[Bimini Kiteboarding]

Both are 19 years old with substantial free diving experience. This is what happened from Rick Rodriguez.

My friend james and I decided to go freedive 70ft just for fun as we are comfortable at this depth. We went, made it to the bottom and everything was going great, we gave each other a high five at the bottom with what we thought plenty of oxygen in our lungs and started to ascend. On our way up when i got to the surface When I got to the surface I realised James had not made it back up, I looked down and James was 20ft below drifting away unconscious with the current. I immediately went back down and saw his face, something I will never forget it, his entire face was blue including his chest, his lips and his eyes where bulging out of the sockets. I wasnt sure if he was going to live... I swam him to the surface and at this point the current had pulled us away from the boat, I shouted as loud as I could for them to come. At this point I am trying to give him cpr while the boat is heading over. I'm not sure how we got james on the boat but we did. We were giving him cpr and he was foaming out of the mouth with blood coming out of his nose. After what seemed like forever he finally coughed a little bit and started to breath very little. We ran him into the nearest marina were the paramedics were waiting. He is in the hospital now conscious and talking. I was puking and almost passed out myself once I got on the boat. I was so happy when I saw james breath I bursted out in tears, I thought he was dead...

What a crazy day that has scared me and ill never forget. My initial thought after experiencing that was "I'm not sure how I'm ever going to freedive again" The experience was so traumatic and unimaginable to people who haven't experienced it. I will never dive alone ever again. I'll always try to have someone on the boat. As a decent freediver for my age i always read about blackouts and have watched all the movies, but you never think that will actually happen to you or that you'll have to save your best friend from it. No doubt My friend and I are lucky to be alive and the way i think about freediving has changed drastically.

The first thing I am doing as soon as I get time away from school is a free diving safety course with FII in Ft Lauderdale.

For those that are in experienced please get some safety training before you go out free diving. Most of these blackouts happen in less than 10ft of water.

James is due out of hospital today after spending 2 nights under the watchful eye of doctors and nurses. He has Pneumonia and is still finding it hard to breath but lucky to be alive.