Frank and I were diving the Russian Frieghter off the coast of Pensacola and we had an OOA experience.
We arrived at the site on the boat and suited up to roll backwards off the boat. Everything was fine and we decended down the anchor line. We swam around the boilers a few times, often checking to make sure we both were okay. Everything was fine and going great. Frank again asked me if everything was fine, I looked at my gauge and I had roughly 1800-2000psi left in the tank. I signaled "okay".
He started to swim off and I wanted to see what my current depth was (76 fsw) and I glanced at my pressure gauge and it read just over 500psi. (All of this happened within 1-2 minutes.) I was able to grab Frank's fin and got his attention. I showed him my SPG and I started to panic some what. I signaled to start ascending and made my way to the anchor line.
Frank was right beside me. I was starting to panic a little more and I started to go up the anchor line a little to fast. (We were about 60 fsw about this time above the boilers.) Frank grabbed me and signaled for me to calm down and relax. I did, very little though. Not sure what psi I was at by now, but Frank offered his primary and I gladly accepted it. He grabbed his slimeline and we both were breathing.
Since we were on the anchor line Frank grabbed my BC shoulder harness and the anchor line and kept me and himself from ascending to fast to the surface. As we slowly made our way up, I was starting to float up a little faster and more because my tank was empty by then.
Frank held onto me and kept us going slowly up the anchor line. While we were going up, I noticed that I started "bouncing" on and off Frank. Well, his primary regulator hose wasn't that long and one of the times I bounced off Frank, the mouth piece on the regulatr unsnapped. I was floating there with only as regulator mouth piece in my mouth. I was able to grab the regulator and remove the mouth piece from my mouth and start breathing from the mouth pieceless regulator. (I think I helped "save" him too. I was able to keep up with his mouth piece for his regulator. He thanked me! hahaha)
Luckly, Frank was able to keep me from ascending to fast without my help as I had to hold the regulator with my one hand. He was so cool and calm about it that it actually had help me calm down a lot more than what I was just a few minutes earlier. We were even able to stop at 15fsw and take a 1 - 2 minute safety stop.
I am truely thankful to Frank on being cool and calm with it. I know I have a great dive buddy and I know his isn't the best, but I'm going to do what I can to improve that.
If you read this far, thanks... I know it's long.
(Or at least I think it will be.) Tell Frank good job, I know I did, a few times over. I owe him big. Not that I ever want to pay him back the sameway, but I will if I need to.
Thanks Frankie...
Michael
