Intentionally out of air (at 15m)

[dmoore19]

The training I had did have an OOA drill. To know what it felt like we were in the shallow end of the pool and the instructor turned off my air. We were able to stand up in the pool and breathe but I know what running out of air feels like. We were also taught to give (or take) the primary. (Please don't start off topic after this comment) If you or your buddy has an Airsource 2 alternate giving the OOA person your primary is what needs to be done. It is also the way I was taught because a panicked OOA diver will go for your primary because he knows it works. If you have a octo as your alternate it should make no difference, just get them some air!

 

[PatW]

That method sounds like a pretty risky drill to me. I would think that practicing something similar in shallow water would be more to the point. You would do this after a safety stop and then have someone close the valve on your tank. But this would not be something to do unless you had practiced it in a pool first. There is no way I would try this stunt with a new diver. I wonder what the divemaster could be thinking.

 

[DandyDon]

Do notice that this happened outside of the US. We tend to try to apply our values to the rest of the world, in failure.

 

[Zerbini]

Do notice that this happened outside of the US. We tend to try to apply our values to the rest of the world, in failure.

I don't think I understand.
Could you ellaborate?
Are the USA not liable for near misses?

 

[DandyDon]

I don't think I understand.
Could you ellaborate?
Are the USA not liable for near misses?

I mean no insult, but cultures and practices do vary from location to location around the world. We Americans tend to try to apply our values to others, but that just doesn't work. I agree that what the DM did was dangerous, but I suspect that some attitudes are different there. I have no knowledge at all about the legal system there.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I don't think I understand.
Could you ellaborate?
Are the USA not liable for near misses?

Much better than the first draft

 

[Docc]

Much better than the first draft

Agreed!

 

[Diver0001]

When the needle marked 40bar it became very hard to breath (we were at 15m). When it dropped to 30bars I couldn't pull any more gasp

.

This shouldn't have happened. With reasonably modern equipment your regulator should have breathed more or less normally until it was showing empty. Like really empty, not 30 bar.

Either :

a) your SPG was showing 30 bar but the tank was empty or
b) the SPG was showing the correct pressure but something is terribly wrong with your reg or
c) The SPG and the reg were both ok but somehow your brain convinced your body that it couldn't breathe.

R..

 

[scubafanatic]

I have to be honest - I'm surprised by this exercise. If the DM wanted you to feel what it was like to have an OOA situation he could have just turned your air off while staying next to you and completed the drill (ie - gives you his reg etc) that just seems like a safer option to me rather than swimming in front of you while you run OOA and have to swim to him.

In saying this though, it was a good experience but I don't think I would go through it. Good on you for not freaking out!

Cheers
Starlet

....well, while it sounds obvious that an OOA sensation can be replicated via simply turning off one's air...in reality, it isn't quite the same thing as leaving the tank 'on' and just gradually breathing it down to empty.......the 1st method is a very fast/abrupt 'on/off' sensation....which doesn't really duplicate the real-world more gradual tank pressure decline/breathing resistance situation.

 

[DandyDon]

....well, while it sounds obvious that an OOA sensation can be replicated via simply turning off one's air...in reality, it isn't quite the same thing as leaving the tank 'on' and just gradually breathing it down to empty.......the 1st method is a very fast/abrupt 'on/off' sensation....which doesn't really duplicate the real-world more gradual tank pressure decline/breathing resistance situation.

Nope, and the CESA is not the same. But then an unneeded CESA, continuing to suck air expanding in the tank, etc can allow water in the reg, maybe the valve & tank, in addition to the risk.