Learn Doubles or Sidemount first?

[kensuf]

You *should* have enough, but often when things go sideways unforeseen delays and issues can pop up. The manifold gives you the opportunity to loose all your gas rather than half of it.

Back in February I had a set of doubles fall off of a bench at Ginnie. They landed on the manifold, a hefty drop to the ground. The isolation knob was mushroomed. The manifold held, I even dove it later that day.

I've never heard of a fatality due to a manifold failure, if you can cite one, I'd love to hear it.

On the other hand, close to two years ago, I was called to do the body recovery of a new sidemount diver that drowned while switching regs; he had plenty of gas in both cylinders, but one had rolled off and when he switched to it, he got no air and drowned while trying to find his other reg. Thankfully someone else did the recovery while I was en route.

 

[Marie13]

On the other hand, close to two years ago, I was called to do the body recovery of a new sidemount diver that drowned while switching regs; he had plenty of gas in both cylinders, but one had rolled off and when he switched to it, he got no air and drowned while trying to find his other reg. Thankfully someone else did the recovery while I was en route.

Some people don’t like Vindicator knobs. They were on my tanks before I started SM. Find they come in handy as I can see them even underwater.

 

[kensuf]

There's a thing called an esophogeal laryngospasm. I suspect it played a role in that fatality, a vindicator knob wouldn't have helped.

 

[leadduck]

Back in February I had a set of doubles fall off of a bench at Ginnie. They landed on the manifold, a hefty drop to the ground. The isolation knob was mushroomed. The manifold held, I even dove it later that day.

I've never heard of a fatality due to a manifold failure, if you can cite one, I'd love to hear it.

I've never heard of a fatality due to a manifold failure either, and never mentioned it. Why do you and PfcAJ bring up manifold failures? I think it's irrelevant. We have fatalities because even experienced divers failed to deal with a freeflowing reg under stress. Filling tanks with closed manifold, diving with closed manifold (sucking one tank dry and panic in spite of being trained with doubles), buddies shutting down each other's valves wrongly in low viz. But no manifold failure.

 

[PfcAJ]

I've never heard of a fatality due to a manifold failure either, and never mentioned it. Why do you and PfcAJ bring up manifold failures? I think it's irrelevant. We have fatalities because even experienced divers failed to deal with a freeflowing reg under stress. Filling tanks with closed manifold, diving with closed manifold (sucking one tank dry and panic in spite of being trained with doubles), buddies shutting down each other's valves wrongly in low viz. But no manifold failure.

I brought up that a reg failure (something that DOES happen) reduces your gas supply by half when diving independent doubles. This does not happen with manifolded doubles. That possibility is a pretty big drawback to independents.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I brought up that a reg failure (something that DOES happen) reduces your gas supply by half when diving independent doubles. This does not happen with manifolded doubles. That possibility is a pretty big drawback to independents.

Feathering @PfcAJ. Feathering

 

[PfcAJ]

Feathering @PfcAJ. Feathering

Go feather a ruptured hose. Or a stick ripping the diaphragm. Or a shell stuck in an exhaust valve. Or a split o-ring.

 

[PfcAJ]

Just feather it, guys! Easy peasy!

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

View attachment 477655

Just feather it, guys! Easy peasy!

Someone isn’t doing proper maintenance. Shrug.

 

[PfcAJ]

Someone isn’t doing proper maintenance. Shrug.

Zero indicators of an issue that before it happened.

Sometimes things break.