A 'solo' hello, from a newbie to this forum

[abman]

Glad you completed the course--good for you--but pray tell what is the logic for turning your air off? I don't do that at all. I figure if I might need it I want it then and there, nope, I see no reason for that. That must be some individual instructors criteria.

i agree, i dive with doubles and with singles with pony bottle attached. WHY would you keep your air turned off. that seems really silly to me. in an OOA situation that is just one more thing that you would have to worry about. besides that's the whole reason for having a redundant swystem any way. right? ken

 

[mheaster]

Congrats on completing course!

I too took the course. One night (3-4 hours) of lecture. One FULL day at quarry. We made 3 or 4 dives? We were never alone, in that we performed many skills. Many equip. removals/replacements. Switching from primary to alt. air sources during practice problems.

The most meaningful drills were probably the Swimming emergency ascent from about 35' (I guess I did it in OW course from 20" BUT was a LONG time ago!

Also confidence building was the entanglement simulation where instructor actually tie- wrap tied my regualtor to a padeye on a 30' submerged metal platform. switch to alt air source, remove BC/Tank, cut loose entanglement, and redon BC/Tank. Granted we knew it was coming but was a little unnerving, just the thought of it, but was no big deal afterwards!

A GREAT, Confidence building course!

I have no strong desire to dive SOLO every dive BUT believe the courses objective of making you self-sufficient, naturally makes one a better buddy!

I have taken to pretty much solo diving when using a scooter as a scooterless buddy is a real DRAG! (sometimes literally!)

Oh yeah, we kept our ALT Air Supply ON all the time!!!
I did it before, during and after the course!

Leaving it off, makes as much sense as leaving your Spare Tire home in your garage!

 

[nova]

i agree, i dive with doubles and with singles with pony bottle attached. WHY would you keep your air turned off. that seems really silly to me. in an OOA situation that is just one more thing that you would have to worry about. besides that's the whole reason for having a redundant swystem any way. right? ken

the reason for turning off a bottle is so you know it can't freeflow. could you imagin needing a backup bottle and finding it empty? as a tech diver I turn my deco bottles on and then off to protect the gas. as a solo diver I do the same to ponies and stages. even if you hear the bang and your backgas goes , you still have time to breath the backgas down to zero before you switch to the backup bottle. Make no mistake, that pony is your buddy, treat it like it's gold.

 

[Nemrod]

"the reason for turning off a bottle is so you know it can't freeflow."


You would not notice all the bubbles and noise? Always more than one way to skin a cat (figuratively speaking only) unless of course if your DIR and then there is only one way and we ain't it. N

 

[nova]

"the reason for turning off a bottle is so you know it can't freeflow."


You would not notice all the bubbles and noise? Always more than one way to skin a cat (figuratively speaking only) unless of course if your DIR and then there is only one way and we ain't it. N

yup! sure is . but my pony can go on 10 to 15 dives without being used. It's the one time that I need it that I want gas in it. This is the way I was taught during solo , tech and cavern courses. I also never rig my pony to a tank. I stage sling it, so if I have to leave the hog rig I can take the pony and swim back. This is just the way I do things. seems to work for me, after all, I'm still breathing

 

[Nemrod]

Sounds good to me, I am more into minimal equipment. What I meant, by the way, when I said "we ain't" I mean that DIR does not include solo this being the solo forum. I don't like carrying all that equipment anyways so I could never be DIR or HOG. If I was to carry a pony I might sling it as you do but then I don't need a pony so I don't, just something else to slow me down and cause trouble. N