The Deadly Risk of Neglecting Your Air
A diver focuses on a new task rather than his air consumption
By Eric Douglas | Published - March17, 2025
Ben was new to spearfishing on scuba, but he was excited to try it. He just had to line up the perfect shot.The liveaboard’s chef told Ben if he got anything, he would cook it that night for dinner. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw his new dive buddy heading toward the surface. He remembered to check his air supply and realized he was nearly out of air.
The Diver
Ben was a 15-year-old male. He was certified as a PADI Junior Open Water Diver at age 13, but did not dive again for more than two years. When he received a trip on a local liveaboard dive boat as a gift, he knew he needed to prepare. He made 20 lake dives one month before attempting his first ocean dives on the liveaboard.
The Dive
On the first full day on the dive boat, Ben made six dives, including a night dive. The first dive on the second day was uneventful. Conditions were ideal, with more than 40 feet of visibility and only gentle currents. On the second dive that day, Ben took his new speargun with him. Ben was buddied up with another teen diver who had just completed his open water training and was making his first dive without an instructor.
The Incident
Ben’s buddy Lee realized he was down to about 1,000 psi in his tank and decided he needed to head back toward the boat. They were diving at a depth of around 90 feet. He tried to signal Ben, but Ben was too intent on stalking a fish to notice. Lee glanced back down to check on Ben as he ascended, and he saw Ben signaling that he needed to share air. Lee swam back down to help. They joined up, and Lee gave Ben his alternate air source. They began to ascend, but at about 70 feet, Ben took the backup regulator out of his mouth and grabbed Lee’s primary reg. After two breaths, Lee realized Ben wasn’t going to give his regulator back. CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST
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