Incident Report

DIVERS: Gail (Open Water, 22 dives), Armond (Advanced Open Water, 107 dives), Patrick (Instructor 500-plus dives), Amber (Instructor, 500-plus dives)

SITE: Bimini, Bahamas, coral reef

CONDITIONS: 85˚F water, visibility 100-plus feet, no current, depth 45 feet

Diving from a liveaboard, Gail and Armond buddied together, touring a spur-and-groove coral reef. Another buddy team, Patrick and Amber, toured nearby; the teams pointed things out to each other periodically. Amber dropped into a groove to check under a ledge, while Patrick hovered a couple of feet above.

Looking around, Patrick turned and was startled to see Gail about 10 feet away, alone, with no regulator in her mouth. Without hesitation, he zoomed to Gail with alternate air source deployed, and put it gently but assertively in her mouth. Gail didn’t breathe at first, but also didn’t panic. After a few moments she began breathing, recovered her second stage, and switched back to it. By now, Armond and Amber had joined them. An air check showed that everyone had ample gas, and they continued the dive, ending it as planned.

It wasn’t until afterward that Patrick and Amber learned what happened. Gail and Armond thought it would be fun to kiss underwater and take a selfie. As they kissed, Armond dropped the camera and swam down to recover it, unaware that Gail had dropped her second stage and sucked in seawater. Taking Patrick’s alternate, Gail hesitated because of the mouthful; she finally swallowed it so she could clear the second stage and breathe.

What They Did Wrong

Gail and Armond acted on an impulse without thinking through the possible effects. Armond prioritized a dropped camera over his buddy’s well-being.

What They Did Right

Gail didn’t panic. Although she should have been able to clear her mouth of water without swallowing, she creatively solved the problem so she could breathe.

Five Dive Tips from This Incident

1. Resist the urge to be clever. Impulsive actions underwater often lead to problems and trouble. If you want to do something like kiss underwater for a picture, plan appropriately.

2. Practice routine skills. You don’t need to swallow water to get it out of your mouth; you can clear your mouth as you clear your second stage.

3. Keep your alternate air source secured in the triangle formed by your chin and rib cage corners. This way, you’ll have rapid access to it.

4. Take the PADI Rescue Diver course to improve your ability to help others, and practice your rescue skills to keep them sharp.

5. Before doing something that momentarily takes your attention away from your buddy, be sure he or she is OK.

For more tips on how to stay safe in the water, check out our Learn From This archive.