Know before you go!!!!

[Bubblebreath]

My wife and I had just recived openwater cert. [20yrs ago] We did our training dives in a lake in MO, with a dive depth of 30 feet max. We did several more lake dives around this depth. Then we decided to go to panama city,FL. and do some ocean diving. I was going to spearfish also. We got on the charter boat and went out about 15 miles to the dive site, a ship wreck. They did a dive breifing ,dive was 95 feet deep I told them we hadn't been deeper than 30 feet, his reply, depth doesn't really matter you'll be fine. So we jumped in got to the bottom. We had been down about 10 min. I was using my speargun to keep off the bottom and stuck the point in a steel grate, I used a lot of energy trying to get it free, no luck. I happen to glance at my gauges and I have 250 lb's of air. I cut the spear off, We head to the surface and do a saftey stop on my WIFE'S air. We get back on the boat and I have 150 lb's of air. Lesson learned; DEPTH DOES MATTER!!!!!!! PS Now I only take pictures.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Bubblebreath, You learned a very valuable lesson! From your post I'm sure you realize you where in way over your head. Good job not panicking not sure a lot of people would have done the same. You had presents of mind to do a safety stop etc. I'm sure you will get plenty of feed back from you posts. Hope you seek more training and experience slowly.

Edit:
If you where doing nothing different at 95 feet you would use 2X as much are as you would at 30 feet. Do a search for "Rock Bottom" or "Gas Planning" or "SAC"

 

[Bubblebreath]

Hi; Submariner I knew my tables and everything, just got off track with the stuck spear and didn't check guages when I should have. We've been diving 20 yr's now and no more nail biters. Knock on a wooden ship.THANKS!!!

 

[DivingPrincessE]

Glad to hear you only take pictures now.

 

[fisherdvm]

Now I only take pictures.

I find that photographers are really not buddies. I guess that means your wife is diving without a buddy?

One of the reason why I like shallow dives, you actually have time to enjoy diving. Go down 90 ft, and your bottom time is cut in half.

 

[perdidochas]

My wife and I had just recived openwater cert. [20yrs ago] We did our training dives in a lake in MO, with a dive depth of 30 feet max. We did several more lake dives around this depth. Then we decided to go to panama city,FL. and do some ocean diving. I was going to spearfish also. We got on the charter boat and went out about 15 miles to the dive site, a ship wreck. They did a dive breifing ,dive was 95 feet deep I told them we hadn't been deeper than 30 feet, his reply, depth doesn't really matter you'll be fine. So we jumped in got to the bottom. We had been down about 10 min. I was using my speargun to keep off the bottom and stuck the point in a steel grate, I used a lot of energy trying to get it free, no luck. I happen to glance at my gauges and I have 250 lb's of air. I cut the spear off, We head to the surface and do a saftey stop on my WIFE'S air. We get back on the boat and I have 150 lb's of air. Lesson learned; DEPTH DOES MATTER!!!!!!! PS Now I only take pictures.

20 yrs ago, in Panama City, that was common (I dove there quite a lot 20-25 yrs ago). Sounds like your main problem was buoyancy control and not watching your gauges, all of which was exacerbated by depth.

 

[shoupart]

So you were doing spearfishing right after you got certified?

It seems to me that that task-loads a lot of people, they've got too much to handle and monitor before adding additional stuff like hunting to it.\

Especially with depth!

Glad to hear you could share the story and lessons with the rest of us

 

[Bubblebreath]

I find that photographers are really not buddies. I guess that means your wife is diving without a buddy?

One of the reason why I like shallow dives, you actually have time to enjoy diving. Go down 90 ft, and your bottom time is cut in half.

I'm telling my wife you said she's a bad buddy, I do video she does still or sometimes we change. we like shallow when possible.

 

[Max Depth]

I was using my speargun to keep off the bottom

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Hi; Submariner I knew my tables and everything, just got off track with the stuck spear and didn't check guages when I should have. We've been diving 20 yr's now and no more nail biters. Knock on a wooden ship.THANKS!!!

If you have not did the searches I reccomended please do, they really don't have much to do with the tables. They will give you a strategy to plan your dive make sure you comunicate with your partner then execute your dive and NOT Run low or out of air.

Edit
Sorry on my first read I missed that this incident happened 20 years ago. I guess you learned well from the experience.