19cuft Catalina Pony Question

[DevonDiver]

Please explain how this switching procedure would work with two deco gases both turned on:

You initially said that turning the deco cylinder off was used by technical divers as a means to prevent using the wrong gas. You stated that reason as the only purpose for which technical divers stored their deco cylinders pressurized, but turned off.

If the tech diver had 2 deco cylinders, they would both be off until needed. So how would that allow a differentiation of gasses? Checking the MOD decal, turning on the cylinder (GUE drill), and tracing that cylinder to the correct second stage serves that purpose.

However, it is not the only, or even primary, reason why the cylinder is turned off. GUE use that particular order of gas switching as standard. Other agencies don't. All agencies teach that deco cylinder are stored shut off.

What matters is the visual confirmation that the correct cylinder has been selected. What follows afterwards is a matter of procedure according to different schools of thought. Your comment about 'technical divers' shows no understanding of that.

 

[Dr Wu]

You are backtracking and trying to move the goalposts.

You initially said that turning the deco cylinder off was used by technical divers as a means to prevent using the wrong gas. You stated that reason as the only purpose for which technical divers stored their deco cylinders pressurized, but turned off.

I did nothing of the kind. What I said was:

Decompression cylinders are charged then shut off to avoid an accidental mix up of gas.

Then you said:

Given that most decompression divers would be utilizing 2 deco gases, having them (both) turned off or on would not factor in an error accessing the wrong gas at the wrong time.

This is what is taught on technical/decompression courses.

The George Irvine quote proves your statement incorrect. Lets look at it again shall we:

To deploy a stage, we look for the correct marking, we put the reg around our neck, we turn on the bottle, put the reg in our mouth, and if we can breathe, we are breathing the correct gas. It’s just that simple.


Again later..

The correct procedure when ready to breathe a gas is to locate the correct bottle by the MOD, remove the reg, place that reg around the neck and into the mough, then go back and re-locate the correct bottle and turn it on. IF YOU CAN BREATHE, YOU ARE BREATHING THE RIGHT GAS.

Lets review:

This procedure is taught in decompression classes.

This procedure will not work if all the deco gas tanks are turned on at the start of the dive.



You may want me to be wrong but that does not make me wrong.

 

[DevonDiver]

olice:
Warnings were given...
Thread temporarily closed and off-topic posts hidden,
pending review by an impartial / uninvolved moderator.

Thank you for your patience.
​

 

[JahJahwarrior]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Thread re-opened. Some posts have been edited, some deleted.

This could have qualified for a split, as the stage/deco discussion is not what the poster wanted to know about. However, I feel that the issue of leaving a valve on or off on a pony bottle can be important, so for the moment, this is staying as one thread. however there are not to be any further posts on that topic in this thread. Plenty has been said and the poster has been informed of the need to consider this, any further discussion will be considered off topic and be a candidate for deletion. Feel free to start a new discussion about this topic.

As always-- play nice and post nice!

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[Ragnar]

Like most, I started diving with no thought of "Tech" involved at all, it just happened over time, so I'll say the same thing as always regarding any of these type of discussions. Even if you never intend to go Tech configure your gear that way anyway and you'll be happier and more comfortable, and if you ever change your mind later you'll also save a ton of money!!! If you don't you'll just simply be happier and more comfortable

Safer regarding equipment configuration is a funny argument to read about on these forums as it usually deteriorates pretty quickly into a "my d$%k is bigger than yours" argument, but the fact remains that what you are most familiar with is often the "safer" option and a tech set-up will never need to be changed as your diving does so it will be more familiar rather than having to reconfigure based on the dive, i.e, more safe in that regard simply because you have more experience with it. I have seen a lot of people crash borrowed motorcycles who were excellent riders on their own machines, you get my point. The borrowed bike may have in fact been a better handling bike, but that really didn't matter.

Does what I'm talking about sound very familiar to the hotly debated DIR? Yup, but it's simply what I've realized over the years through personal experience and a lot of wasted money not mention weeks underwater being not as comfortable as I could have been.

If I were forced to accept all the limitations of back mounting a pony with the gear you have stated I would simply mount it valve up, turned on, second stage hose routed under my right arm and bungied around my neck. If accepting all of the other drawbacks there is no need to really fuss over the details, just keep it simple, you'll have a redundant gas supply right under your chin that can be used at a moments notice with no further action. Of course then you'll need to donate your primary when air sharing, but that is already your program with an Octo Z is it not?