Incident during OW training

[TSandM]

I definitely believe that there are times when one needs to head for the surface. But it should be a rational decision, not a default.

Rob makes a good point (as always) about the confusion. As a DM assisting with classes, one of my jobs is to watch what is going on, with an eye toward ANTICIPATING any problems that might occur. If I know someone's gas is turned off and I see them going for their own regulator, I need to be right there to offer a regulator, and the instructor should be rapidly turning the student's gas back on.

Unless we are wrong in our assessment of what happened, it does seem a little odd on the part of the instructor.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Another amen for Scott's comments, and I also want to confirm that having to deal with a small problem during training in a pool is an excellent learning experience. Stop, think, act translated into a real situation is a great learning-teaching- growth moment. Sometimes a problem cannot be diagnosed or corrected at depth, or an equipment issue is such that it is necessary to surface. However, I stress with new divers (and advanced students) that part of the plan is to descend, stay down, and then surface at the end of the dive. It take a lot of people a while to understand that repeated surfacing and descending for whatever reason is not desirable. Sometimes it is necessary. But often, as in your case, with others near at hand including an instructor, resolving the issue at depth is better. Good job. Oh, and by the way, inversion of an alternate air source shouldn't affect the function.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Wineaux]

When I was doing the "turn the gas off" exercise, I noticed that same 'had to suck really hard' feeling quickly and started my out of air signal. My instructor motioned for my buddy to hold off for a moment because he could see I did still have air (pressure on the gauge was still showing a few breaths above empty) and wanted me to experience the truly empty, not just sucking hard (that's what she said) feeling. My instructor said after that I am a little more sensitive to have noticed that "about out of air' feeling as quickly as I did. Perhaps it was a similar case for you?

The experience came in handy the next day when I genuinely ran out of air, conveniently during the BCD off/back on exercise at the bottom of the pool. I was really struggling as I was starting to float away and thought I had the reg hose twisted or something as I was feeling like I had to really fight to take a breath. I got myself turned around but wasn't sure how to signal "is my reg hose twisted" so I gave the low on air signal to indicate the closest thing I could think of. Nope, totally out of air. My claim to fame. Ran out of air in the pool.

 

[tplyons]

The experience came in handy the next day when I genuinely ran out of air, conveniently during the BCD off/back on exercise at the bottom of the pool. I was really struggling as I was starting to float away and thought I had the reg hose twisted or something as I was feeling like I had to really fight to take a breath. I got myself turned around but wasn't sure how to signal "is my reg hose twisted" so I gave the low on air signal to indicate the closest thing I could think of. Nope, totally out of air. My claim to fame. Ran out of air in the pool.

Me too! I ran out of air in the pool and finished my last skill, the hover, with my instructor's octo. Got the ok, surfaced, and when I went to inflate my BC on the surface, I went right back down (newbie mistake, I forgot if I didn't have air to breathe, I didn't have air to fill my BCD -- one kick and I was back up, inflating orally)

It's good to know what an OOA actually feels like in a controlled environment.

To this day, I'm still called Hoover from time to time, despite the fact that my SAC rate is much better now.

 

[Diver0001]

My claim to fame. Ran out of air in the pool.

That's quite an accomplishment....

Lungs of a horse, breathes on scuba like a Labrador chasing a Frisbee.

Truth be known, it's happened more than you think. Good work keeping your cool and sorting it out!

R..

 

[TSandM]

We haven't had anybody run just flat out of gas in the pool, but we've excused more than one student from the water at 200 psi or so . . .

 

[Colliam7]

We haven't had anybody run just flat out of gas in the pool . . .

I have a 'friend' - an instructor - who uses a SPG on his pool regulator that has an offset 'zero' - it reads 300 PSI, instead of 0, when at ambient pressure. In fact, this very instructor, being the clever, capable and wise fellow that he is, uses that SPG as a teaching aid when demonstrating the proper procedure for gear assembly and the importance of checking the SPG before and after pressurizing the system.

My 'friend' was working in the pool with OW students, and realized that a) his air supply was running low but b) there was only one exercise left to complete the CW sessions for the students that evening, so he elected to continue. Unfortunately, he forgot that his SPG had an offset 'zero' and he ran out of gas at 15 feet, while watching the last student complete the last skill of the evening. He had the embarrassing moment of sucking on a vacuum, and having to signal to the students to descended, abruptly, without finishing the skill at that point. I told him that he was a complete doofus.

 

[Darkprincze]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies. Yes I can confirm we were practicing the out of air / alternate air source skill. Although I am 99% sure the instructor did not turn off the air source. He was in front of me the whole time. We were told to simulate / pretend we were out of air, give the signal, then grab the buddies alternate air source. Thats why I am puzzled by this, and sorry I didn't ask for clarification in greater detail. It's only since I thought back to the lesson I have played this over in my mind and realise that however minor, there was a legitimate problem. In reply to Diver0001 I'll try and give a step by step account of what happened.

We practice in a 4 meter deep pool (its actually a diving pool) and we perform our drills on our knees at the bottom. There are only two in our group, me and another guy and then our instructor. We normally are in a triangle shape at the bottom, me beside my buddy, both facing the instructor.

The instructor mimed the drill, then pointed to my buddy indicating he would go first. He gave me the signal for out of air, and then grabbed for my alternate air source. We were told at the top to replace the alternate air source from where we got it, but on finishing the drill, my buddy replaced his air source and dropped my alt leaving it floating loose. No probs I grabbed it and clipped it back across my chest.

At this point my air supply is working fine. The instructor signalled for me to go now. I gave the out of air sign, indicated share air, unclipped my buddies alternate air source, took out my reg and popped his in upside down. (silly I know but it was clipped on upside down, I didnt know I had to turn it over.)

Now this is the part when time slows down. I purged the regulator, my instructor spotted it was upside down and quickly pulled it out and shoved my own regulator at me. I had used my breathe purging the alternate, so I used the purge button on my own regulator and breathed in. I immediately noticed it was difficult to suck. There was air there but it was constricted. I stayed calm. At this point my instructor signalled for me to repeat the drill. I looked at him and pointed at my regulator. He gave me the whats up look. I can clearly remember purging my regulator again. (Worth a try in my mind at the time). I breathed in again. Still constricted. I pointed at my regulator again and this time shook my head. I was trying to indicate - Regulator and - no thats not right. He reached towards my right side it seemed to me, either chest or waist area and fumbled around a little. Again I clearly remember the air began to flow freely again. He signalled ok? I signalled ok and we continued with the drill.

I hope that is clear enough and thanks for all the great replies. What I am taking away from this is I stayed fairly relaxed and calm during a minor incident. I hope I can clarify my question was should the dive have been aborted safely (i.e. to check if gear was faulty) not should I have bolted for the surface.

Again thanks for listening, sorry if post is long winded. Really appreciate the second opinion. I will see my instructor next wednesday eve, I will ask for more info. Can air stop if the hoses get twisted, possibly because of the loose alt being replaced. I really feel I need to get to the bottom of this, because it was obviously something I did not have the knowledge to fix myself. Not so bad in a pool at 4 meters, but in open water at 18 meters? Another story. I wouldn't feel so lucky then.

Cheers, Paul.

 

[Ironman]

I purged the regulator, my instructor spotted it was upside down and quickly pulled it out and shoved my own regulator at me. I had used my breathe purging the alternate, so I used the purge button on my own regulator and breathed in. I immediately noticed it was difficult to suck. There was air there but it was constricted. I stayed calm. At this point my instructor signalled for me to repeat the drill. I looked at him and pointed at my regulator. He gave me the whats up look. . . . I pointed at my regulator again and this time shook my head.

You may not have gotten to this point in the coverage of hand signals in your Confined Water training. But there is a universal u/w hand signal used to indicate that a piece of equipment is not functioning properly. All you have to do is point to the piece of equipment in question, and give this universal sign. It is important that you clearly point to the equipment before using the signal, lest your buddy / instructor / etc. think that you are merely telling them that they are #1 in your opinion.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I have a 'friend' - an instructor - who uses a SPG on his pool regulator that has an offset 'zero' - it reads 300 PSI, instead of 0, when at ambient pressure. In fact, this very instructor, being the clever, capable and wise fellow that he is, uses that SPG as a teaching aid when demonstrating the proper procedure for gear assembly and the importance of checking the SPG before and after pressurizing the system.

My 'friend' was working in the pool with OW students, and realized that a) his air supply was running low but b) there was only one exercise left to complete the CW sessions for the students that evening, so he elected to continue. Unfortunately, he forgot that his SPG had an offset 'zero' and he ran out of gas at 15 feet, while watching the last student complete the last skill of the evening. He had the embarrassing moment of sucking on a vacuum, and having to signal to the students to descended, abruptly, without finishing the skill at that point. I told him that he was a complete doofus.

Why didn't he turn it into another drill and share air?