Diving with redundancy.

[grf88]

I Use a H valve , I can use the same regs that I use when diving doubles and works great for dry suit air also.

This is what I use and it works great. I dive in cold water and having your primary inflation on a separate first stage from your primary breathing air source is a good way to minimize freeflows.

 

[tursiops]

Nemrod, I agree with you, but you are answering a question different from the one of the OP. He did not ask about using two regs on the same single cylinder, he just asked if getting a cylinder with an H valve is a good idea.
It is not the same question.
You assumed that the second post will be used for a second reg.
This happens very rarely in my experience.
Here in Italy most rental cylinders are 15 liters with double valve (H or Y). I would never rent a cylinder with just a single post, as this is less reliable.
Then I dive with a single first stage, with DIN attachment, which is perfectly fine for rec diving.
So my answer to the original post is: yes, a cylinder with an H valve is a valuable asset, as it allows you to go on if one of the valves has a problem, mounting your reg on the other post.
I am not the only one thinking this way. In fact, most cylinders here are with two valves, exactly as the users like them...

Do you use that tank with two valves but just one reg in an overhead environment?

 

[Angelo Farina]

Do you use that tank with two valves but just one reg in an overhead environment?

At the time I was cave diving, that is until 15 years ago, I was still equipped of yoke MK5 only, so I was using two of them, with an even larger tank (16 liters 250 bars) and with mechanical reserve.
Still I was not sure of being safe enough, but that was the standard, here, at the time (years 2000-2005).
I moved to a single DIN only recently, when, after passing 60 years old, I decided to limit myself to purely rec diving, within NDL and no caves.

 

[Nemrod]

after passing 60 years old, I decided to limit myself to purely rec diving, within NDL and no caves.

Me too. While not against the occasional adventure beyond my (wife) imposed limits, I too have decided that I should become much more conservative. I simply cannot do what I used to do and I am not a promoter of the saying "I might not be as good as I used to be but I can be as good as I was once" sort of thinking. Probably not. That said, safety can be over rated.

N

 

[The Chairman]

Yes we could probably do more practice with the buddy system

Use your ears. Learn to listen for your buddy. If you can hear them, they're close enough. If you can't then you're too far away, or they ran out of air. But your statement really hit the nail on the head.

Cars are still built with a mechanical emergency braking system in case of hydraulic failure.

Actually, they've been referred to as parking brakes because they suck in an emergency. Still, the biggest problem with a car's brake system is the nut loose behind the wheel. Only 10% of all auto accidents have poor equipment as a contributing factor. Far fewer list poor equipment as a primary factor. You can improve the brakes, but they don't mean a thing if your foot is not touching the pedal quickly enough. It's a problem of just throwing money at a skill/awareness problem. I mean, you identified the real problem: you need to work on your buddy skills. Simply adding redundancy allows you to be lazy about that, doesn't it? Will you be buying the same solution for your buddy, aka your wife? If not, why not? I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy here, but trying to help you put things into perspective. It sounds like you need to be a better diver, not a better equipped one. Why buy gear, when training is a better solution?

 

[markmud]

I mean, you identified the real problem: you need to work on your buddy skills. Simply adding redundancy allows you to be lazy about that, doesn't it?

Hi Big Kahuna,

I disagree with your premise. At least for most buddy team situations. If OW has a like minded buddy that he dives with regularly, than your advice is good.

However, most rec dive buddies are not similarly minded. I have been flamed by big name SBers because I thought it not prudent to dive to tech depths (down to 200 feet) with a single and no buddy. I don't think any of those flamers are going to be a perfect rec buddy at 60 feet.

Here is a really good quotation from a SB philosopher:
"Don't ever try to teach a pig to sing. It annoys the pig and wastes your time! AND the pig still can't sing!"
M²

I have had some really good buddies. One was an instabuddy. I have wasted my time trying get some of the others to follow the buddy diving ethos. They weren't pigs, but I would have had better luck with a pig.

"It takes two to tango."
m

 

[The Chairman]

At least for most buddy team situations.

I agree with most of what you said, but your premise that he has insta-buddies goes against him saying that his buddy is usually his wife. It's also a possibility that he and his wife are trained solo, but that doesn't appear to be the case here. Too often, adding a piece of gear that makes you more independent of your buddy makes you an even crappier buddy. You may not need them for air anymore, but that doesn't mean they won't need you. I'm as happy as a clam at high tide diving solo, but if I splash with a buddy then I stay with that buddy.

If
You
Want
A Good
Buddy...
Then
You
Must

One! ​

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

Use your ears. Learn to listen for your buddy. If you can hear them, they're close enough. If you can't then you're too far away, or they ran out of air. But your statement really hit the nail on the head.


Actually, they've been referred to as parking brakes because they suck in an emergency. Still, the biggest problem with a car's brake system is the nut loose behind the wheel. Only 10% of all auto accidents have poor equipment as a contributing factor. Far fewer list poor equipment as a primary factor. You can improve the brakes, but they don't mean a thing if your foot is not touching the pedal quickly enough. It's a problem of just throwing money at a skill/awareness problem. I mean, you identified the real problem: you need to work on your buddy skills. Simply adding redundancy allows you to be lazy about that, doesn't it? Will you be buying the same solution for your buddy, aka your wife? If not, why not? I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy here, but trying to help you put things into perspective. It sounds like you need to be a better diver, not a better equipped one. Why buy gear, when training is a better solution?

This is really good advice, yes my buddy my wife we need to practice we’ve gotten a bit lazy when it comes to the buddy system I believe this is why i’m even thanking of a pony bottle. She’s a really good diver better than I and we need to practice emergency situations more often.

Boy oh boy were really showing are age: parking brake. Here in the north it’s corrosion and rust that causes most braking problems.

Parking brake lever.
In road vehicles, the parking brake, also known as a hand brake or emergency brake (e-brake),[1] is a mechanism used to keep the vehicle securely motionless when parked. Historically, it was also used to help perform an emergency stop should the main hydraulic brakes fail.[2] Parking brakes often consist of a cable connected to two wheel brakes, which is then connected to a pulling mechanism. In most vehicles, the parking brake operates only on the rear wheels,[3] which have reduced traction while braking. The mechanism may be a hand-operated lever, a straight pull handle located near the steering column or a foot-operated pedal located with the other pedals.

 

[Searcaigh]

Has anyone tried an electronic brake switch to stop the car?

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

Has anyone tried an electronic brake switch to stop the car?

Not to stop it but to Park it... yes.