WOULD U DUMP YOUR GEAR AT SEA

[jleech]

I suppose it would depend on the situation...If I had my warm water Oceanic Regs, I'd dump the tank and regs, and keep the BC/Wing.  If I had my Poseidons...I'd have to think about it real hard  ;D

I saw a "I Shouldn't be alive" episode recently with a situation like this.  They kept their tanks, and I thought it was a bad idea, since they swam about 20 miles to get to shore.  Without the tank, they would have had MUCH greater buoyancy, and I would think less drag.  If I had less than a mile or 2, I would keep the tank I guess, especially if it had air.  I've seen that a tank valve opened just under the water can create a water spout about 30 ft in the air!  If the tank were low on air, or I was 20 miles out, I definitely would dump the tank, but keep the BC/wing.

BTW I've been on a night dive off the coast of North Carolina about 10 miles and come back to the place on the wreck the anchor line is supposed to be and it was missing!  We decided to surface at that point, even though we had more air.  Fortunately the ship captain was idling nearby ready to pick us up, but it made your heart stop for a second...

Jeff