How Not to Become an Iron Diver

Both the Roatan and Belize Aggressors have a policy that divers must remove their regulators from their cylinders after a dive if they plan to make the next dive and want a refill. That policy has a loophole that manifested itself as a problem for my dive buddy. That led to his making a second and more serious error, but with no consequences. And he still earned the Iron Diver Award.

On every Aggressor trip, divers who make all the scheduled dives earn the Iron Diver Award, a certificate, and a medal on a ribbon. On the last day, after my buddy's 26th dive of the week, he was so excited about completing his last dive (therefore, all 27 scheduled dives) that he forgot to remove his regulator from his cylinder. So, the crew never filled his tank.

He jumped in for that 27th dive and descended to 70 feet, where, for the first time, he looked at his air gauge ... 1000 psi. After he showed me his pressure, we decided to stay near the ship. Fifteen minutes later, we ascended and made a safety stop. Then he climbed up on the dive ladder while I waited on the other ladder. After a brief negotiation with the crew, while he stood on the ladder with his feet in the sea, the crew removed the cylinder from his BCD, filled it, checked the O2 percent, and clamped it back on. He back-rolled in, and we completed the dive at Mary's Place, where we were the last to surface after an hour underwater.

A funny thing happened. Our computers decided that our brief surface interval while my buddy was getting a refill was long enough that after we returned to the water, we were making dive number two. Thanks to our "official" dive computer tally, we both made 28 dives when only 27 were scheduled. Perhaps this was the first time an Aggressor dive buddy pair had received the Iron Diver award, and both did an extra dive. In case you haven't tried it, 27 (or 28) dives in five and a half days will "whoop your ass" as they say.

That night, we and about half the other divers aboard were inducted into the Aggressors Fleet's Iron Diver Club. While membership is not tantamount to the Explorer's Club, it's about the only honor a recreation diver can earn. Even if you make a potentially fatal error before a dive and fail to check how much air you have before you drop in.

-- D.D.