UNDERWATER
PROBLEM MANAGEMENT
Buddy
breathe with a single regulator: Buddy
breathing, which is sharing a single
second stage between two divers, was
once a standard air-sharing method,
but became less and less favored as
a viable option over the last 20 years.
Alternate
air sources have made buddy breathing
unnecessary, along with the fact that
buddy breathing is a moderately complex
motor skill to perform in an emergency.If
you're deeper than 12 metres/40 feet
and there's no alternate air source
available, buddy breathing may be an
option if you and your buddy remain
calm, and if you're both trained and
practiced with it. Once you begin buddy
breathing, you and your buddy should
continue all the way to without attempting
to switch to another out-of-air option.
Your instructor may have you practice
buddy breathing, but keep in mind that
sharing air with an alternate air source
is far more preferable and makes buddy
breathing an unnecessary option. Make
a buoyant ascent.
You're
too deep for a controlled emergency
swimming ascent and you're too far for
your buddy to help you. You can still
make it to the surface, though the situation
isn't ideal. You make a buoyant emergency
ascent,. just like a controlled emergency
swimming ascent, except you drop your
weights. You look up and exhale continuously,
making the alaahhh sound into your regulator
as you rise to the surface. You're going
to exceed a safe ascent rate, and that
has some serious risks - so use this
method only when you doubt you can reach
the surface any other way.
You
can flare out to create drag and help
slow your ascent if you start to rise
faster than necessary to reach the surface
safely.After reaching the surface using
any of these options, remember that
you ma ,y need to inflate your BCD orally
to establish positive buoyancy. Remember
to discuss out-of-air emergency options
with your buddy as part of planning
your dive, and stay close together so
you can assist each other if necessary,
especially as you go deeper. Look after
one another, watching your air supplies.
breathing patterns, and time and depth
limits. By remaining alert and monitoring
each other, you can avoid air supply
and other problems.
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