“One night I was lobster diving in the beautiful, clear cool waters off the coast of Catalina Island. After a short time, I realized I had failed to check my air supply. As I went to check it, I took a breath and discovered there wasn’t one to be had. I panicked for a moment…got myself together and swam quickly toward the surface with the unnerving sense that it was too far away and I wouldn’t make it! In this rush for the precious air far above at the surface, I began to black out…my only thought was… If I only had one more breath of air.

For days after this experience I would awake in a sweat during the night. Then I began to notice a recurring thought I had…it was the last words I recalled as I blacked out…. If only I had one more breath. Why was this coming back to me over and over again? Was I given a second chance to live for a reason? Then it dawned on me. There are others that didn’t, don’t or won’t make it…There are others blacking out and never waking up… if they only had one more breath of air!

So the story ends with the present. SPARE AIR was born, and out of it my commitment to educate the world about preventable drowning and safe diving. I feel diving is safe, but it can and should be made safer. You, too, can join the quest and become part of the story of SPARE AIR. 

Larry Williamson,
Inventor – Spare Air