OOA in Cozumel

[spector39]

Being a new guy that is a great story.

Just curious since it comes up a lot what kind of back up were you using (octo, 2nd reg, air 2)? Sounds like it all went very smooth but was there any issues or things that could have been better using your alternate?

Not sure I undestand you. I just had my reg and the alternate reg.

 

[spector39]

I've had enough short fills that one of the first things I check is tank pressure when gearing up. In Coz D/M's and Captians often do the tank exchange between dives, so is it possible the tank was not changed out if this was not the first dive of the day?

Me too. This was a pretty deep dive so this was the first dive of the day. I guess the captain grabbed a tank that had been used the previous day? Or, it just wasn't filled to capacity at the fill station.

 

[Nwcid]

Not sure I undestand you. I just had my reg and the alternate reg.

Well if I have my terms right there are Octo's which are usually very basic 2nd stages that for back up. This is what it sounds like you have.
Then there are a lot of people now using 2 of the same 2nd stages vs an Octo.
There there are the set ups like Air 2 that is built into/added to the inflator hose.

 

[DandyDon]

You did great in saving a diver who screwed up and could have lost control - or worse.

As many of us are reading this, I do have to agree: If you get any signal that another diver is LOA or OOA, offer the alternate reg, or your own while you go to alternate, whichever worst best for your rig - but offer air, not signals. If he'd hit totally empty during the signaling, panic might have broken out. Otherwise, great job. :medal:

 

[spector39]

Well if I have my terms right there are Octo's which are usually very basic 2nd stages that for back up. This is what it sounds like you have.
Then there are a lot of people now using 2 of the same 2nd stages vs an Octo.
There there are the set ups like Air 2 that is built into/added to the inflator hose.

Correct. My rig was rented from my LDS and consisted of the reg, alternate reg (which was a different model though I don't recall which one,) computer, and SPG.

 

[langperf]

I just got back from a trip to the caribbean. I was with who I considered a very good dive op who only took small groups out and did guided dives. All the dives were with relatively new divers including myself. I'm anal about checking and testing my gear before a trip and constantly pre and post dive. But what amazed me is there was no buddy checks or buddying up. That doesn't really bother me as I am responsible for my own checks and am religious about doing them. As a no buddy type dive my plan is to stick with the DM as if he were my buddy and go where he goes. It was interesting though to watch other divers wander off 100'-200' away from the nearest other diver and think nothing of it, it amazed me. They actually clowned on me on about the 3rd day as I did my pre dive check after gearing up and ready to enter the water of seeing that I could reach my tank valve and it was turned on, checking my primary and secondary reg for operation and that my inflator and dumps were working.

It never ceases to amaze me how cavalier some people are about basic safety

 

[Mike Boswell]

It happens. Dive boats are busy places and tanks all look alike. People get confused. On average, I would say I get handed a low or empty tank at least once a year, which means about one percent of the time. The tank you forget to check will be the one that has 600 psi in it.

Dropping off a drifting boat into a strong current, making a beeline for the bottom, and then finding out, at 80 feet, that you have 300 psi left in your tank, is not the preferred way to reinforce the BWRAF you learned in OW class, but you won't soon forget it.

 

[Griddable]

I guess it's easy to get confused if someone absent-mindedly pops the cap back on after breaking down their rig... Is a full tank of air noticeably lighter than a used one? I never noticed much of a difference. At any rate, it seems like there were several points at which the mistake could've been spotted and rectified. Too bad it led to an aborted dive, but even if the OP could've been quicker with offering his alt, he reacted well enough for a first-time urgent situation ^^

 

[TSandM]

I'd love to be judgmental, but the fact is that I took a tank from our home and missed three separate steps in my pre-dive procedure where I check pressure, so I ended up in the water with a partially filled tank. It wasn't an issue for the dive, and I certainly discovered it before my gauge read zero, but I empathize with the diver who ended up in the water like that.

What we concluded from my experience was that, during the pre-dive check, every diver must announce his specific tank pressure, rather than saying, "Okay," or anything else that's generic. Of course, if you have no buddy, you have no one to keep you honest about this, or remind you if you have forgotten.

 

[shoredivr]

I'm anal about checking tank pressure and doing a pre-dive equipment check before getting in the water, when diving solo, or when diving with a buddy, or when diving in a herd.


Good job, OP.