Gear issue on dive

[Bhtmec2]

Good for you. Glad you kept you head and just looked at what was wrong and solved it.

Last year I hurried and threw the wrong gear in my bag and went out on a boat. When I started to setup I realized that I threw the reg set that I had removed the bad hose for the power inflator. I got a plug out of my kit and put it in the 1st Stage and went on. It was funny that someone saw that I had no hose on the inflator and raised a big stink. The boat owner and the shop owner agreed with me that I did not need it. They others thought we were crazy. I dove 2 dives and no problem. I tried to remind them that when I started we did not have this fancy gear and if weighted right I was ok. I told them if I needed air in my wing I would add air the old fashioned way by using my lungs.

 

[stairman]

As long as it went well, no biggie. Good skill to learn and probably saved some gas.

 

[Searcaigh]

I would have done the same thing.

Gas saving would be minimal though, just a lower O2 level in the BC

 

[spectrum]

You did fine. At that point you had already reached the greatest need to inflate the bladder so you might as well continue. As mentioned you were putting a basic skill to use. Early gear was orally inflated and before that there was no BC. As long as you felt comfortable counting on you skill there was no reason to abort. Good job.

Pete

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I don't recall orally inflating the BC underwater in OW! I recall doing it at the surface.


Mike

I've been out of training for so long, I have no idea if you are correct or not.

Do current training standards require oral inflation be taught only on the surface?

I would find that incredibly stupid, but certainly not unbelievable.

 

[Bigd2722]

I've been out of training for so long, I have no idea if you are correct or not.

Do current training standards require oral inflation be taught only on the surface?

I would find that incredibly stupid, but certainly not unbelievable.

Rather than require only on surface, I think they just don't address oral inflation uw

 

[Yamatime]

I remember orally inflating my BC while underwater in a pool during my OW training. Not sure if it's required or not, but certainly a good skill to have. In regards to not doing it because of weights, that should have no bearing on a dive. If you are properly weighted using ur bottle to fill ur BC should be no different than orally. It comes down to being comfortable. Since this happened at depth, I think u did the right thing, checked the other gear, assessed, comfortable continuing or not, etc. Had it happened at the surface, if I had a spare, I would probably change it out, otherwise would dive after practicing at the surface since it's something I haven't done in a while.

 

[GrimSleeper]

Rather than require only on surface, I think they just don't address oral inflation uw

I don't know about other agencies' OW courses, but PADI standards require that instructors have students achieve neutral buoyancy by orally inflating their BCD, both in confined and open water, as well as orally inflate their BCDs to achieve positive buoyancy at the surface with the LPI hose disconnected and after simulating a controlled emergency swimming ascent. I'd assume other agencies have similar standards at least as a minimum, so what the OP describes should be well within the competence of anyone who has been taught a halfway-decent OW course.

 

[tracydr]

Just helped DM as a trainee with my first OW pool session. It was an SDI class (Dual cert instructor) and I'm actually getting my DM through PADI. Still haven't helped with a PADI class but I know I need to be able to demonstrate underwater oral inflation so I'm assuming it's taught.
We only orally inflated only on the surface with the SDI class. Also, no fin pivots.
For my DM skills training, I needed to do oral inflation on surface and underwater. Also oral inflation with fin pivots.
I honestly don't remember much from my own PADI class in 1995.

 

[flots am]

Do current training standards require oral inflation be taught only on the surface?

Although it's a nice skill to have, and it's great that the OP could do it, however AFAIK, it's only required on the surface, in the context of "how to inflate your BC when your tank is empty".

flots.