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The Deadly Risk of Neglecting Your Air

A diver focuses on a new task rather than his air consumption

By Eric Douglas 

Ben was new to spearfishing on scuba, but he was excited to try it. He just had to line up the perfect shot. The liveaboard’s chef told Ben if he got anything, he would cook it that night for dinner. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw his new dive buddy heading toward the surface. He remembered to check his air supply and realized he was nearly out of air.

THE DIVER

Ben was a 15-year-old male. He was certified as a PADI Junior Open Water Diver at age 13, but did not dive again for more than two years. When he received a trip on a local liveaboard dive boat as a gift, he knew he needed to prepare. He made 20 lake dives one month before attempting his first ocean dives on the liveaboard.

THE DIVE

On the first full day on the dive boat, Ben made six dives, including a night dive. The first dive on the second day was uneventful. Conditions were ideal, with more than 40 feet of visibility and only gentle currents. On the second dive that day, Ben took his new speargun with him. Ben was buddied up with another teen diver who had just completed his open water training and was making his first dive without an instructor.

THE INCIDENT

Ben’s buddy Lee realized he was down to about 1,000 psi in his tank and decided he needed to head back toward the boat. They were diving at a depth of around 90 feet. He tried to signal Ben, but Ben was too intent on stalking a fish to notice. Lee glanced back down to check on Ben as he ascended, and he saw Ben signaling that he needed to share air. Lee swam back down to help. They joined up, and Lee gave Ben his alternate air source. They began to ascend, but at about 70 feet, Ben took the backup regulator out of his mouth and grabbed Lee’s primary reg. After two breaths, Lee realized Ben wasn’t going to give his regulator back and jerked on the hose to retrieve it.

At that point, Ben simply fell away as if unconscious. Lee ran out of air on his ascent and surfaced rapidly. He ended up needing medical treatment and recompression in a hyperbaric chamber. Two other divers found Ben’s body at 94 feet and brought him to the surface. The boat crew performed CPR, but Ben did not come back.

ANALYSIS

The first lesson everyone can learn from this is just how quickly poor gas management can turn a perfect day into a disaster. Ben was nearly 100 feet down, but he wasn’t paying attention to the air in his tank. We don’t know exactly what happened, but he was likely focused on his first dive with a speargun and trying to bring back a fish. Underwater photographers can get themselves in trouble the same way—by focusing on the task rather than their diving skills.

The problem is task loading on a dive. For a relatively new diver, taking a speargun or a camera underwater can take their attention away from basic scuba skills like monitoring air supply, depth or their buddy’s location.

Ben refreshed his skills in the local lake after a two-year layoff following his certification, which was good, but he nonetheless allowed himself to get distracted. Ben was buddied up with another inexperienced diver and was using a speargun for the first time, which appears to have contributed. The two divers didn’t stay in contact, and Lee wasn’t confident enough to check in with Ben about his air supply or to notify his buddy when he decided to ascend.

It’s not uncommon for a stressed or panicked diver to feel as if they aren’t getting enough air from an alternate air source, even when it is working normally. The odd angle of the hose or even the orientation of the donated regulator can make breathing feel more difficult. Mistakes can happen in an emergency, especially when neither diver has practiced air-sharing techniques. At the end, Ben’s panic likely increased, which made him go for Lee’s regulator.

All of that could have been avoided if both divers had monitored each other and their air supplies like they had been taught.

LESSONS FOR LIFE

Monitor your gas: While a good buddy will check in with you, it’s ultimately your responsibility to monitor and plan your dive according to your gas.

Avoid task loading: Don’t introduce too many firsts on a dive. A new environment, new gear or a speargun or camera on a dive can be too many distractions, even for an experienced diver.

Practice air-sharing techniques: Practicing emergency drills in the water helps buddy teams become familiar with each other and keep skills fresh.

Link to the article:

The Deadly Risk of Neglecting Your Air | Scuba Diving