Diving with redundancy.

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...but if I splash with a buddy then I stay with that buddy.

Hi Big Kahuna,

I agree with your point very much until the buddy tells me by action that he/she does not want to be a disciplined buddy. Then I spend half my dive looking for my AWOL buddy (paraphrase from DM Spider, Bonaire Surge). It is a two way street.

...but your premise that he has insta-buddies goes against him saying that his buddy is usually his wife.

You are correct with that point and I must admit to generalizing there.

However:

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.

Overweighted (OW), may end up with the same problem that I have. I don't know that. If his wife is comfortable with their u/w relationship now and does not want to tune-up buddy skills he will be where I am now. If this scenario plays out, OW has no other choice than to compromise his safety or learn to be self-reliant (which includes the proper kit). It takes two be a buddy team.

It's also a possibility that he and his wife are trained solo, but that doesn't appear to be the case here.

I don't think it is the case either. I think a solo trained and equipped diver can be your best buddy. It is good training.

enjoyed it Bro,
m
 
Then I spend half my dive looking for my AWOL buddy
If they swim faster than I do, then that's their problem. Buddies should only go as fast as the slower diver. But hey, you're a good enough diver that you really don't need all that gear to be safe anyway. I know that I don't. If I sling a an AL40 in an OW situation, it's more for the benefit of others, not me. Why would I say that? It's your attitude and composure in the water. You've learned to move methodically with purpose and slow enough to make a snail impatient. You've learned to check your and probably your buddy's gauges often enough so you won't get surprised either. Now, that all goes out the window if you're dipping into tech. Deco and/or overhead require, require, require redundancy.
 
Cold water is also a good place for redundancy, having a second diver on a single first stage can result in freeflows if the water is 35F.
 
Has anyone tried an electronic brake switch to stop the car?
No. I did turn a car off when the accelerator pedal stuck. Checking under the hood, I found a screwdriver had gotten jammed in there. I really didn't remember using a screwdriver whilst I was there, and as it turned out, the other mechanic in the shop left it in there when he came over to help me with a steering line I was replacing. That was exciting. :D
 
Of course this is true, also here teaching agencies stopped teaching how to manage quickly your valves more than 30 years ago, when DIN regs became common.
However, the most common failure I have seen is damaging the KNOB of the valve, when the cylinders falls.
If the cylinder has just one knob, and there is no replacement aboard, your cylinder becomes useless.
If it has two knobs (two valves), you simply use the second.
Same for the Yoke O-ring. It usually explodes on the boat, when opening the valve. If you have a replacement at hand, you change it and there you go. But it happened to me at least three times that there was no spare O-ring available on our Zodiac (or that they had already been used).
Again, you just move the reg on the second post and you are ready for diving....
I really do not see why a cylinder should be equipped with a single-post valve. They should be simply forbidden, in my opinion, for cylinders of more than 8 liters...
In the old days, we always had a spare O-ring in our yolk cap. If the O-ring blew, simply use a flat blade to remove the spare O-ring from the cap and use it. We didn't have money for two regulators, but those old regulators did not easily break either.

SeaRat
 
BTW, I believe that diving with redundancy should be an AOW experience. It's not hard to do, but a lot of people are afraid to clip one on. A solo diving class would be a great follow up as long as you meet the minimum dive requirements.

Every diver is different. Personally, I don't feel I need it in an OW environment. Add any technical aspect to the dive, like a rebreather, overhead, deco, depth etc, and then it makes sense for me. But then, I'm not you. You might feel a need for many other reasons and that's OK. No, I don't feel you need to take a class to carry a bottle unless you feel that you need it. Every diver is different. Every diver has a different set of skills, experiences, knowledge and so forth. No one can make that final decision but you. It's your dive after all. Go have fun.
 
If you want true redundancy dive with a team - spare brain, spare gas, spare everything.

Get good training (fundamentals or similar) as then your skills will give you the tools to help efficiently and without causing more problems in a panicked situation.

Dive manifolded doubles with a longhose and necklaced backup.

Like any standard dive really.
 
BTW, I believe that diving with redundancy should be an AOW experience.

Hi Big Kahuna,

I agree with that totally!

It's not hard to do, but a lot of people are afraid to clip one on.

I agree with that also. I think that diving with a pony in OW circumstances is also stigmatized by the industry.

Personally, I don't feel I need it in an OW environment.

Here again I think you are right. May I add, I don't think we both need it as you have written before regarding my diving self-reliant.

You might feel a need for many other reasons and that's OK.

Yep, we totally agree again! Dive and Let Dive.

It's your dive after all. Go have fun.

This is why we get along so well! We tend to think alike even though we dive differently and follow different tactics.

Here is why I dive self-reliant:
  1. I gain a sense of freedom u/w. If the buddy I splash with likes to dive with the overall group, verses a single buddy, or has 100% confidence in their gear and situational awareness, then go for it! Go ahead, swim over that big bottom feature so I can't find you. I'm cool.
  2. I am lazy. I don't want to hold my breath while finding my buddy if something does happen. I don't want to perform a CESA. The "security blanket" feeling that I get totally relaxes me. I enjoy that, "whatever", feeling regarding the dive group or buddy. If the buddy is a picture-perfect buddy, then I will reciprocate.
  3. I am a contrarian. So many of the rules and regulations we live by are based in folklore from a bygone era. It is fun to watch and listen to attitudes and comments from others who follow the so-called paradigms, some follow these with religious fervor, either rightly or wrongly.
    1. I enjoy seeing the expressions on a DMs face at the beginning of the first dive. Then when they signal me to board the boat because they are running out of gas, or we have hit the artificial time limit for the dive. When their assumptions about me are proven wrong, I just chuckle. (I am not a gas hog)
    2. Yeah, I know, I am that jackass.
  4. Some people are truly interested in learning. They ask me questions about my rig. Newbs are somewhat astonished that what they learned in OW is contradicted by their own certification agency. Or, that lady in Miami who reported me back to the DM in a loud voice on deck because I violated the rules and was solo. The DM responded: no, he is a solo diver and certified for it! I know, I am that jackass.
  5. The industry will not change unless solo divers push back. The ongoing acceptance process for solo diving has taken about 18 years since SDI created the cert. We have a long ways to go. We have not finished the re-education process.
And, it's fun! Also, I like gadgets. I like tinkering with stuff (you and I are tinkerers). Example: I like my Perdix AI with its custom GF feature (even though I don't do much staged deco--I still like the setting!). Dr. Doolette wrote a good article about GFs, with Boulderjohn listed as a resource, so of course I followed his lead and had to reset my GF.

Dive and let dive! Join the revolution!!!

cheers,
m
 
An H valve gives you a second regulator but not redundant air. So it’s not a bad thing to use, but doubles, sidemount, or pony are better options Imho.

Ya, this. I went through the H-valve phase a few decades ago. About all it potentially helps with is a failed regulator, which really isn't much of a thing. Even with the freeze-up, the mess of knobs, first stages and hoses severely complicates valve shut-down.

So I agree completely with the redundancy thinking, but sling a 40 or even a 30 so you'll have "actual" redundancy.

Should you ever move into deeper, tech, deco diving, your 40 can be put to good use with a deco gas, whereas an H-valve will end up in your bin of odds and ends.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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