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[EDIT] - FFS I can't even post this in the correct bit of the forum. I think I am traumatised again. Some pub therapy will be required this PM.
OK Steve, you were bored and wanted the story so here it is. I think I have got most of the facts down.
I decided for a number of reasons (a few years back) that I wanted a FFM. Shortly having acquired it I booked myself in for the TDI advanced EANx and Deco courses. The deco course involves using 2 gas mixes (air/EANx) so I bought a gas switch in order that I could switch between two gas sources whilst diving.
Having got my new gas switch I was faced with a real mess with routing of the hoses. Anyway, I spent a Friday evening sorting everything out as best I could until I was as happy as I could be given the kit I had. This, in my defence, did include physically checking which switch setting worked off which gas supply – well, it is of some significance after all. (NOTE - I had used it in the pool first but was continually adapting the hose routing).
Anyway, come Sat morning I am up very early to give my kit one last check over when I decide that due to the slightly different lengths of some hoses that everything would “fit together better” if they were used in different positions from the first stages. 20 minutes of frantic hose changing and it is time to load up the car and shoot off to Brighton.
Out on the boat we get the 10 minute call and proceed to kit up. My buddy is on the other side of the boat and is kitted up in seconds whereas I, with lots of new bits, am a lot slower. I then was unhappy with the seating of the FFM which resulted in taking it off (after removing my gloves). I am now rushing to catch up and get in the water with my buddy who is ready and impatient to get going. As I stagger to the back of the boat I am still pulling on gloves and beginning to feel quite stressed.
Anyway, into the water I go still trying to get one glove done up, which I manage, only to find I have drifted past the shot. So, by the time I get back to the shot I am panting quite heavily as the current was fairly strong and feeling even more stressed. My buddy has already headed down to wait at the bottom of the shot so now I am trying to play catch up. I am panting so heavy that I need to pull myself down the shot to get under the water. My only thought being that once I hit the wreck I can chill out for a minute and get my act together. In my efforts to catch up I have been pulling myself down the shot without checking my gauges or anything for that matter.
At this point I should mention that I am using twin 10s with a 3 ltr deco bottle in a “toblerone” config. There is a bailout reg on each post. I have redundancy in spades.
As I approach abt 30 mtrs (max depth 35 mtrs) I think “that’s unusual, it is not normally that hard to breath through the mask”. By the time I have figured out what is going on I get the ”Oh fuck, I’m out of gas” flashing across my brain and having just exhaled I find I can suck nothing back into my lungs. With fully deflated lungs I at last react and reach for the gas switch to move over to another bottle – even if it is the 80% one. Unfortunately with the onset of panic and my new gas switch and wearing gloves I can not remove the safety catch.
I can assure you that at this time I was not a happy bunny. OK give up on the switch and go for backup regs. Reach down into “the triangle” but can not find any of the 3 regs as they have ALL come out of their retaining clips – FFS. There briefly followed some very fast arm sweeping but as I am flat on the sea bed this has no success at all.
A moment of insight hits me and I remember thinking “of fuck, I’m going to die” . Just then, in the gloom, I see my buddy coming into view through the gloom and the lovely sight of his yellow octopus reg. I ditched my FFM and made it over to him PDQ and ripped the reg from its holder. By this time I was having to fight my body to prevent it trying to breathe water. I can tell you from experience I would have pulled his jaw off his face in order to get at a reg – there is no longer any rational thought at that time.
What a relief – air, mmmmmm. I was not at all interested in investigating what had gone wrong + my contacts had washed out which meant my vision was somewhat impaired so I said up and he had to abort his dive. I didn’t even bother with my backup mask.
To cut a long story short – in my morning rush messing about with the hoses I had connected them up back to front and been breathing off the 3 ltr during the descent. I ditched and replaced all the reg clips straight after that dive.
For those who care, the following day was my test dive for the TDI course and I passed. Also, on that fateful dive the shot had missed the wreck and I don’t think anyone found it.
Of course I have taken steps to remedy all faults, both mine and with my kit selection, and am a much better diver because of it – you couldn’t be any worse than on that occasion and expect to live. I did some stupid things and ignored some of the most basic things we are taught as beginners. I couldn’t believe I had done what I did - and I thought I was an OK diver at that time.
Beat that if you can.
[EDIT] - FFS I can't even post this in the correct bit of the forum. I think I am traumatised again. Some pub therapy will be required this PM.
OK Steve, you were bored and wanted the story so here it is. I think I have got most of the facts down.
I decided for a number of reasons (a few years back) that I wanted a FFM. Shortly having acquired it I booked myself in for the TDI advanced EANx and Deco courses. The deco course involves using 2 gas mixes (air/EANx) so I bought a gas switch in order that I could switch between two gas sources whilst diving.
Having got my new gas switch I was faced with a real mess with routing of the hoses. Anyway, I spent a Friday evening sorting everything out as best I could until I was as happy as I could be given the kit I had. This, in my defence, did include physically checking which switch setting worked off which gas supply – well, it is of some significance after all. (NOTE - I had used it in the pool first but was continually adapting the hose routing).
Anyway, come Sat morning I am up very early to give my kit one last check over when I decide that due to the slightly different lengths of some hoses that everything would “fit together better” if they were used in different positions from the first stages. 20 minutes of frantic hose changing and it is time to load up the car and shoot off to Brighton.
Out on the boat we get the 10 minute call and proceed to kit up. My buddy is on the other side of the boat and is kitted up in seconds whereas I, with lots of new bits, am a lot slower. I then was unhappy with the seating of the FFM which resulted in taking it off (after removing my gloves). I am now rushing to catch up and get in the water with my buddy who is ready and impatient to get going. As I stagger to the back of the boat I am still pulling on gloves and beginning to feel quite stressed.
Anyway, into the water I go still trying to get one glove done up, which I manage, only to find I have drifted past the shot. So, by the time I get back to the shot I am panting quite heavily as the current was fairly strong and feeling even more stressed. My buddy has already headed down to wait at the bottom of the shot so now I am trying to play catch up. I am panting so heavy that I need to pull myself down the shot to get under the water. My only thought being that once I hit the wreck I can chill out for a minute and get my act together. In my efforts to catch up I have been pulling myself down the shot without checking my gauges or anything for that matter.
At this point I should mention that I am using twin 10s with a 3 ltr deco bottle in a “toblerone” config. There is a bailout reg on each post. I have redundancy in spades.
As I approach abt 30 mtrs (max depth 35 mtrs) I think “that’s unusual, it is not normally that hard to breath through the mask”. By the time I have figured out what is going on I get the ”Oh fuck, I’m out of gas” flashing across my brain and having just exhaled I find I can suck nothing back into my lungs. With fully deflated lungs I at last react and reach for the gas switch to move over to another bottle – even if it is the 80% one. Unfortunately with the onset of panic and my new gas switch and wearing gloves I can not remove the safety catch.
I can assure you that at this time I was not a happy bunny. OK give up on the switch and go for backup regs. Reach down into “the triangle” but can not find any of the 3 regs as they have ALL come out of their retaining clips – FFS. There briefly followed some very fast arm sweeping but as I am flat on the sea bed this has no success at all.
A moment of insight hits me and I remember thinking “of fuck, I’m going to die” . Just then, in the gloom, I see my buddy coming into view through the gloom and the lovely sight of his yellow octopus reg. I ditched my FFM and made it over to him PDQ and ripped the reg from its holder. By this time I was having to fight my body to prevent it trying to breathe water. I can tell you from experience I would have pulled his jaw off his face in order to get at a reg – there is no longer any rational thought at that time.
What a relief – air, mmmmmm. I was not at all interested in investigating what had gone wrong + my contacts had washed out which meant my vision was somewhat impaired so I said up and he had to abort his dive. I didn’t even bother with my backup mask.
To cut a long story short – in my morning rush messing about with the hoses I had connected them up back to front and been breathing off the 3 ltr during the descent. I ditched and replaced all the reg clips straight after that dive.
For those who care, the following day was my test dive for the TDI course and I passed. Also, on that fateful dive the shot had missed the wreck and I don’t think anyone found it.
Of course I have taken steps to remedy all faults, both mine and with my kit selection, and am a much better diver because of it – you couldn’t be any worse than on that occasion and expect to live. I did some stupid things and ignored some of the most basic things we are taught as beginners. I couldn’t believe I had done what I did - and I thought I was an OK diver at that time.
Beat that if you can.
