My OTS Guardian failed during my dive in Lake Michigan on Dredge #6 in Milwaukee. Most of my setup had been recently serviced, however, my mask had not been serviced in quite some time. The free flow started at around 15 minutes into my dive with about 2000psi of air left in the tank.
Free flows happen...its apart of diving. Not the most common part but it does happen here and there. Being an instructor I am doing the free flowing regulator skill with students all the time. And its also a prime example as to why that's an Open Water skill for most agencies. My honest reaction when it happened was "oh come on is this seriously happening?" 😂 I was ready to bail out to my back mounted pony setup but I really didn't need to. I was using a AL92 which also helped things a little. The only thing that makes things a bit more nerve wracking is its not as easy to bail out in a full face. Its a 2 step process that involves cold water shock to the face which can make a situation like that a lot worse. I'm really thankful I did not experience this inside the wreck as a bail out probably would have been needed to make safely to the surface. I record most of my rec dives so I'm bound to catch some events such as this. But as far as failures go, this is one of the more likely scenarios to find yourself in. Its no reason to not dive though. I wouldn't even consider this a close call really. It's just an event that ended the dive early. Just like a flat tire that ended a day of driving. I hope everyone can learn from this experience. It's one thing to talk about a scenario but it's different to go through it. However remaining calm and using your head. Chances are if you're scuba diving you're probably pretty smart anyway. You got this. And if it ever happens to you don't let it stop you from always diving.
20 май 2024
