OOA Frequency

[Cacia]

I was watching my gauge the whole way up though and had less than 400 in the tank when I surfaced.

I think I would share air at 20 ft, just for fun. No reason not to, really.

The OOA that would scare me the most would be the drunken blissed out state, with a camera, below 100 feet. I know that could happen, so I treat it like driving after a drink.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I think I would share air at 20 ft, just for fun. No reason not to, really.

The OOA that would scare me the most would be the drunken blissed out state, with a camera, below 100 feet. . .

This "near OOG for real" event happened to my team at 18m deep, after a gas-sharing, no lights, touch-contact egress drill from a wreck penetration during a Night Dive:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=2504233&postcount=12

(Catherine, what are you doing being drunkenly blissed below 100feet with a camera, presumably diving only with a single tank on air?)

 

[Diver Dennis]

Taking pictures...

 

[Thalassamania]

In fifty years (if we don't count the real old days when it was SOP to wait for the regulator to tug a bit then nurse the tank to the surface) I've been OOA perhaps a half dozen times (a hose here, an O-ring there), it's never been any real problem and I've had cause to be a donor about the same number of times again, again, without any particular concern or problem.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Any panicked divers Thall? I know you dive mostly with very well trained people.

 

[Puffer Fish]

Any panicked divers Thall? I know you dive mostly with very well trained people.

Few things get the adrenaline going like that.

 

[spectrum]

So far so good for me.

I've had perhaps 1/2 dozen buddies cut themselves short for the return leg of shore dives. Some did time on my alternate second, others just finished with a surface swim. It's happening less. All were "controled" incidents, no panic.

Pete

 

[Thalassamania]

I think that there was one, there may have been more, but frankly none stand out as panic with a capital "P." All the incidents went pretty much by the numbers. Two of them are described in detail elsewhere on the board. 1 2 And yes, I'd chalk up the lack of angst to good training and practice on all sides.

 

[beautybelow]

The one true panic situation that I saw I wasn't directly involved in. I had a diver who was having a hard time that week with his bouancy, but seemed like he was getting it together after about three days of diving. I remember seeing him at about 60' and thinking to myself how he looked pretty good that dive, nice and relaxed. Not even three minutes later as I was slowly coming up over the edge of the reef I turn around and see his wife being drug to the surface by what I thought was a snorkeler. Here I am thinking what the $^%& is a snorkeler doing dragging a diver to the surface...very fast. I had four other divers and they were all right in front of me in 30 feet or so, so I make towards the surface and signal the couple that saw me right away to stay put because I knew I would go up a little faster than they needed to. I was really worried about the lady I saw drug up and didnt even realize her husband was gone too. I get to the surface and he was already in the boat, out of his gear totally. What had happened is thought he had lost all his weight at about forty feet. Really what he did was hit the wrong button and inflated....panicked....ripped his bc off....swam to his wife (she estimated at least 20')....got her air, but was hyperventilating so bad he could do nothing but swim for the surface and drag her with him. The boat capt said he saw the guy's gear breach the surface before they surfaced. The bc (big zeagle with a 60lb lift) was fully inflated and had all the weights still in it.
Luckily we were close to shore, so rather than climb in with divers still down to put them on O2 (not having any idea what happened on the way up) I sent them to the dock less than five minutes away to be put on oxygen and had the capt call another boat out for us, went down and brought the group back up.
Luckily, they were both fine. The guy had some slight symptoms like a headache later that day and was checked out at the local chamber. He was advised to not dive for a day or two. Things do happen fast down there sometimes.

 

[Doc Harry]

My OOA incident

Secondary regulator went into free-flow at 70 feet. Turns out it had comes loose at the hose attachement. I couldn't tighten it by hand enough to stop the free-flow.

My dive buddy took over the lead and started toward the boat while I continued to fiddle with my regulator. When I went OOA she handed me her octo. We finished the safety stop without incident.

This was the incident that made me switch to a 7-foot hose. I HATED being attached to my buddy on such a short leash. Even in open water a 7-foot hose would have made air sharing so much easier....