floridakid
Registered
Just had a random gear configuration idea and wanted to see what others thought.
For the purposes of this discussion, let's define "swiftwater" as a current of more than 4 knots. Also, to my knowledge, Rescue 3 no longer includes "Swiftwater Scuba" in it's Swiftwater Rescue Technician program. It is not longer included due to the extreme danger involved in swiftwater scuba operations. In addition, a "rescue" that requires "swiftwater scuba" is in a vast majority of cases not a rescue, but a recovery.
That being said, any thoughts on, rather than a more traditional recreational BCD, or BP/W style setup, what do y'all think of a front-mount tank, mounted with the valve either at, or just below, the center of the chest. The harness consist of 5-points (Shoulders, Waistblelt, Single crotch strap) meeting in the area of the belt buckle. The webbing could be sewn in the back or attached to a backplate for additional weight. The buckle would be of a quick release style with all 5 points being released at once upon activation of the quick release. The tank's primary point of attachment would be the quick release buckle. In addition, a bungee would secure the tank to both shoulder straps would stabilize the tank. If the quick release is pulled, the shoulder steps would slide through the bungee and allow the harness to be ditched in one motion without difficulty. Any weight that would be required would be worn on this harness as well. The regulator used would either be a modern regulator, modified to prevent purging in the current, or a vintage, double-hose reg would probably work without modification. Liquivision saline-filled goggles could be used as they are low profile enough to prevent them being torn off in the current. A horse-collar style BC could be worn under the harness with a CO2 inflater, so no attachment with a tank is necessary.
The advantage to the front-mount tank is the traditional whitewater swimming style, that is so familiar to Swiftwater Rescue Technicians, could be used without the back-mount tank catching rocks. The diver could eddy-hop with this rig without much difficulty in order to properly position themselves in the river. However, the glitch with this system is the increased drag when the diver transitions into an aggressive swim. Once the diver is on the bottom, the tank is shielded under the diver from the faster moving water above and the diver is therefore more streamlined.
At this point this is only an idea, and I have not even drawn it yet. So what do you think.
For the purposes of this discussion, let's define "swiftwater" as a current of more than 4 knots. Also, to my knowledge, Rescue 3 no longer includes "Swiftwater Scuba" in it's Swiftwater Rescue Technician program. It is not longer included due to the extreme danger involved in swiftwater scuba operations. In addition, a "rescue" that requires "swiftwater scuba" is in a vast majority of cases not a rescue, but a recovery.
That being said, any thoughts on, rather than a more traditional recreational BCD, or BP/W style setup, what do y'all think of a front-mount tank, mounted with the valve either at, or just below, the center of the chest. The harness consist of 5-points (Shoulders, Waistblelt, Single crotch strap) meeting in the area of the belt buckle. The webbing could be sewn in the back or attached to a backplate for additional weight. The buckle would be of a quick release style with all 5 points being released at once upon activation of the quick release. The tank's primary point of attachment would be the quick release buckle. In addition, a bungee would secure the tank to both shoulder straps would stabilize the tank. If the quick release is pulled, the shoulder steps would slide through the bungee and allow the harness to be ditched in one motion without difficulty. Any weight that would be required would be worn on this harness as well. The regulator used would either be a modern regulator, modified to prevent purging in the current, or a vintage, double-hose reg would probably work without modification. Liquivision saline-filled goggles could be used as they are low profile enough to prevent them being torn off in the current. A horse-collar style BC could be worn under the harness with a CO2 inflater, so no attachment with a tank is necessary.
The advantage to the front-mount tank is the traditional whitewater swimming style, that is so familiar to Swiftwater Rescue Technicians, could be used without the back-mount tank catching rocks. The diver could eddy-hop with this rig without much difficulty in order to properly position themselves in the river. However, the glitch with this system is the increased drag when the diver transitions into an aggressive swim. Once the diver is on the bottom, the tank is shielded under the diver from the faster moving water above and the diver is therefore more streamlined.
At this point this is only an idea, and I have not even drawn it yet. So what do you think.