Out of Air at 84 ft

[jonnythan]

I have a great entry in my logbook from one of my AOW checkout dives. This log page contains the word "shrinkage". I believe the water temp that day was 38 degrees in the deep end. It also proclaims that I did five dives that day at Dutch absolutely voluntarily and on purpose.

I.. uh, didn't know that about you, Sue. I always knew you were special.

 

[pilot fish]

I have a great entry in my logbook from one of my AOW checkout dives. This log page contains the word "shrinkage". I believe the water temp that day was 38 degrees in the deep end. It also proclaims that I did five dives that day at Dutch absolutely voluntarily and on purpose.

Uh, you, er, um, had shrinkage? On, um, er, what part, SUE? What am I missng here?

 

[Sideband]

I am sure this works great in a pool but 50 feet becomes much much longer when the vizibility is anything less than 50 ft. For that matter if your buddy is 11 feet away and you are in 10 foot viz and you are not sure what direction he/she is in, and/or if the buddy is moving also finding them in the time allowed is very problematic.

So the pool excercise in question is a great confidence builder but is it going to do much for anyone other than a tropical diver? It seems to me that stressing either self sufficiency and redundancy or buddy team integrity makes a lot mores sense.

Agreed.
If the distance to the buddy is greater than the visibility then there is no buddy. At that point you are totally alone and any decisions about where to go for air have to be based on that. If I can't see my buddy then I don't know where to go to get to him. I do know where the surface is. Onward to the surface!

Joe

 

[SueMermaid]

All it says, as I recall, is that "There was shrinkage, according to reports". I did have dive buddies, you pervs.

Heehee, and now that I am remembering that day so fondly, I also recall that page says that I saw an actual fish.

 

[JeffG]

All it says, as I recall, is that "There was shrinkage, according to reports". I did have dive buddies, you pervs.

and you were looking

 

[jbd]

I am sure this works great in a pool but 50 feet becomes much much longer when the vizibility is anything less than 50 ft. For that matter if your buddy is 11 feet away and you are in 10 foot viz and you are not sure what direction he/she is in, and/or if the buddy is moving also finding them in the time allowed is very problematic.

So the pool excercise in question is a great confidence builder but is it going to do much for anyone other than a tropical diver? It seems to me that stressing either self sufficiency and redundancy or buddy team integrity makes a lot mores sense.

DA,

It would seem logical that if an OOA diver could not see anyone, anywhere due to visibility conditions then that diver should be heading up. There simply is no other choice. If visibility conditions are tropical and the buddy is beyond 50 feet from you horizontally then the only logical solution is to ascend via CESA since you are almost as close to the surface as you are to the buddy anyways.

The main idea with this exercise is to teach them not go to panic mode at the first sign of trouble regardless of how "bad" the trouble is. There are options available--stay aware of them.

In regards to buddy skills etc, etc. I do stress this. I also re-enforce it during the pools sessions. As noted earlier I will surprise them with problems. During the practice portion of the pool session I have them involved with a "mission". While they are so occupied I watch for signs of deteriorating buddy awareness. When I see it, I create an "emergency" for them to deal with. If I create a problem for one student the buddy is expected to be there to deal with it or available to render assistance if needed. I simply don't take them to OW certification if they don't seem to have a good understanding of this.

 

[jbd]

Dutch Springs, fresh water, quarry diving, holds NO allure for me.

But it can offer a quick local place to practice and hone skills to a high degree; making you much more effective during the warm water, high viz dives.

 

[miketsp]

Exhale naturally, then hold breath, right? For at least a minute? Not me. My brain starts telling me "okay, that's enough of that" after about 20 seconds. I'm in pretty good shape (run 3 miles a few times a week), too. I wonder if it's more of a mental thing than a shape thing. I think it's the thing that makes me worry about doing a CESA from any serious depth with empty lungs.
..snip..

There are a few tricks, like dry swallowing, which will let you hold your breath until you black out.
A colleague here in the office told me the same thing you just said. I suggested he do a couple of sessions with a free-diving instructor.
He came back a few days later after just a couple of hours in the tower with an instructor and told me now does 3mins + on empty lungs.

 

[simbrooks]

But it can offer a quick local place to practice and hone skills to a high degree; making you much more effective during the warm water, high viz dives.

Or more on your game when out on the wrecks around NY/NJ!

 

[StSomewhere]

But we would prefer to lock them and stop people from posting back and ressurecting some of them with new flame wars (spare air is always a flamable subject ).

Hear, here!!!! (Applause)