8 changes...

[Kharon]

I had that in Thailand. Had my back to the DM after I completed my buddy check. There was a delay whilst we moved dive sites, in the in-between the DM turned my valve off.

Had a similar experience. I was gearing up with my group on GC for a shore dive. I turned my air full on waiting for the rest of the group and was talking to someone in the group a few steps away. When I put on my BC and took my test breaths the SPG dropped to zero. Some tank monkey minding my business rather than his own effed with my gear. I absolutely hate it when someone touches my gear. Had I seen the guy I would have reamed him a new a&&@*?#

 

[Bogtrotter]

Had a similar experience. I was gearing up with my group on GC for a shore dive. I turned my air full on waiting for the rest of the group and was talking to someone in the group a few steps away. When I put on my BC and took my test breaths the SPG dropped to zero. Some tank monkey minding my business rather than his own effed with my gear. I absolutely hate it when someone touches my gear. Had I seen the guy I would have reamed him a new a&&@*?#

Same thing happened to me last week. A DM turned my air off, his procedure was for him to turn all tanks on himself in the boat after gearing up. I gave him an irritated look and told him to at least let me know next time. Frankly I just like being the last person to touch my tank valve.

 

[Blasto]

"Air off unless it's on your back" is a common policy for at least a few dive ops in Thailand that I've seen.

The reason given is that, with air on throughout the surface interval, a small leak can drain a tank down to half pressure. Leaks are not an especially rare occurrence with rental regs that don't get rinsed on a regular basis.

 

[Bogtrotter]

"Air off unless it's on your back" is a common policy for at least a few dive ops in Thailand that I've seen.

The reason given is that, with air on throughout the surface interval, a small leak can drain a tank down to half pressure. Leaks are not an especially rare occurrence with rental regs that don't get rinsed on a regular basis.

Makes sense but in my case it wasn't dive op policy as I have gone with them many times and I was into several dives this trip. I think the DM just had his own procedure. Which is fine- but in the very least tell me you are going to shut my tank off.

 

[EricTheDood]

"Air off unless it's on your back" is a common policy for at least a few dive ops in Thailand that I've seen.

The reason given is that, with air on throughout the surface interval, a small leak can drain a tank down to half pressure. Leaks are not an especially rare occurrence with rental regs that don't get rinsed on a regular basis.

A leak that can drain an AL80 (or larger) down to half pressure over a 45 min surface interval is not small by any means.

 

[Blasto]

A leak that can drain an AL80 (or larger) down to half pressure over a 45 min surface interval is not small by any means.

Yep, and I actually disagree with that reasoning, though I do understand it. I've seen leaking never-rinsed second stages drain gas without much noise.

I prefer the protocol of assembling the gear, opening and closing the valves, checking if the gauges still show full pressure in a couple minutes, then looking for the leak or opening the valves again.

 

[Kimela]

I liked the article. I find it difficult to get to my husband's weight belt under his BCD and that makes me nervous. I use a Zena - which has the threaded weight pockets - but I routinely take out each weight pocket as I end a dive and hand them up to the boat. I don't ever want to have to rethread those pockets if I can take out the pouches - but I will if I have to.

Picture this. Your buddy is wearing a weight belt AND a crotch strap. You unhook the weight belt, which falls to the crotch strap that you forgot was there because - well, you're stressed. Now you have another issue to deal with calmly. Another reason for me to prefer weight integrated BC's.

But much of it is personal preference.

 

[Cowfish Aesthetic]

Your buddy is wearing a weight belt AND a crotch strap. You unhook the weight belt, which falls to the crotch strap that you forgot was there because - well, you're stressed. Now you have another issue to deal with calmly. Another reason for me to prefer weight integrated BC's.

Weight belt merits aside, weight belt + crotch strap seems like a remarkably bad idea.

 

[JBFG]

Weight belt merits aside, weight belt + crotch strap seems like a remarkably bad idea.

unless your weight belt has droppable pockets on it which is what you pull instead of the belt...

 

[CuzzA]

I agree. Ditch the crotch strap. I often used to forget to buckle it anyway and could never tell the difference. When I ditched the weight pockets for the belt I ditched the crotch strap too. Personally, I see little utility from it unless you have a scooter.