Tried to Kill Myself but Failed!

[Gene]

Happy belated birthday and it sounds like you reacted as best you could, figured out what had happened and dealt with it calmly but quickly. As a cave/tech diver, I've done plenty of solo cave dives, and always remembered what had been drilled into my head (and muscle memory) countless times about calm (as best possible) self rescue when and as needed. And I've had to do it a time or two.
Two thoughts come to mind here to me: I've always practiced partially taking my tanks on and off underwater as part of my emergency valve shut-off drills which I usually do during deco or safety stops. Doing this makes for a much quicker and hopefully more relaxed time of doing it when you have to.
Also, some of us get chided for checking things over and over, like making sure our house and car doors are locked, stove's off, lights are off, or on as the case may be. With diving, being one of these type people of always checking things a few times or more, is actually a good thing, and I do it every time before diving no matter what. When I realize I'm moving too fast during set-up or final gear check before splashing, I'll stop myself, or slow myself down to make sure everything's covered. And I do this too if at a dive site and people come up and start chatting, asking me about my gear, what am I going to see down in that cave, etc. I'll just stop what I'm doing and talk to them for a bit before resuming. I just want to make sure I don't skip over any important thing. So don't be afraid or bashful about taking control of your gear checks or someone saying you're being "anal," etc.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

No, the issue is the OP grabbed the wrong second stage, which then created the "panic".

He didn't panic. When I did this, I didn't panic. He and I did the same thing. Apparently other people have panicked.

In grabbing the wrong second stage, he (to quote the op) almost killed himself.

I don't think @NW Dive Dawg was being literal.

The "panic" was the end result of the action of grabbing the wrong second stage, from the wrong bottle.

There was no panic here.

Whether the second stage you grab is attached to a bottle with the wrong mix or just attached to the wrong bottle, outcome could be the same. Why is this so hard to understand?

Well, if I grabbed the wrong reg at depth on a technical dive, (say O2) at say 70 feet when I was supposed to switch over to EAN50, then I might ox tox before I reach a shallower depth and drown. Fortunately, I haven't done this.

However, as I shared earlier, I made the same mistake as the OP, and recovered just like the OP when breathing down my pony when I thought I was on my main gas. We didn't even have the option to switching to a reg with gas that would kills us.

This whole sub discussion was started from me asking @davehicks how some people died as a result of breathing down their ponies. And he answered, panic. Then you chimed in bringing in technical diving and people switching to gasses that are fatal at certain depths. I wouldn't say convulsing as an act of panic, as that is a physical response as oppose to mental.

Now I have to ask you, why is this so hard to understand?

We all know that people were dying from improper gas switches. All agencies address gas switching protocols. But let's leave that to other forums, shall we?

To quote the esteemed Dr Frank-N-Furter: ".....I'll remove the cause, but not the symptom".

 

[scubadada]

Not to derail this topic, but as a newer diver who's starting to use a pony for deeper rec dives (not solo but as an extra safety measure), I'm curious about people's thoughts on ditching the pony SPG.

I've use a small 1" button SPG directly attached to my slung pony's 1st stage for the following reasons:
1. I can check the tank pressure before the dive to make sure my pony is still full.
2. I can check the tank pressure during the dive to make sure it's not leaking.
3. If I have to switch to the pony and begin ascending, I can monitor my gas to make sure I have enough to perform the 3 minute safety stop. (Please don't let this get into a debate about pony bottle size).

What do other people think/do?

*NOTE* If mods think this should be moved out of the Basic Scuba forum, please do so.

I have a SPG on my slung 19 cu ft pony on a short hose underneath the retaining strap. I use it for many things. I check the pressure when I turn it on. As I transfill my pony, I use it as a guide to recharge. Underwater, I could easily see a leak, but the SPG is a second check. My pony is chosen to allow me to ascend from any rec depth with a safety stop. The gauge would be a check on that assumption. What's the worst that could happen, a gas leak. Easily reparable by replacing the spool.

 

[L13]

I'd also recommend you consider doing an underwater regulator swap at the beginning of each dive. That will force you to confirm that everything is on and working, and in proper position.

I wanted to highlight this!

 

[davehicks]

I have a SPG on my slung 19 cu ft pony on a short hose underneath the retaining strap. I use it for many things. I check the pressure when I turn it on. As I transfill my pony, I use it as a guide to recharge. Underwater, I could easily see a leak, but the SPG is a second check. My pony is chosen to allow me to ascend from any rec depth with a safety stop. The gauge would be a check on that assumption. What's the worst that could happen, a gas leak. Easily reparable by replacing the spool.

I use the 1" buttons on my ponies. Just needed to check fill state prior to loading up the car before diving. I don't ever check them in the water, but could if required.

 

[BlueTrin]

Good job on not panicking, congrats on failing that attempt

I was wondering if a pony could be rigged like a stage where you put rubber bands on the cylinder and fold the hose inside the bands, the reg would just sit there?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Good job on not panicking

I was wondering if a pony could be rigged like a stage where you put rubber bands on the cylinder and fold the hose inside the bands, the reg would just sit there?

If I were to sling it, that's what I would do. My eyes are bad, so I'd have a normal SPG on a short HP hose. I'd also have labels on that, but that goes beyond what belongs in the basic forum..

 

[steinbil]

Good job on not panicking, congrats on failing that attempt

I was wondering if a pony could be rigged like a stage where you put rubber bands on the cylinder and fold the hose inside the bands, the reg would just sit there?

I guess that wouldn't work if you can't reach it because it's backmounted...

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I guess that wouldn't work if you can't reach it because it's backmounted...

If you rubber band it such that the 2nd stage is low and easy for you to grab, then yes you can. There are some people (I used to do this) who have their back mounted ponies upside down so that they can open/close the cylinder at will (some people pressurize the 2nd stage and then close for fear of possibly unknowingly draining their pony and not knowing it and then not having it when needed). But then you need a longer house.

There's many ways to skin a cat with a pony. Pluses and minuses to everything. If you want the safest configuration, you sling it and have an SPG that you can read and you pay attention to it just like you do to your back gas SPG.

 

[scubadada]

Good job on not panicking, congrats on failing that attempt

I was wondering if a pony could be rigged like a stage where you put rubber bands on the cylinder and fold the hose inside the bands, the reg would just sit there?

Of course, that's what many of us do