# "Don't leave me down here!"



## Turtlebait (Dec 3, 2008)

Ages ago, in an ocean far, far, away - I was making a night dive on a mostly intact wreck in about 80ft of water. I was with my OTHER buddy John and several friends on a mostly shell finding expedition. Our objective was to capture as many live cowries, spiny murex, spiny oysters, etc. for an aquarium at a local dive shop. If we happened across a grouper for a late night snack - Oh Well!

The dive was going splendidly, with each of us acquiring several species of mollusks for the aquarium. Nearing a low air situation I went to corral my buddy John and he has a bead on about a 20lb grouper. I explain my low air situation, also showing him his own gauge, which read 700lbs. He protests and proceeds to shoot the grouper, which promptly encircles our anchor chain several times. In the dark, withthe chain tangled in some ribs on the wreck, we had our hands full. John gathers up the chain with the intent of getting out in the open sand and I assist bygrabbing the anchor(24lbs) and following below him(1st mistake). Somewhere along the way, John runs out of air, and drops the chain to make a quick ascent (2nd mistake). The entirelength of chain (25ft-3/4 link), complete with grouper/speargun combo, falls on my back, taking me to the bottom and entangling me like a mummy.

Not one to panick, I proceed to"calmly" disengage myself from the chain, only to find myself entangled in the shock cord ofJohns speargun. Getting out my knife I cut his shock cord thereby releasing the grouper, with spear attached, knowing I'll have some explaining to do when I get back to the boat. As I started ascending from 80ft, I get coke bottle from my tank! NO AIR!!!

Knowing I might get another breath of air out of my tank every time I ascend 33ft, I calmlybut determindly ascend the anchor rope sucking a dry tank as I go. At about 40ft I sucked so hard on my regulator, I collapsed the one-way exhaust valve into the valve body, flooding it with seawater, and getting a lungfullof the same. At this point I thought I'd screw the ascent rate, and make like a polaris missle. 

When I breached the surface, I came out of the water past my knees! Spitting and sputtering, I get my act together knowing I'm probably bent- but at least I'm breathing sweet air! I swim over to the boat asking If John was on board. They reply - '' Yeah, but he's changing tanks to go back down to recompress because he blew his ascent".

At this time - The early 80's -wether you could recompress in water was still not set in stone. I met John at the dive platform and tried to talk him out of it, but he was adamant! He proceeds to bail off and I grab his safe second and go for the ride. We get to the bottom and see both of our computers have calmed down and are not flashing red lights or numbers at us. We slowly ascend to 50ft then hang for 10mins. 40ft for 15mins. 30ft for 20mins. etc... The surface crew has dropped some full bottles with regs down the stage line so we can take our sweet time getting to the surface. After over 2hrs in the water we finally get back in the boat, cold and exhausted.

Upon further examination, we decide that neither of us is bent(?). I get a little attitude towards John after explaining to him how he dropped the chain on me and how I was entrapped for aspell and didn't appreciate it one bit. He cops an attitude about howI lost his spear and his grouper! I lose it andscream how if he hadn't shot that stupid grouper, we wouldn't have almost drowned! After a few more rants and epithats at each other, we both realize just how lucky we both were that night. Agreeing that we both learned a lesson, we shook hands, hugged each other and promised never to be "STUPID" again.

If any other divers out there have done a "comedy ofERRORS", and lived to tell the tale, feel free to post.


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## BuckWild (Oct 2, 2007)

I like your stories, keep em coming. I always try and leave the bottom with too much air. I would rather waste some than run out, but there arethose times when you just seem to stay too long and suck the bottom out!


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

I don't have a story to tell and I hope I never do. 

I have shot that last minute fish before and ran out of air at the back of the boat. But that's the worst of it. Ever since that time, I make sure to start my accent early with plenty of air. I do not take a shot on a fish with less than 1000 lbs. Even though I was on the surface at the back of the boat, I do not like that feeling of no air through my reg.:banghead


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## Voodoo Lounge (Sep 28, 2007)

Didnt realize there were computers in the 80's!! Good story either way!


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

> *Voodoo Lounge (12/19/2008)*Didnt realize there were computers in the 80's!! Good story either way!


Here you go Tony



WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF DIVE COMPUTERS?

Until the early 1980s almost all recreational diving was taught by the standards of U.S. Navy tables. Because the Navy tables are not based on multi-level diving profiles, scientists developed algorithms that take into account changes in nitrogen uptake with _continuous changes _in depth. These algorithms were mainly theoretical models until the microchip revolution made them accessible and workable in a hand-held computer. When the algorithm is programmed into a computer that also senses depth (a simple depth gauge) and measures time, you have a "dive computer."

The first commercially available dive computer was the Orca Edge, in 1983. Since then dive computers have become smaller and more versatile. They are now manufactured by many companies, and incorporate one of several algorithms for calculating nitrogen uptake and elimination.


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## Voodoo Lounge (Sep 28, 2007)

Thought it might be another Capt Ken story! I would like to see how bulky one of those early models was!!


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

> *Voodoo Lounge (12/19/2008)* I would like to see how bulky one of those early models was!!


:doh:letsdrink










Here's a pic of the Edge Computer. Formerly known as the brick.


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## BuckWild (Oct 2, 2007)

> *Telum Piscis (12/19/2008)*
> 
> 
> > *Voodoo Lounge (12/19/2008)* I would like to see how bulky one of those early models was!!
> ...


the first pic is some funny shite!


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## Turtlebait (Dec 3, 2008)

Love the "brick" computer pic. The Edge was the computer we had that night. The dive shop loaned us theirs for the dive. I believe it used 24 tissue compartments in its algorithims. A few years later, using the same algorithim but with only 12 tissue compartments, Orca came out with the Skinny Dipper for about $400. It was plastic with VERY large numbersand about the size of a deck of playing cards. I still have my original Skinny Dipper but have gone through hundreds of batteries (I keep forgetting to turn the thing off!). I also have a Captain console gauge-size computer by Cochran. The Captain is more conservative and a true decompression computer where as the Dipper will only give you a ceiling to not violate for a given time. Sorry, no pics. Willing to learn how if anyone wants to tutor.


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## Sniper Spear-It (Jan 16, 2008)

1000 lbs jon, come on. if i got 500 at 140 and see a nice fat aj im shooting. but only at the right angle and no obstacles. def kill shot. when we going Jon. Getting jeaulous with all these reports.

Sniper Spear-it


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

> *Sniper Spear-It (12/22/2008)* when we going Jon. Getting jeaulous with all these reports.
> 
> Sniper Spear-it


I am too. I have not been out since we got out last. But we got to get out on your boat right now. Mine is broke right now. Remember lifting my motor up at the ramp last time.:banghead:banghead. Hope to have it fixed here soon. But let's go on your boat. Call me when you want to go.


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## Bigg J (Nov 7, 2007)

Crazy man, how many lives you got left.....lol


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