I’m lucky to have the friends and fishing/diving partners that i fish offshore with. we usually do very well on the fish, but today we payed the piper.the ride out was flat as it gets and we stopped in 100’ looking for that good viz. dive partner had equipment failure rite off the bat. his pressure gage flooded. he went to air tables, diving nitrox for a good safty factor and we hit the water.(planned a 20 min. dive for him) viz was only about 10’ and the fish were scarse. half way through the dive my 1st stage failed, dumping all my air out both 2nd stage regs. had to abort the dive. on the surface we pooled our parts and assembled one good reg between us and made for more shallow water to add more of a saftey factor. did my second drop in 85’ and got a lobster, things looking up! hit some great ledges but only shot two groupers. james c made his next drop and shot two nice hog snappers about 5 and 12lbs. again only 10’ viz and slim pickins. my next drop I was lining up a shot on a nice gag under an outcrop when I saw a shaddow out of the corner of my eye, thinking shark I held my shot and turned around to see a 40lb+ cobia which I tagged. That fish took off like a rocket and slammed me into the rock outcrop face frist and the reg broke off one of my front teeth. I saw stars for a min. but held on to my gun. The fish pulled off before i could regain my composure. I normally don’t like to dive by mysealf just for thease kinds of situations. a dive buddy might have got me to the surface if I had been knocked out! the wind picked up for the ride home, we just took our time and were thankfull it wasn’t worse. Got to spend some money now on a rebuild on the reg and some dental work! a day we won’t forget, and hope we don’t repeat. Ill hve to be carefull flossing after my meal of lobster and snapper!
don’t use pony bottles, always used J valves. (U.S. Navy trained) had air to get to the surface, just had to cheat a little on my safty stop before the tank completley dumped.1st stage is a US divers conshelf 1V,(best dive gear made, almost 40yres old) hadn’t been reworked in a few years, my fault!
don’t use pony bottles, always used J valves. (U.S. Navy trained) had air to get to the surface, just had to cheat a little on my safty stop before the tank completley dumped.1st stage is a US divers conshelf 1V,(best dive gear made, almost 40yres old) hadn’t been reworked in a few years, my fault!
If it got any better I couldn’t stand it.
You are incredibly lucky you weren’t in a deeper dive. Even at 100’, you took a chance by “cheating” on your safety stop. I’ll guess your first stop this week will be at a dive shop to get that antique reg re-worked!!
“Never argue with an idiot…he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”
That is very scary i am glad that you made it back to the boat safe and sound. I was just wondering if it was a sherwood I use one on my pony and it is a piece of crap. For my back gas I use a zeagle flathead and it is flawless so far.
You are incredibly lucky you weren’t in a deeper dive. Even at 100’, you took a chance by “cheating” on your safety stop. I’ll guess your first stop this week will be at a dive shop to get that antique reg re-worked!!
“Never argue with an idiot…he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”
I think he may have “taken a chance on his safety stop” because tanks tend to run out of air very quickly when both regs are free flowing, and having enough air to continue breathing might have been an issue.
Hey BugCatcher, I bet that mug went from ugly to fugly, send me a picture! If you like, I can pick up a bandana and an eye patch, and you can come to Ashlyn’s party as a pirate! Pirates are way cooler than clowns anyway.
My advice is my opinion only. I may have gotten that opinion from something I read while sitting on the toilet. Please keep that in mind when reading my posts, the information may not be correct.
You are incredibly lucky you weren’t in a deeper dive. Even at 100’, you took a chance by “cheating” on your safety stop. I’ll guess your first stop this week will be at a dive shop to get that antique reg re-worked!!
“Never argue with an idiot…he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”
I think he may have “taken a chance on his safety stop” because tanks tend to run out of air very quickly when both regs are free flowing, and having enough air to continue breathing might have been an issue.
I know…you can’t breathe water. I’d prefer decompression sickness over drowning any day. He made the only choice available to him, and there’s no fault in that. Like I said, he’s extremely lucky the dive wasn’t one that demanded decomp. Always diligently maintain your gear…your life literally depends on it during a dive. I think that’s the lesson learned here.
“Never argue with an idiot…he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”
You guys are a trip. I figured this would happen though. Any time someone takes any chance on this site they get the “you should have known better speech” and the “you are just flat lucky to be alive”. He is a trained military diver that has spent more time underwater than most have on the water. Shorting a safety stop is fine. That is why it is called a safety stop and not a deco stop. Yes, it is safer to do it but you don’t have too. It will not effect your next dive. Dive buddies are great and so are pony bottles just like life jackets and buddy boats but how many always follow a buddy boat out wearing there type 1 pfd? And yes I know diving is more dangerous than offshore fishing but I trust him in the water more than I do alot of guys I have met in a boat.
The guy knows what he is doing. Don’t go overboard giving him a hard time about his adventure.
Set the trap boys, we going to pass through them again!!
local BOY, I do not depend on luck, they that do will not last! My dive partner was at my side the entire ascent after we aborted the dive, as he should have been. I have been under the water for more then 45yrs. more then 20yrs in hard hats, and i’m still not the expert most divers on this sight are. with little training you can free ascent from way deeper then 100’ on a single breath and not get bent!If you had read the post we were half way through a 20min dive in 100’ when the failure happend. I was using a 120nitrox so the EAD didn’t even reqire a decomp stop. I also said the failure to rebuild my reg sooner was my bad, also the post title should have been a clue as to how I felt!
Freed-em, It was not scary, It is second nature with my little bit of exp. to be aware of your sorroundings at all times and if I have one breath and clear ascent I will ditch my gear and blow and go!
I normally don’t reply to thease petty posts, but my friend s4g gave me the big head and I was bored after only seeing six does still hunting this evening, and the new storm may give me a few weeks of no viz and time to ponder my dangerous ways.
Petty? I am wondering if this was directed at me. If so, then I can’t see anything I wrote that meets the definition:
pet·ty#8194; #8194;/#712;p#603;ti/ Show Spelled[pet-ee] Show IPA
–adjective,-ti·er, -ti·est.
1.of little or no importance or consequence: petty grievances.
2.of lesser or secondary importance, merit, etc.; minor: petty considerations.
3.having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.: petty minds.
4.mean or ungenerous in small or trifling things: a petty person.
5.showing or caused by meanness of spirit: a petty revenge.
6.of secondary rank, esp. in relation to others of the same class or kind: petty states; a petty tyrant.
Everything I wrote spoke about your luck and agreed with the course of action you took. In this case, luck definitely had a part…it also favors the prepared. Your experience and calm demeanor exhibited said preparation. A little luck is never a bad thing…
And Scootin’, I have read many a post by you that has wagged a finger more than once…
“Never argue with an idiot…he will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”