Not today, death
This person’s near-death experience really sheds light on how alone you are at sea. When he and his buddy resurfaced, they found that their boat was nowhere in sight. Now, they were ten miles offshore and probably didn’t have the strength or sense of direction to swim toward safety.
Luckily, the OP purchased an inflatable tube that he and his buddy used to stay afloat while waiting to be rescued. We’re not exactly sure what the lesson is here. Should you always have an inflatable tube on hand, or should you avoid diving altogether? We’re going with the latter here.