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Chapter 34 — 7
Fig 34.3
But not always
!
Buddy rescue.
In only a minority of cases was the buddy present at the time of death. Most divers ultimately
died alone, usually because of poor compliance with the principles of buddy diving. In only
1% of cases did the buddy die attempting rescue, indicating that adherence to the buddy
principle is reasonably safe for the would-be rescuer.
!
Buddy breathing.
4% of fatalities were associated with failed buddy breathing.
In a study of failed buddy
breathing conducted by NUADC, more than half were attempted at depths greater than 20
metres. In 29% the victim's mask was displaced and the catastrophe of air embolism occurred
in 12.5% of cases.
One in 8 victims refused to return the demand valve, presumably to the righteous indignation
of the donor. In one reported instance, knives were drawn to settle the dispute! Nevertheless,
donating a regulator rarely results in the donor becoming the victim.
The use of an
octopus rig
or
(more sensibly) a complete
separate emergency air supply
(e.g. "Spare Air") would appear to be a more satisfactory alternative, having the added
advantage of providing a spare regulator for the owner in the (not so rare) event of a failure
of the primary air supply.