SAFETY SKILLS There are some important safety skills you must master to be a responsible diver. Your goal is to never have to use these skills, but you must always be prepared in case you or your buddy have a problem. The important safety skills are: • Sharing air with another diver. • Being able to perform independent controlled emergency ascents. Sharing Air with Another Diver If your buddy forgets to check their pressure gauge at depth and runs out of air, you must know how to share air with your buddy. If you have a contingency air supply, such as a pony bottle, that is the best method of sharing air with your buddy. If you do not have a contingency air supply, there are two major ways to share your air supply with your buddy: the alternate air source or octopus method and the buddy breathing method. These methods are called dependent ascents because your buddy is dependent on your air supply. Octopus Method The preferred method of sharing air with another diver is for your buddy to breathe from two separate regulator which you supply. This might be a secondary regulator attached to your air supply (an octopus regulator or other alternate air source regulator). This technique is the octopus method of breathing (figure 3-51). The exact procedure you use for sharing air with an alternate air source depends on your equipment configuration and personal preference. You must work out how you will share air in an emergency before you start your dive. Your buddy must know which regulator to use, where to find it, and how it is attached to your BC or your equipment. If they don’t, and they run out of air during the dive, they might grab for the first regulator they see – usually the one that is in your mouth! Although this regulator might be the one you plan to pass, you want to pass it in a controlled manner. Chapter 3- Diving Skills Your buddy will find that breathing from your extra regulator is just as easy as breathing from their own regulator. However, ascending will take some coordination (figure 3-52). You and your buddy must ascend at the same speed by maintaining physical and eye contact. The general steps to the octopus method of sharing air are: 1. Give your buddy the appropriate regulator for your equipment configuration when they signal that they are out of air. Diving Skills 77 FIGURE 3-51. SHARING AIR WITH A BACK-UP SECOND STAGE IS THE PREFERRED DEPENDENT METHOD OF SHARING AIR. FIGURE 3-52. ASCENDING IN AN EMERGENCY REQUIRES COORDI- NATING. SIGNAL YOUR BUDDY WHEN READY.
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