Posted by Wayne on May 21, 2001 at 16:09:11:
In Reply to: Autopsy finds scuba diver ran out of air posted by . on May 21, 2001 at 15:27:47:
To run OOA at 10 minutes into the dive implies that the tank was not filled between dives. This means that the diver did nto check the SPG prior to stepping off the boat(hard to understand, but maybe not all divers have this habit). It also means that for several minutes the diver failed to check the SPG while diving.
I am a bit anal about knowing my air (and others in the water with me). I do this not so much for OOA warnings, but rather it is how I plan my dives and how I navigate (500 pounds at this heading, then 500 pounds at 90 degrees to that heading then 700 pounds back to the start point at 45 more degrees).
I get two strong messages from this tragedy to remind myself and other.
1. If in doubt about your ability to get up,
dump your weight.
2. Always monitor your air and adjust your dive
plan to match your available air.
My sincere condolences to all involved. Especially to the buddy! If the buddy was attacked by a paniced diver at depth, there might not have been anything possible to prevent the tragety. To stay might have lead to two fatalities. I imagine it is a hard situation to have been in. And my heart goes out to the buddy.
Wayne