DIR- GUE GUE CCR Discussion (split from Tec Pass Thread)

[helodriver87]

I thought there was a mav that could be added to allow offboarding. Maybe I'm mistaken.

I assumed the class was taught with both a long hose and bungeed second. Sounds like no.

There is a MAV for offboarding any stage with an LPI connection. My stage and deco regs all have one and I carry a LP to LPI cheater in my wetnotes.

The class is taught with a bungeed secondary and a long hose. BOV can replace bungeed secondary if you want.

The 50s are limiting, but they're perfect for open water, which is all I have locally. So the amount of actual cave CCR diving I'll do over the next year probably won't stress the range of the GUE config. Eventually there'll be a need for longer range bailout, but that's a bridge I'll cross when I get to it. It's been figured out already, so it's not like I'll need to reinvent the wheel to learn sidemount bailout configuration.

 

[Jack Hammer]

You can carry stages in a cave with the GUE JJ. The profile of the unit is wider and taller than OC 130s. I've been ~4k' back in Ginnie with my buddy on a GUE JJ with stages, all with LPI to offboard if needed, and me on OC double 130s and stages.

My JJ class was taught with bungeed backup, no BOV, but you can add one after class. Other instructors encourage a BOV in their class. I like it for OW, havent taken it in a cave yet and am not sure how I feel about the profile for that.

 

[PfcAJ]

There is a MAV for offboarding any stage with an LPI connection. My stage and deco regs all have one and I carry a LP to LPI cheater in my wetnotes.

is that being taught in the class now?

 

[Jack Hammer]

is that being taught in the class now?

It's not part of the curriculum.

 

[helodriver87]

is that being taught in the class now?

I'll let you know after I take the class. Kirill told me to put 36" LPI hoses on all my stage regs and to buy a cheater. It's not taught in CCR1 because it's very much an open water, if in doubt bailout class.

 

[PfcAJ]

You can carry stages in a cave with the GUE JJ. The profile of the unit is wider and taller than OC 130s. I've been ~4k' back in Ginnie with my buddy on a GUE JJ with stages, all with LPI to offboard if needed, and me on OC double 130s and stages.

My JJ class was taught with bungeed backup, no BOV, but you can add one after class. Other instructors encourage a BOV in their class. I like it for OW, havent taken it in a cave yet and am not sure how I feel about the profile for that.

Yea you can carry stages, sure. But adding 85s or 120s in place of the 50s? Supa wide. Plus an argon bottle? Oof.

 

[helodriver87]

Yea you can carry stages, sure. But adding 85s or 120s in place of the 50s? Supa wide. Plus an argon bottle? Oof.

That's where you'd wanna switch to the more conventional cave CCR config with sidemount bailouts, inflation and O2 on the back, and a switchblock. The setup kirill uses at twin dees makes a lot of sense to me. But no way in hell would I dive that setup off a boat.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Yea you can carry stages, sure. But adding 85s or 120s in place of the 50s? Supa wide. Plus an argon bottle? Oof.

I really notice the argon bottle sticking out. I dont think I'd ever try to put anything larger than the 50s on the unit. It's pretty big as is with those. The stand would need to come if I tried otherwise it would force the tanks over my head.

 

[rjack321]

AJ pretty much covered the issue(s) with the backmounted 50s. Basically in every other GUE cave course you are taught to keep your backmounted gas as your reserve and you carry tons of it. The gas you use first is the stages. The backmounted 50s are a modest amount of BO gas and because you are bringing stages in order to make up the volume difference they get sprinkled around the cave. Exactly the opposite of having your reserves with you.

On other backmounted units in caves, the "standard" is to SM your BO (I do on my Meg). I can and have carried up to 130s SM which is more than double the amount of the 50s and it stays on me the whole dive. I can add stages after that but it's not a double or triple stage dive to get to the backmountable EOL in the Mill pond area or Ginnie.
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That's where you'd wanna switch to the more conventional cave CCR config with sidemount bailouts, inflation and O2 on the back, and a switchblock. The setup kirill uses at twin dees makes a lot of sense to me. But no way in hell would I dive that setup off a boat.

Yes you're figuring it out! The 50s are actually kind of nice for boat diving 1) assuming the weight on the ladder isn't an issue 2) where you are not far from a booster to top them up and 3) can basically go straight up to your 50% or 35/25 next gas. The KUR setup is much more adaptable for backmount cave diving since you can carry bigger SM tanks, fewer stages, and the suit gas in the onboard "dil" is a slam dunk change.

 

[helodriver87]

AJ pretty much covered the issue(s) with the backmounted 50s. Basically in every other GUE cave course you are taught to keep your backmounted gas as your reserve and you carry tons of it. The gas you use first is the stages. The backmounted 50s are a modest amount of BO gas and because you are bringing stages in order to make up the volume difference they get sprinkled around the cave. Exactly the opposite of having your reserves with you.

On other backmounted units in caves, the "standard" is to SM your BO (I do on my Meg). I can and have carried up to 130s SM which is more than double the amount of the 50s and it stays on me the whole dive. I can add stages after that but it's not a double or triple stage dive to get to the backmountable EOL in the Mill pond area or Ginnie.
​

Yes you're figuring it out! The 50s are actually kind of nice for boat diving 1) assuming the weight on the ladder isn't an issue 2) where you are not far from a booster to top them up and 3) can basically go straight up to your 50% or 35/25 next gas. The KUR setup is much more adaptable for backmount cave diving since you can carry bigger SM tanks, fewer stages, and the suit gas in the onboard "dil" is a slam dunk change.

Yeah, completely agree here. I think the nature of my circumstances for the next year or two makes the standard config perfect for me. Lots of open water and tourist cave with a potential CCR2 in the future. What I'll probably eventually do (2-3 years from now) is keep the 50s on the standard rack for boat and simple cave stuff and pick up the extended range radial can and keep it KUR style. Nice to have options.