I have been thinking about something lately. Something quite extraordinary, and perhaps frightening, happened to me during my diving trip at Pulau Redang.
As divers, we each carry an air tank to breathe underwater. Obviously, there is a limit to how much air you can bring down and how long you can stay underwater. Some of these factors include your weights, your breathing technique and the dive depth.
For obvious safety reasons, we are usually told that at 50 psi, we must inform the Dive Master that we're running out of air. The Dive Master will then usually make plans for surfacing soon after.
However, during my first dive at Pulau Redang, i did not inform my Dive Master that i had reached 50psi.
In fact, i only informed him when i reached 0psi.
I remembered that i was thinking to myself when i reached 50psi: Its only a little bit further. I want to see more, dive more. I don't want to spoil the experience for others. I can still breathe, so its no big deal.
Even when i reached 0psi, i still didn't panic and thought to myself: Hey, i still can breathe. Its ok. I should be able to make it.
What i didn't know, was that i was slowly slipping towards eventual death. I was slowly losing consciousness, and my movements were slow and lethargic. I was in that particular mental state where you are just on the brink of sleeping: You are aware of your surroundings and yet, somehow not. Everything is hazy and you don't seem to have the energy to move quickly.
The Dive Master was shocked when i indicated i had 0psi left and he indicated immediately for us to surface. He also gave me additional air from his tank.
Once i had breathed from his air tank, everything came back with a sharp focus. My air-starved brain started working immediately, and i surfaced with the rest with no problems. Once on the surface, i got a scolding from my friends and the Dive Master.
Now that i'm here and have done some thinking of my own, i shudder to think of what might happened. I might have lost consciousness without anyone knowing the true reason. I might have decided to take a short nap and never wake up. I might have died without even knowing.
All in all, it was definitely my own fault that i didn't inform the Dive Master. I should not have taken the risk and should have indicated to him early on.
I definitely would not want to try that again: the fatality of Death's alluring call and experience of slipping to Death's Doorway.
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