New diver / Strong current

[ScubaMarine]

Ive been diving only a little over a month but have logged 10 dives already. My first strong current dive was last weekend. The DM and captain warned everyone going down to hang onto the line all the way to the wreck or you would end up on the sand. That was no problem.

However, I did feel the strong current and I tried to fight against it a little. Probably because Im new. Anyway after periodically checking my gauges I must have skipped it for too long or changed my breathing pattern. At 72 ft I had only 500lbs, maybe thats not bad but being new I got pretty nervious which probably didnt help my breathing. I motioned to my buddy Im getting low on air and lets go up. We got back to the rope just behind an instructor doing his last dive with a new student. For some reason they ascended very very slowly. By the time we hit 15ft I was down to 200lbs. I waited there 2-3 minutes then I motioned to my buddy I was low and I was going up. I passed the instructor and his student and surfaced with my gauge reading zero on air. Im sure I had a little air left but a close call I would not soon replicate.

I didnt think about that which makes sense now. A strong current is going to make me work harder and use more air. Now I know.

 

[Hank49]

You got it. Sit by your TV, rest and monitor your heartrate. Now, get up and go get a beer and come back and sit down. Notice how even that little motion can raise your pulse? That's exactly what happens when you expend any energy under water so your air consumption goes up. Notice how the divemaster or instructors (in most cases) look like they hardly move? That's why they use so little air.

 

[Charlie99]

Glad it all worked out.

It should have been easy to use your buddy's octo as you slowly ascended the line, and definitely something you should have done during your 15' hang. While it worked out ok, you should not have had to bolt to the surface, nor should you have needed to breathe your air down to next to nothing.

As for your high air consumption, it may have been partly that you were working harder but simply being nervous and excited can cause your air consumption rate to soar.

 

[Tollie]

I’m really glad things worked out for you. It could have ended in a bad day for you. The suggestion to have made use of your buddy’s octo was a good one. A better suggestion would be for you to plan your dive more carefully, monitor your air consumption more closely and to stay above 60 feet until you are trained to go deeper. The combination of anxiety, exertion and depth can dramatically boost your air consumption. Training and practice is the antidote.

 

[FFMDiver]

Are you AOW or OW?
Deep diving at 10 dives seems a bit unwise?

Ive been diving only a little over a month but have logged 10 dives already. My first strong current dive was last weekend. The DM and captain warned everyone going down to hang onto the line all the way to the wreck or you would end up on the sand. That was no problem.

However, I did feel the strong current and I tried to fight against it a little. Probably because Im new. Anyway after periodically checking my gauges I must have skipped it for too long or changed my breathing pattern. At 72 ft I had only 500lbs, maybe thats not bad but being new I got pretty nervious which probably didnt help my breathing. I motioned to my buddy Im getting low on air and lets go up. We got back to the rope just behind an instructor doing his last dive with a new student. For some reason they ascended very very slowly. By the time we hit 15ft I was down to 200lbs. I waited there 2-3 minutes then I motioned to my buddy I was low and I was going up. I passed the instructor and his student and surfaced with my gauge reading zero on air. Im sure I had a little air left but a close call I would not soon replicate.

I didnt think about that which makes sense now. A strong current is going to make me work harder and use more air. Now I know.

 

[H2Andy]

I waited there 2-3 minutes then I motioned to my buddy I was low and I was going up. I passed the instructor and his student and surfaced with my gauge reading zero on air

you handled things very well, but remember, your buddy is your emergency air supply

if he has air, you don't have a problem.

i would have signaled to him, shared his air, and ascended together. that way,
you stay in touch, and if you have an unforseen problem, you still have air.

you also didn't have to get to that point. you are exactly right that the lesson
to learn here is air management and taking into account factors which will
increase your air consumption (current and depth being two such factors).
keep in mind those factors, and check your air more often when they are present.

also, i would suggest that you adapt a variation on the "rock bottom" rule, which
will guide you in setting a "turn around" gas pressure depending on your planned
depth. if you do a search for "rock bottom" here, you will find a number of threads
on the subject.

i think you did great for someone with 10 dives!

 

[ScubaMarine]

I finsihed my AOW certification immediately following my OW. So my first 8 dives were all cert dives. My instructor for AOW took us down to 114ft for a 22 min dive. You are right though better planning and more attention to my gauges would have benefited me. Also I could have shared air with my buddy. These are learning dives and I appreciate the info. It was only my second dive past 60. I may have been a overconfident. Time to get humble. Damn pride. thanks for all your posts

 

[cmalinowski]

At least you learned from the experience. Some people would think that what happened was "just right".

None of us are perfect. I ended up coming up with less air than I wanted last week on an 80' dive. I still had time for my safety stop plus extra for slow ascent and surface time, but I was still lower than I wanted to be.

Glad you're OK. Enjoy diving and learn from each experience.

 

[Dapher]

We all learn from our mistakes. The important thing is that you made it back safely, and that you can look at this and see what went wrong for the future. I am willing to bet that you will keep a better eye on your air for the future. One thing you could also do is learn to use a pony bottle. It is a nice feeling to know that you have some "spare air" in the event you or your buddy gets caught up and finds themselves short on air.