Posted by Ken Kurtis on November 06, 2001 at 17:49:37:
In Reply to: Re: Nitrox/longer stop posted by DougD on November 06, 2001 at 17:16:32:
DougD wrote (and I believe without rancor): How much longer do you think she should have stayed down?
I would have liked to see her stay 10 minutes at 15'. She certainly could have gone down to 200psi or so without recrimination (as she acknowledges in her reply below mine here).
Ironically, I was on the line at the stop at the same time she was. I had over 1000psi. She could have come up to me, shown me her air, indicated my octopus, and used as much of my air as she needed. Hindsight's 20/20, but it was an option.
DougD also wrote: I think on my last dive we were warned that if we surfaced with less than 300 psi that would be the end of our diving for the day and a possible ban from the boat.
I hope this wasn't on a Reef Seekers trip. (It if was, please e-mail me privately.) Our policy is if you run out of air, you're done diving for the day (but not banned from ever diving with us again). We also add that, "If you run out of air once and nothing bad happens, you're lucky. We simply don't want to tempt fate twice in the same day."
The reason we do that, and mention it prominently in our briefings, is to put into people's heads the notion that they really should monitor their air. It may sound like an unnecessary step, but remember that Marta shared the Chmaber with an embolised diver who DIDN'T watch her air. Had she been "warned," maybe she'd have been more attentive. Can't say for sure, but we feel the admonition certianly can't hurt.
Ken Kurtis NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, Ca.