danr5160
Registered
I live in the Pacific Northwest and do a lot of dives in the cold water of Puget Sound and Hood Canal. We were out one beautiful morning at Jorsted Creek and had dived the wall. Visibility below 30 FSW was pretty good, maybe 30 feet, but shallower we had an algae bloom and could not see more than 3 to 4 feet. Coming back from the wall, we decided to examine the shallow reef, at about 15 FSW. We both had at least 1500 lbs on AL80s since we never extend our dives past 2000 lbs before turning back. However, the visibility on the shallow reef was so bad we got separated. I practiced my lost buddy procedure, looking around 360 degrees for three full rotations and not finding him I surfaced. I had only been on the surface for a few seconds and heard a cry for help. Looking over, I saw my buddy's hand disappearing under the water about 20 feet away. Now I have taken the Rescue Diver course and suspected he may be panicked, so I got over to his bubbles quickly but descended cautiously until I could see him. However, when I got to him, he was on his knees breathing very calmly and just waiting. I signaled and received an OK. Swimming closer, I could see there was no look of panic in his eyes, so I checked his gear. His inflator was blowing air right through his BC. I signaled him to ditch his weights, and we ascended together using my bouyancy. He was negative the whole time, but never panicked. I towed him to shore and we were both fine. It was a good reminder to dive with people you trust, and don't panic. i went back in the water, retrieved his weights, and we called it a day.
