Out of Air on Final Open Water Cert. Dive

[harleyxx]

I dont know if this classifies as an incident, but heres what happened. I was on my final open water certification dive, along with 5 other students, at Blue Springs State Park in Fl. We descended to 60'-0 in the opening of the springs and were having a good time examining the ledges and such.

Several cave divers squeezed past us to go to lower depths. One of them landed on top of me and then kicked to go lower. Evidently, when he did, he kicked my alternate air regulator loose. I was not aware that this had happened because I was trying to get out of his way. The alt air reg. drifted behind me and started free flowing. With all the bubbles coming up from all the divers down below us I did not notice that my tank was emptying fast. No one else in our group noticed either. At some point I noticed it drifting next to my side & stopped the free flow and reattached it. I ckecked my SPG and I was just above 500lbs.

The instructor signaled for us to start ascending. We made our safety stop at 15'-0 & started to drift back to the swimming area. I knew I was very low and realized that I would run out of air before we made it back. So when it started to get hard to breath, I kicked to the surface and switched to my snorkel. I choked a little as I cleared the snorkel but then just bobbed up and down as I manually inflated my BCD. The instructor had noticed that I was on the surface & made sure I was OK.

I finished the swim back to the swimming area using the snorkel. It was about 1/8 to 1/4 mile, I am guessing. I was somewhat out of breath when I got back, perhaps from breathing off the snorkle so long. Once back I explained to the instructor what had happened and he said that I handled it ok.

Right of hand I can think of some mistakes I made;
I should have alerted my instructor to my low air situation while still at depth of 60'-0.
(although I knew were were about to ascend)
On the drift back, I also should have switched to my snorkle well before I actually ran out of air.
I should have made sure I had enough air in my tank to inflate my BCD so I wouldnt have to do so manually.

Any other observations will be greatly appreciated.

 

[REII]

Sounds like you handled it ok. Things that come to mind are to check your gear over every once in a while and especially if coming into contact with anyone or anything. I am sure you will next time. Also, when you noticed the low air at depth you should have notified the instructor of what you had left so he/she could make the decision.

However, it sounds like you did ok. Congrats. Many people would have paniced.

TOM

 

[cbborromeo]

Since you experienced free flow, I'm sure your buddy had some air to spare for your 15' drift back to the swimming area. Good opportunity to practice buddy breathing and share your OOA experience with your buddy. Most importantly, you kept a calm demeanor throughout, so good job!

 

[Web Monkey]

I'm sure you'll get more responses than you want, but here's one anyway

The first thing is to make sure this can't happen again. Your octo should be attached someplace you can easily find it, and where a freeflow would be obvious. Somewhere right near your face (upper front D-rings on a jacket-style BC would be great). A small loop of surgical tubing or thin bungee will hold it just fine, and you can rip it right out if you need it.

The second thing (or maybe should have been the first) is to stick with your buddy. He has (or at least should have) air, and if you two stick together like you should, is much safer than bolting fo the surface.

This brings up the last point of making sure that both you and your buddy keep enough air in reserve to be able to surface both of you at any point in the dive.

Terry

IRight of hand I can think of some mistakes I made;
I should have alerted my instructor to my low air situation while still at depth of 60'-0.
(although I knew were were about to ascend)
On the drift back, I also should have switched to my snorkle well before I actually ran out of air.
I should have made sure I had enough air in my tank to inflate my BCD so I wouldnt have to do so manually.

Any other observations will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rainer]

A good example of why you should consider keeping the backup reg under your chin after you leave the class! I'd say your biggest mistake was not indicating this issue to your instructor immediately. Glad things worked out, but keeping quiet about it wasn't smart. Also, the reason for keeping extra air in the tank isn't so you can inflate the BC, it's so you can breath. Inflating the BC manually shouldn't be a problem.

 

[do it easy]

Nice work, it sounds like you kept a clear head and made some good decisions underwater.

Yup, communicating your situation would have been better. Also, check your SPG regularly to make sure it reads what you think it should read.

You learned a very important lesson too- manage your gas supply so that you don't have to surface swim!

 

[spectrum]

You did well.

Taking immediate action when you realized you had lost that air would have been the better thing to do. Getting the instructor or buddy by your side would have been another good thing to do. Going it alone deprived yourself of many safeguards.

For a OW candidate you did understand the situation and managed your resources for a safe ascent. An extended surface swim in full gear is hard work, especially on the tail end of the dive. We will often snorkel out a ways at the begining but almost always dive back in to the exit point.

As a new diver you are not expected to be elegant or polished. Being able to function under stress is very cool.

Pete

 

[goodeatsfan]

every encounter is a learning experience. for it being your final OW cert dive, you did well not to panic, while you should have alerted the instructor immediately following the incident, it's all in the past now. just remember the next time you run low on air or something out of turns happens, to at least let your buddy know. DIVE SAFE! and CONGRATS on getting certified, now have FUN!

 

[Jasonmh]

Congratulations on keeping a cool head in the situation. That is always important when dealing with something unexpected underwater.
I was just going to say something alittle different than the good points that have already been made. Not only is this a good incident for you to evaluate and learn from, it is also an opportunity to learn about being a better buddy. Now that you have experienced this yourself, you know that it is important to pay attention to your buddy if you ever see him/her come in to contact with anything. They may have a problem that is behind them or that they can't see and don't know about, and it is your job to point it out ASAP and help them correct it.
Sounds like you handled it pretty well (there is always room for improvement for everyone) and are willing to listen to advice, which is excellent.

 

[harleyxx]

That is good advise. I was using the equipment supplied by the dive shop and the Alt air regulator was kind of low on my BCD. It was not in the Triangle area suggested in PADI manual, but on the side, below my right elbow. This is a lesson well learned.

I did not notice the free flow though, this concerns me. Could the regulator have been kicked loose, but not started to free flow until it had already drifted behing me? Does it free flow because it is not adjusted correctly?

A good example of why you should consider keeping the backup reg under your chin after you leave the class! I'd say your biggest mistake was not indicating this issue to your instructor immediately. Glad things worked out, but keeping quiet about it wasn't smart. Also, the reason for keeping extra air in the tank isn't so you can inflate the BC, it's so you can breath. Inflating the BC manually shouldn't be a problem.