AfterDark
Contributor
My most memorable night dive was at "the house on the dumplings" Jamestown, RI a shore dive with some work a nice boat dive.Three of us were diving for bugs on the channel side of the rocks. We all got bugs, I hit our turn around pressure so we headed back. I set a course for us directly back to the egress which was different from the way we came out.One of the divers, Mike swam out head of us. He told us later he needed to pee and didn't want to go in his suit so he paced it up.
Unknown to us there was a monofilamentgill net that had broken loose from somewhere and drifted into shallow water where it became snagged (anchored) to the bottom and half-assed deployed. Mike swam full tilt right into it! He became seriously entangled. We all had less than 1000psi by this time I was down to 500psi, which was about where I should have been for where we were by that time. I made the decision to risk my own entanglement with low air and began to cut away the net. Mike, a longtime dive buddy knew what to do, he kept very still and maintained his buoyancy. The third diver also a longtime dive buddy went to stand-by holding his light and Mike’s light that I was able to pass to him. I kept my light positioned so I could see whatI was doing. In the meantime the tide changed. Before I could get Mike out I was caught. Dave, swam over to me and looked at my SPG, he knows I use a lot of air, 300psi. He cut me out quick I wasn't entangled badly. He gave me the up signal, I flipped him off. I was staying until I needed to blow and go it was only 20fsw a piece of cake, just keep out of the net! We got Mike out, surfaced and got the heck outa there. Mike pissed himself. That was 30 years ago I remember it like it was last week.
Unknown to us there was a monofilamentgill net that had broken loose from somewhere and drifted into shallow water where it became snagged (anchored) to the bottom and half-assed deployed. Mike swam full tilt right into it! He became seriously entangled. We all had less than 1000psi by this time I was down to 500psi, which was about where I should have been for where we were by that time. I made the decision to risk my own entanglement with low air and began to cut away the net. Mike, a longtime dive buddy knew what to do, he kept very still and maintained his buoyancy. The third diver also a longtime dive buddy went to stand-by holding his light and Mike’s light that I was able to pass to him. I kept my light positioned so I could see whatI was doing. In the meantime the tide changed. Before I could get Mike out I was caught. Dave, swam over to me and looked at my SPG, he knows I use a lot of air, 300psi. He cut me out quick I wasn't entangled badly. He gave me the up signal, I flipped him off. I was staying until I needed to blow and go it was only 20fsw a piece of cake, just keep out of the net! We got Mike out, surfaced and got the heck outa there. Mike pissed himself. That was 30 years ago I remember it like it was last week.