Serious OOA question

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Almost every time I dive the Oriskany there is an OOA diver needing assistance. They tend to be older divers, not dove in awhile, on air, new computer, al80. I dive a long hose and a steel 119, with pony, in OW, so catch them as they barrel up the mooring line, stop them and shove a reg in their mouth. We then come up slow doing a bit of deco along the way - they always have a bit of deco to do too.

In a cave? Never.

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[MengTze]

OW yes, Cave no.

Training dive Fundies in Singapore. Just off the coast of S'pore. Some shop tech had just put on the bungee on my backup reg. We do the last dive of the course. Instructor comes up and signals OOA. I donate long hose and go to backup. Instructor takes two breaths and hands me back the long hose. I am confused...... untill I try to breathe in. No air. The mouth piece had come off the reg and I was in the pea soup green water with my buddy having lost a mask (holding on to me), me looking like the gimp with a mouth piece strapped across my face. I inhaled water and started choking. Grabbed the reg from instructor and he swam off to get some gas from someone else.....

We laughed and laughed....... (NOT).

[FW]

I bet you could fill up a whole month's of Rodales Scuba Diver magazine's "I learned from"

My OW dives are only about 10% of my total, unless you count headpools

[Bobby]

Never a true OOA in a cave. Had one situation where a non-team member I came upon had his isolator closed. Did not bother to check it until the diver was out of the cave.

Unfortunately OW there have been many OOA's that I have been involved with. Two ended in chamber trips. These were back when gas reserves were far less conservative. All the rest have been simple gas donation except one when I was CCR and carried only one bailout. Turned out fine and learned to carry two sources of bailout with two OC regs on every dive. Have learned the importance of redundancy, even on cattle boat shallow dives, the hard way

Bobby

[BillBowden]

In a 3 person team, had a diver have a roll-off in a tight bedding plane and really thought he was out of air- regs on the wrong posts. (First time I dove w/him and didn't think anybody could be that stupid.) I donated my long hose and he was totally paniced. Because I thought he had really sucked his 125's empty, if he really used that much air, I knew what I had left in my 108's wasn't going to get us out. And when he was on my long hose I could really hear him hoovering. That was really scary because I knew for @ 20 minutes this idiot was going to be the cause of my death.

When things opened up buddy #3 turned the "OOA" divers air back on, but he was still so paniced he wouldn't let go of my long hose. Later I learned that beer was a major part of his pre-dive prep. He no longer cave dives.

(Now I dive a rebreather and don't share)

[OFG-1]

(Now I dive a rebreather and don't share)

Damn Bill, you are getting greedy.

[LCF]

No OOAs. A couple of LOAs, usually with new divers who forget to check their gas supply often enough. I've learned that it really IS possible for someone to use an entire LP95 in 30 feet of water in 20 minutes. I couldn't do it, but I've seen it done. I was a believer in the 7' hose from long before I began cave diving -- it takes a lot of the stress out of such situations.

[Michael Stroeck]

Edit by FW - Remember rule #3!

Ooops, sorry. I got confused and thought I was on TDS for a second there

[Cindy]

Lets see, dive buddy broke his manafold
My first stage exploded and knocked me silly, by the time I got the manifold isolator off I have very little air, my buddy was ahead of me doing survey.
I know of two others. It happens.

[DogDiver]

Been diving since 1966 and NEVER ran out of air. From Great Lakes wreck diving to now cave diving. Even when diving with the new invention of a "J" valve before the days of submersable pressure gauges. I have been REAL LOW on air a few times, was sure I still heard a "hiss" when I took the regulator off the cylinder at home later that day...lol

I'ts just not a possibility if your watching your SPG and aware of the situation. Now.....if it involves an equipment failure....than thats another story...

Other recreational divers running out of air on thier vacation dive trips... ya I've seen a number of them..... I try to stay clear of potential accidents waiting to happen.... you all know what they look like on any given dive boat in the Keys...

I usually dive with a steel 95 and "H" valve in the Keys. And dive by myself. When asked if that "funny" regulator is for someone else running out of air? I simply reply..NO thats for me...