good deal and glad you were there...
you knew the first rule is to not panic...

(I've run out of air at 110ft.... kind of makes you take stock....)

I was diving with my dad when I was about 16, he was about 50 I guess. We had dove some, maybe 10 times in the 2 years that we had been certified at that time.

So we are diving a reef in the Bahamas, were only about 50 feet down and the dive master starts asking everyone to check their air and give him readings. You hold out fingers for every so many pounds left. Like if you hold up 5 fingers you have 500 pounds left. My dad holds up like 2 or 3 fingers. Well we are supposed to get to the boat with 500 pounds still in the tank. So the "divemaster" comes over and checks his guage.

A good idea, where there is confusion on what my dad is signaling, is he out of air or does he have 2000 pounds left, which he shouldn't or maybe my dad doesn't know the hand signals.

So I come over as we are dive buddies and he is getting really in my dads face at this point and checking his gauges. Well "divemaster" shows me the gauge and there are 275 pounds, I have checked mine and I have like 1200.

So I reach to my vest and start to pull out my backup regulator, Im going to hand it to him and I figure we are going up then.


I kind of drift to my dad's backside a little as I am messing with the regulator and I see the "divemaster" point my dad to go to the up line giving the boat signal and pointing in what direction to swim.


I kind of shit pants because my dad takes off where he pointed. I start chasing him to try and catch him to give him my spare. I never was able to catch him, all the while I can see the friggin boat above us. Sure as shit he gets to the line, starts going up and at about 20 feet, bolts to the top.

Dead out of air, not a drop. I keep going up, quicker than I want but I can see him at the surface, and he is swimming to the boat.

I surface maybe 30 seconds later.

Scary as hell. Stupidity all over the place.

I only dove with him twice after that which I had to because he had to dive for a case he was working on. The reality is that I couldn't trust him to save me if I got in trouble. that was a weird moment for me as a kid.

Nice job Marc!
Cool head and sharp focus.
My kinda guy.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:

I learned to scuba dive in Crystal River Fla. the instructors name was Bill Ostrich (pronounced OH strike). That was back in 1989. He was a great teacher

Small world!! Bill "Bird" was my cave instructor!!

quote:

Originally posted by RB211:

I learned to scuba dive in Crystal River Fla. the instructors name was Bill Ostrich (pronounced OH strike). That was back in 1989. He was a great teacher

He said my ex-wife was reckless and would wind up getting bent.

She has this way of ignoring the authority on a subject and thinking she's being told what to do. "You don't tell ME what to do!"

Diving scares the shit out of me. So many things can go wrong and when it hits the fan.

Good on you. Keeping calm and under control, keeping an even bubble.

quote:

Post about GUE/DIR on any SCUBA Forum and be ready for the flame war, it is quite “political”, us against them sort of.

Ain't that the truth. I dive mainly in the Monterey area, it's been over a year so, I need to get back. Sometimes we'll campout if the hotels are booked up, hangout around the fire or, table with some alcohol. Good grief does some of the conversations descend into rig set-up arguments.