Resort's " New Normal " Rule - No AIR 2 or diving your long hose

[drk5036]

I’m all about going back to a standard configuration if that becomes the new norm, no sweat off my nose, at least I’ll have the known working reg and the person who ran OOA can use the stowed backup. Try to pay attention and not run out of air next time.
I had to share a primary donate once in training with a chain smoker with rotten teeth and I can tell you that you ARE getting the other persons cooties full bore, especially if they hand the reg to you with the mouthpiece facing down. Pretty goddamn gross!!
I tasted cigarette ash tray tar and nicotine juice for hours after. I was tempted to gargle with gasoline or lacquer thinner, maybe that would have worked. I’m not a puker but it almost happened that day.
Maybe in a sealed tech team doing highly skilled dives where all the team members are very rehearsed and dive together all the time the long hose primary donate is best, but on a charter boat with some person you met an hour ago, not so much.
I promise to let you try the secondary when we hit the water, but you’re not getting my primary, get lost.

this post made me nauseous, and has probably swayed my opinion on hose configuration more than any other post on scubaboard in the last two years.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Well I am going diving 16 - 18 June in Green Island in Taiwan for 10 dives. Taiwan now only has virus 18 cases which will complete quarantine in the next few days. Social distancing rules end 07 June in Taiwan. People will probably still wear masks in hospitals clinics and shopping areas. Outside of that there have been no lock downs.

I have never been OOA on a dive and only a few instances where others have. Low on air yes and have shared my secondary to other divers for that. Enjoy your dives where ever you are.

 

[scubadada]

I have been seasick once. In 1971, as a new diver, I was coming back from a day trip to Catalina. I was offered and ate some uni from a fellow diver, who had harvested urchin. The uni did not agree with me in the rough seas and I suffered all the way home. So, I know what it is like, luckily, have never experienced that again. I've enjoyed some good uni, on land. I've never vomited underwater, through my regulator or not

 

[chillyinCanada]

I have been seasick once. In 1971, as a new diver, I was coming back from a day trip to Catalina. I was offered and ate some uni from a fellow diver, who had harvested urchin. The uni did not agree with me in the rough seas and I suffered all the way home. So, I know what it is like, luckily, have never experienced that again. I've enjoyed some good uni, on land. I've never vomited underwater, through my regulator or not

The closest that I've ever come to vomiting whilst on the boat was on a seriously rough, rock and roll day, out to the Great Blue Hole.

Almost everyone was barfing over the side or into the garbage can except for the one guy very near me who turned towards me and then violently vomited into a towel he was holding. That moment it crossed my mind that I too could become sick if I wasn't careful. I went and stood as far from everyone as I could, watched the horizon and thought of other things.

 

[Umuntu]

I had to share a primary donate once in training with a chain smoker with rotten teeth and I can tell you that you ARE getting the other persons cooties full bore, especially if they hand the reg to you with the mouthpiece facing down. Pretty goddamn gross!!

As a DM at a resort I refused to take out potential customers a couple of times because of gross oral hygiene issues.

 

[Colliam7]

This thread has generated some very interesting and useful (and, at times, amusing) discussion. We have had several informative sub-discussions - on air sharing and vomiting underwater, for example, as well as the basis for many of our established habits and beliefs - which could easily become threads in themselves.

While I understand the OP's decision not to initially identify the resort, doing so unfortunately / unintentionally created some mis-impressions, through inaccurate transcription. Reading the actual statement (https://buddydive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BDR-Safety-Measures-v3.pdf) in its entirety is quite instructive. And, as I said in a previous post, I would have no problem complying with what the resort is asking divers to do.

I do wonder if the approach to diving outlined in this document will become a 'new normal'. I personally don't see anything onerous in it. I have been going to the resort for many years, and would have no particular trouble adapting to the procedural changes outlined in the document. A little inconvenience, perhaps, but nothing notably challenging. Other divers will have different reactions - hopefully, they will be an informed, rather than abrupt and emotional reactions. I suspect that many dive operations will ultimately 'benefit' from the situation, in that they will more carefully examine their procedures, and look at what makes sense - what is reasonably safe, reasonably practical, reasonably efficient. One of the dive shops with which I am affiliated has already established an equipment cleaning procedure that is a definite improvement over what we were doing before, and the shop has established better guidelines for group trips to the local quarry, and for use of the shop's shelter at the quarry. The shop has started using Zoom meetings, for staff and customers, on a regular basis, which will be beneficial in the long run. Yes, that shop has also been hit hard, financially, so any 'benefit' has to be considered in that context. But, it is surviving and it will be a better operation in the long run. I suspect the same is true for the resort in this thread, and others.

 

[txgoose]

I personally don't see anything onerous in it.

Agreed. I think most non-Air2 divers could make this work for them. I didn't read anything that sounded heavy handed.

The shop has started using Zoom meetings, for staff and customers.

I like this. While I have enjoyed all of my classroom time, having the flexibility to do even some of it via zoom could free up my schedule quite a bit at times. I would still prefer a predominance of classroom time. I learn better there. But simply having a zoom option for those times when work runs late, etc, would be nice.

 

[beaverdivers]

This thread has generated some very interesting and useful (and, at times, amusing) discussion. We have had several informative sub-discussions - on air sharing and vomiting underwater, for example, as well as the basis for many of our established habits and beliefs - which could easily become threads in themselves.

While I understand the OP's decision not to initially identify the resort, doing so unfortunately / unintentionally created some mis-impressions, through inaccurate transcription. Reading the actual statement (https://buddydive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BDR-Safety-Measures-v3.pdf) in its entirety is quite instructive. And, as I said in a previous post, I would have no problem complying with what the resort is asking divers to do.

I do wonder if the approach to diving outlined in this document will become a 'new normal'. I personally don't see anything onerous in it. I have been going to the resort for many years, and would have no particular trouble adapting to the procedural changes outlined in the document. A little inconvenience, perhaps, but nothing notably challenging. Other divers will have different reactions - hopefully, they will be an informed, rather than abrupt and emotional reactions. I suspect that many dive operations will ultimately 'benefit' from the situation, in that they will more carefully examine their procedures, and look at what makes sense - what is reasonably safe, reasonably practical, reasonably efficient. One of the dive shops with which I am affiliated has already established an equipment cleaning procedure that is a definite improvement over what we were doing before, and the shop has established better guidelines for group trips to the local quarry, and for use of the shop's shelter at the quarry. The shop has started using Zoom meetings, for staff and customers, on a regular basis, which will be beneficial in the long run. Yes, that shop has also been hit hard, financially, so any 'benefit' has to be considered in that context. But, it is surviving and it will be a better operation in the long run. I suspect the same is true for the resort in this thread, and others.

I decided not to name the resort or destination, because I did not want to make this thread about one specific resort or destination. I do not want to be malicious or benevolent towards a specific resort or destination. I want this thread to be about rules that may be the result of the " New Normal ". My intent is to seek information from posters about these " New Rules ".
As far as correct information about the rule, I copied and pasted the rule as it was stated. The additional information that I posted was copied and pasted from an email that I received from the Dive Manager. Here it is again: the option proposed by the industry/Technical diving is to use neckless as primary source of breathing and leave long hose clipped to D-Ring as an option to give gas this way it will remain clean.

 

[Jcp2]

If you make the necklaced hose a bit longer and the long hose a bit shorter, then you eventually end up with a "standard" setup with a gag strap. Ta-dah! Magic! I'll be here all night. Try the fish and don't forget to tip the waiter.

 

[tursiops]

an email that I received from the Dive Manager. Here it is again: the option proposed by the industry/Technical diving is to use neckless as primary source of breathing and leave long hose clipped to D-Ring as an option to give gas this way it will remain clean.

LOL. He is a GUE diver.....of course he's going to say "clipped".