a more leisurely pace, while I on the other hand moved out to try to catch up. I evidently passed them, but failed to see them.
Dive leader noticed my absence and my dive buddy had forgotten about the thumbs up signal. So the group on the other hand had instituted a lost buddy search. Did not find me, returned to car and called 911. I surface after the dive to police, fire, ambulance and helicopter in bound and some very worried dive buddies. Sorry guys.
Of course, this is because of the following: 1.) I screwed up. 2.) My dive buddy did not fully understand my thumbs up signal lesson: we should have reviewed hand signals before the dive (and I normally do but not today). 2.) I elected to not take my buddy to the surface, and violated my normal standing rule of no one to the surface alone (no excuse except I was planning on returning to base at the time I surfaced). Lesson: always surface with your buddy and if diving in a larger group, go to more than one of them with the signals 3.) I did not institute lost buddy procedures of surface and once surfaced, stay there mostly because I had not lost my buddies but rather had thumbed the dive and then continued on solo hoping to find them if I could. They did not know that. Lesson Once surfaced stay there and again, go to each diver and communicate with them your intentions. Bottom line, I worried my buddies and I truly sorry for that.
Now for the story:
The dive was marred only by a communication error. 3 minutes into the dive and at a depth of 15 FSW I signaled thumbs up and ok to my buddy, and he acknowledged with an OK and then I surfaced. I was having issues with my mask and nasal passages that I was not getting fixed underwater and I thought (correctly it turned out) that I could resolve the issue easier on the surface. At the time I thumbed the dive I planned to resolve the problem on the surface and if that failed to return to shore. Dive partner, thought I meant only that I was going up a few feet and did not realize I was terminating the dive as far as the group was concerned.
I was successful in resolving the issue that caused me to surface. I had tried to keep an eye on their bubbles but by the time I resolved everything the bubbles were out of site. I dropped down and continued on what I thought would be their course to attempt to rejoin the group and if that failed to at least continue the dive. With the vis at 10 feet or so naturally we did not link up. I continued on with the dive plan figuring they were ahead of me. The group leader had commented before the dive that he tended to swim rather fast. Today of all days, he made marked improvements and swam at a more leisurely pace, while I on the other hand moved out to try to catch up. I evidently passed them, but failed to see them.
Dive leader noticed my absence and my dive buddy had forgotten about the thumbs up signal. So the group on the other hand had instituted a lost buddy search. Did not find me, returned to car and called 911. I surface after the dive to police, fire, ambulance and helicopter in bound and some very worried dive buddies. Sorry guys.
Of course, this is because of the following: 1.) I screwed up. 2.) My dive buddy did not fully understand my thumbs up signal lesson: we should have reviewed hand signals before the dive (and I normally do but not today). 2.) I elected to not take my buddy to the surface, and violated my normal standing rule of no one to the surface alone (no excuse except I was planning on returning to base at the time I surfaced). Lesson: always surface with your buddy and if diving in a larger group, go to more than one of them with the signals 3.) I did not institute lost buddy procedures of surface and once surfaced, stay there mostly because I had not lost my buddies but rather had thumbed the dive and then continued on solo hoping to find them if I could. They did not know that. Lesson Once surfaced stay there and again, go to each diver and communicate with them your intentions. Bottom line, I worried my buddies and I truly sorry for that.
