beach89
Contributor
If he was in the water with them then I really don't see why it would be all that dangerous. The biggest worry would be lung over expansion injuries. As long as he made it clear that they were to not ascend when inhaling (or never hold their breath), then they wouldn't have to worry about that. It would be kinda hard to get the bends (how long at six feet would it take? Over five hours?). Equipment failure- A BCD failure or flooded mask would be the biggest problem. Those would be the only things that would cause someone to bolt to the surface with a lung full of air. A regulator failure would only be a problem if they stutter breathed. Gauge failures wouldn't be a problem. Can't think of anything else.shadragon:A qualified and well seasoned instructor drowned in a swimming pool. He was found at a depth of 4 feet. There are many more threads about students drowning in classes, when diving with family members, etc. You are not an instructor and cannot recognize equipment problems before they get in the water. You placed your friends/family in a very precarious position and only luck saved you from disaster. You can drown in 2 inches of water. When untrained people use ill-fitting SCUBA gear without appropriate supervision there is no "safe" depth.
In the link you posted, the divers died of heart attacks in pools. His brother/friends could be swimming in a pool and have a heart attack and it would be more or less the same as having a heart attack in the pool while wearing scuba gear. Actually it'd be better to pass out in the water with a regulator in your mouth than with nothing at all.
BTW: I wouldn't do it, but I don't think it's excessively dangerous.