Crew handing BP/W international diving

[billt4sf]

How do you deal with crew and support staff handling a Backplate and Wing when you're diving away from home (especially internationally) and they don't know how to deal with it?

(I can hear a chorus of "no one touches my gear" but I do not find that this works for me -- I don't want to carry the tank + gear through the surf zone onto the boat, for example. And I do want them to switch tanks for me on a pitching boat.)

Quite a few times I *have* shown crew how to deal with it but they pretty much see a tangle of hoses and clips, they are always in a rush to deal with all the divers coming onto (or off of) the boat at more or less the same time.

One problem is they put the tank with wing attached into the tank hole (or whatever you call it) and the wing usually ends up folding under the plate and gets crushed.

Just thought I'd ask how it goes for others.

Thanks,

Bill

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I politely ask for permission to set up my own equipment, and deal with the consequences of doing so. The last time I allowed crew to do it, they managed to punch a hole in the wing by getting it jammed between the tank and the rack ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Doc]

NWGD has it, just tell them what you want them to do and not do. If space and safety is an issue during gear handling, I just sit right there, helping and pointing out what to watch.

This does really happen, at least when you get to truly remote areas or those much more commonly visited by divers from other continents. Quite a few DMs are just now familiar with weight integrated BCs, they look at wings the same way. I have had the emergency weight dump cords pulled from my OMS rig more than once...but only once on any given trip. We have a chat. They are programmed to remove the weights. Not the end if the world, but a real PITA to re-thread.

I'll carefully watch any boatsman set up my rig, but I'm going to spend two minutes checking it before strapping in.

 

[RJP]

No one touches my gear but me.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Depends on the op. We dive with Aldora Divers on Cozumel more than any other shop. Some of the staff there are familiar with tech gear. Some are not. Those that are, set up my gear. Those that are not, leave it alone without the need for me to say anything. I check my gear regardless. I did, one time, find that it had been set up with the primary hose on the left post and the secondary on the right. No big deal. I mentioned it and it's never happened again.

With other shops, if it's their normal procedure to setup peoples gear, I'll let them. I watch. Honestly, in my experience, those who don't know how to set up my BP will generally admit it and either leave it alone or ask me to show them how to set it up.

With my singles wing, I've added a couple grommets so the wing is bolted to the BP. I've noticed that Dive Rite has made the same modification to their newer travel wings. Other than the length of the hoses, setup is no different than it is with a conventional back inflate BCD.

 

[phoenix31tt]

For me... I assume that they will know how to do it but i watch them the first time they do. If they are getting trouble or doing it wrong i tell/show them what to do. If they aren't well it's all fine. I only had one problem so far with the handling of my gear... for whatever reason this one DM would always put on my plate bent... i don't know how they accomplished this and i never knew who it was because thats when i left my gear overnight and met it set up in the morning... no harm done though i just re-adjusted to suit

 

[Lorenzoid]

How do you deal with crew and support staff handling a Backplate and Wing when you're diving away from home (especially internationally) and they don't know how to deal with it?

(I can hear a chorus of "no one touches my gear" but I do not find that this works for me -- I don't want to carry the tank + gear through the surf zone onto the boat, for example. And I do want them to switch tanks for me on a pitching boat.)

Quite a few times I *have* shown crew how to deal with it but they pretty much see a tangle of hoses and clips, they are always in a rush to deal with all the divers coming onto (or off of) the boat at more or less the same time.

One problem is they put the tank with wing attached into the tank hole (or whatever you call it) and the wing usually ends up folding under the plate and gets crushed.

Just thought I'd ask how it goes for others.

What you said mirrors my own experiences and perceptions. On an Indonesian liveaboard where the lead DMs speak English but their assistants may not, it could be a challenge. I would try showing them. I suspect that if they see how you set it up the first time, they may be able to replicate what you did. If they were capable of learning to dive, they are capable of learning how to set up a different kind of rig.

My wife and I have remarked to each other that if we have the opportunity to do another Indonesian liveaboard--a pricey and rare treat for us--we are going to bring a spare wing. It is just too easy for a single-tank wing to get a pinch-flat when a crew member carelessly seats the tank bottom in the holder. We have the DSS kind that is not readily field-repairable.

By the way, Tobin from DSS has mentioned that he advises against leaving the wing attached to the BP when you're done diving and the crew is charged with handling your gear overnight. I have been leaving the wing attached when I dive in Cozumel, with no damage so far. With the rising popularity of BP/Ws, I think the crew at the better dive ops there understand the sensitivity of wings to pinch-flats. But I have noted the advice. Hence the decision to bring a spare wing.

 

[Dhboner]

Bill you are best to set it up yourself. The crew can carry your gear through the surf to the boat but once on board politely tell them that you prefer to set up your own gear. In between dives do your own tank switchover...I am a bit anal so I completely remove my regulator and put the DIN cap on so there is NO chance of saltwater intrusion into my first stage during the switch. There is no reason to think that the boat crew will damage your gear or set it up wrong but at the end of the day, no one is more familiar with your set up than you are and it IS your life support system.

 

[shoredivr]

If you don't want to carry the tank let them do it, but set it up yourself once on the boat.

Nobody touches my gear

 

[Storker]

I can hear a chorus of "no one touches my gear" but I do not find that this works for me -- I don't want to carry the tank + gear through the surf zone onto the boat, for example. And I do want them to switch tanks for me on a pitching boat.

OK, I can respect that. However, I don't understand it.

I'm going to go below the surface where I can't breathe - and probably not survive - without my gear in working order. Who do I trust to set up my gear? Me, whose life depends on the gear having been assembled and set up properly, or some - more or less - underpaid guy who has a bunch of other people to cater for? Bottom line, if I ever find myself below 30m of water without any source of breathing gas and no buoyancy, I'd prefer that the person to blame was myself. Ergo, I set up my gear myself. YMMV.