SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/scuba-out-of-air-buddy-alternate

You run out of air and your buddy is close by. What is your first move?

Signal out of air and breathe from your buddy's alternate air source.

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  1. Take off your tank and swim up
  2. Signal out of air and use your buddy's alternate air ✔
  3. Hold your breath and wait

Why: Your buddy hands you their spare regulator, often called the octopus. You breathe from it, hold onto each other, signal OK, then ascend together slowly.

Huh, didn't know that: DAN says running out of breathing gas is the most common dive incident, so watch your gauge.

The dad joke
Why did the octopus always help its buddy? It had a spare arm, or seven.
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References

Answer: Signal out of air and use your buddy's alternate air. Your buddy hands you their spare regulator, often called the octopus. You breathe from it, hold onto each other, signal OK, then ascend together slowly.

  1. PADI: How to Give an Alternate Air Source to Your Dive Buddy blog.padi.com/how-to-give-an-alternate-air-source-to-your-dive-buddy
    Step 1: Signal out of air. Step 2: Buddy donates alternate air source.
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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Test yourself in the game

Sports & FitnessWhat is the spare second stage on your regulator, the alternate air source, for?Sports & FitnessIn a life-threatening dive emergency, who should you contact first?Sports & FitnessOut of air with no buddy near and the surface close, divers learn which emergency skill?

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