Absurd dive equipment

[Boogie711]

I do, however, dive with properly maintained equipment, practice proper gas management, and have situational awareness, so I would be aware if the SPG needle is sticking.

I guess that's what makes us different, huh?

 

[ew1usnr]

Boogie711 once bubbled...
I guess that's what makes us different, huh?

I am very glad of that.

 

[Boogie711]

ew1usnr - I have nothing against you and don't want to take this personal (any more than it's already been, anyway.) To the extent that it has gone personal, I apologize.

In summary - I believe some of the practices you advocate to others are simply unsafe.

J valves have no place in modern diving. It's NOT about diving only the newest and greatest. The 'newest and greatest' is the sort of crap philosophy which churns out useless accesories found in this thread - things like the HUB.

It is about diving the right tool for the job. J-valves are simply not the right tool - in any circumstance. By saying you use a J-valve as a backup to an SPG, which sometimes sticks and floods, is the same as saying "I'm going to get into this creaky old elevator, but I'm going to tie a knot around my waist and another knot around the doorknob of the 18th floor. The rope is only 17 floors long, so when it gets to the end, I'll stop."

Again - it's not about the newest and greatest. It's about waking up and realizing that some of the practices you used to think were acceptable are simply not any longer workable.

There is such a thing as "proper gas management." Do a search on this board for such terms as "rock bottom." If you stop and think about what you're doing, it may just really increase your diving enjoyment. Trust me - proper gas management does NOT mean "breathe the tank down and come up. " Again - that's NOT SAFE!!!! What happens if your buddy is out of air, but you still need to do stops? It's off to the chamber with you, just because you don't accept what you refer to as "the newest and greatest."

ew1usnr - good luck to you sir. I wish you no ill will. But if you continue to dive the way you advocate, ill will may find you regardless. It's not about the "scuba cops." It's about being safe and not putting your life, and the life of your dive buddy, at risk.

 

[Bob3]

J valves have no place in modern diving

Whoa there, J valves make GREAT carrying handles.
The largest dive shop in Northern California still has a bunch in their rental department, as do most well established dive shops in the midwest.
If given the choice of a steel 72 with a J or an aluminum 80, I'll take the 72 any day, as the bouyancy characteristics of the 80 irritate the daylights out of me.
The biggest hazard about a J is a newbie shop hand not knowing to put the handle in the DOWN position for filling & sticking you with a 500 psi fill.

 

[Boogie711]

I have dove with a J valve, as long as the handle is in the 'full open' position it's nothing more than a k valve. I dive DIN valves now, anyway, so it's not a big deal.

But to use the J-valve as a substitute for an SPG is foolhardy and dangerous.

 

[detroit diver]

SeaJay once bubbled...


.........I mean, a sandwich and a Coke might be nice, too, but I wouldn't clip them off to my BC...
......

I think you've got something there. A portable sandwich! Darn, I'd like to have one of those when I surface.....

 

[Charlie99]

detroit diver once bubbled...
I think you've got something there. A portable sandwich! Darn, I'd like to have one of those when I surface.....

Why wait until surfacing? I often slip a small Capri Sun foil juice packet into my BC pocket for a mid-dive sip. Now if the sandwich is in a ziplock baggie, it will be dry, although kind of squished. Now if you purge upward into the ziplok bag as you open it....... It will still probably get wet a bit, so it just has to be a sandwich that tastes good when heavily salted. Ya never know until you try! "Sandwich trials" are sked for this weekend.

Charlie

 

[ew1usnr]

Boogie711 once bubbled...
I believe some of the practices you advocate to others are simply unsafe.

...... for anyone else. I enjoy swimming with a double hose regulator and a J-valve, but won't argue that anyone else should dive this way. Neither will I condemn them if they choose to do so. This equipment is not illegal.

 

[ew1usnr]

Boogie711 once bubbled...
But to use the J-valve as a substitute for an SPG is foolhardy and dangerous.

My Boogie-buddy has partially convinced me. I will upgrade my 72 tank with a Dacor J-valve (see attached) that has an HP port for a pressure gauge. This will let me go AquaLung-ing with the advantages of both a J-valve reserve and a SPG.

 

[padiscubapro]

cstreu1026 once bubbled...


Just to make sure I am on the same page, exactly what is being refered to as a Sea Vision mask. I can't see a way that anyone would classify my prescription Sea Vision mask as absurd. The only possible way some might do that I would think is if you had the color correcting lens.

I also use sea vision masks both prescription...

One is a clear lens.. the other is the low viz mask (yellow lens) and I can tell you in darg / greenish water it makes an incredible difference..

The NE waters are pretty dark, with the yellow lenses I can read my guages without shining a light on them to much deeper depths than a standard clear lens.. the red color correcting... well that I think is unnecessary....