Objective: Swim a distance of 15 meters/50 feet slowly and while simulating an out-of-gas situation by breathing from your buddy’s regulator.
Value: In the unlikely event that you run out of gas due to a catastrophic gas loss or gas system failure, you can safely share gas with your buddy while swimming together.
How It’s Done: You have learned to locate, secure, and breathe from an air source supplied by your buddy. Now you will learn how to swim while sharing gas with your buddy. You will do this skill twice, once as the person who is out of air and once as the person sharing your air.
- Signal to your buddy that you are out of air.
- After your buddy supplies his or her primary air source to you, secure, clear, and breathe from it. Divers with a long hose need to remove the long hose from around their necks.
- Remember to blow bubbles while the regulator is out of your mouth.
- Wait for your buddy to locate, secure, clear, and breathe from his or her AAS. Divers using a long hose must free up the entire hose length.
- When you are both breathing comfortably, link arms with your buddy.
- Remember that your buddy must check the SPG, especially the remaining gas supply and depth.
- Signal with your buddy when you both are OK.
- Begin to swim for 15 meters/50 feet. As the out-of-gas diver, you must:
- Be slightly in front of your buddy whose gas you are sharing and...
- Manage the excess hose if you are using a long hose.
- Make sure your buddy is holding onto you.
- Once the skill is completed:
- You switch back to your own primary regulator.
- Your buddy switches back to his or her primary air source and secures his or her AAS.
- If your buddy has a long hose, help him or her tidy up the hose to avoid it becoming entangled.
- Repeat the steps to practice sharing your gas. Remember to keep a careful watch on your gas supply.