Analysis of a bad dive.

[MikeFerrara]

Not too many divers are cruel enough to add insult to injury by poking fun.

I think the important stuff has been covered, don't change too much all at once. If you do, keep the dive simple...maybe even a pool...someplace where you can sort out one thing at a time.

The light in the left hand thing...I'm don't know about the DIR point of view and there are probably some good reasons for carrying a primary in your left hand but...I should think there are times when it's a good idea to move it to your right hand...or even clip it off.

No snorkel? Keep the reg in your mouth until you are comfortably buoyant and situated on the surface.

 

[timle]

Yeah I slowly changed my gear of the course of several months. I had been diving a backplate and wing since the beginning. Switched to long hose and necklace backup. Then drysuit. Then primary light (had to add reel about the same time - for cavern). Next up doubles. Problems with changing isn't a reason not to change but it a reason to change slowly and with great care - IE not a night dive

I used to lean back on my wing at the surface and float sort of on my back, however if you put less gas in you can float right at your neck line and it won't push you face forward. Primary light wise I believe DIR teaches light in left hand as bottom timer is on the right wrist and you can shine the light there plus the right is free for scootering. Not sure what other reasons, but it is some what tricky to run the reel and light in the left especially since thats where my butt dump valve is.

 

[Soggy]

Not sure what other reasons, but it is some what tricky to run the reel and light in the left especially since thats where my butt dump valve is.

That's why the Halcyon and Salvo reels are designed with a side handle...It's incredibly easy to run the reel like that, and spooling it in is better because if the light is in the right hand and you are spooling it up with the right hand, your light would flash all over the place.

The other and one of the main reasons why the light goes in the left hand is to avoid blinding your buddy during an airshare.

 

[Cacia]

The other and one of the main reasons why the light goes in the left hand is to avoid blinding your buddy during an airshare.

oh...thanks, did not know that.

 

[sunnyboy]

I would add one thing to this discussion based on personal experience (much like TSandM's)...

Never make significant gear changes on a night dive!!!

It's difficult enough trying to manage gear changes on a "same dive" (i.e. new gear on a dive you've done many times before). But to add "night" to the scenario is really asking for complications. Even a minor problem can be more difficult to manage in the dark.

Cheers,

-S

 

[mikerault]

On my recent Oriskany dive I had a similar (though not as intimidating/embarassing) situation. I had been training with drysuit and AL80 doubles using a SS backplate and a 50# Oxychek wing. I get to the Big O and everyone else is doing wetsuits, the dive boat won't let me take my doubles (I ended up with AL100 singles) and I had to use a SS STA to support the single AL100 I had to use in place of my doubles. The STA wouldn't fit with the Oxychek wing so I had to use my Diverite Tecwing (35# lift). So I was doing a fairly stressful dive, with a completely new configuration and no idea how to weight for it. I ended up using 18 pounds (on top of the 6 pound BP and 2 pound STA this was too much) but didn't embarass myself too badly, other than leaving my reg setup at the hotel...geesh!...luckily one of the dive team also brough his doubles setup so I got to use his main/SPG regulator. SO I was diving a 5mm full wetsuit rather than my Bare NexGen, the SS BP with SS STA and Diverite TecWing rather than SS BP, no STA and Oxychek wing and a totally different regulator setup than what I am used to. Because I had no Octo or backup I had to use my 6CF spare air for a backup.

However, both dives worked out fine, I took extra care with my buoyancy so I didn't have any real issues. The only problem was when I leaned over the edge of the boat with my weight harness on to rinse my mask and the extra 18 pounds caused me to break a rib between the first and second dive. Luckily it really didn't start hurting until two days later....

So, things could be worse!

Mike

 

[RiverRat]

I'll echo everyone else. Make only one, maybe two if they're not that significant, changes at a time. Way too much task loading. Work on one item. Tweak it, fine tune it and make it work. Then move to the next item. I've got about 30 dives in my drysuit and I'm still trying to dial in how much air to add to offset the pinch, stay warm and on top of that dial in my buoyancy offset with my wing. I switched to steel tanks way back to get some weight off the belt. Took a few dives to get the "feel" of the buoyancy swing of the tank. I was diving a heavy steel backplate before the tank switch so was able to dial that in by itself. Diving dry with my current setup I'm down to 9# on my belt. Getting steel on your back will do wonders for your trim. Now I'm working on DIR stuff in the pool in a wetsuit, AL80 etc. After I get squared away better in that respect (trim, propulsion) I'll have to bring that over to my drysuit diving and tweak all over again. Never ending learning process.

 

[timle]

I have a salvo reel, it still takes some getting used to.

 

[Nailer99]

Wow- yeah, I feel for you. As several people have pointed out- change one thing at a time. Even stuff that seems simple on the surface can be suprisingly uncool once you go down- best to have only ONE thing to contend with, once you're diving. One of my worst dives involved a new drysuit, new fins, and a new mask that didn't fit right- and I got narced out of my gourd, to boot, probably due to stress from a flooding mask, fins that didn't fit right, and drysuit boots that REALLY liked to trap air- I burned through most of a HP 119 in no time flat, and ended up having to share air off my (very patient) buddy's octo. Did I mention the fact that we went into deco because we got seperated at 130 fsw with 8-10 foot vis? I look back on that dive fondly, because I learned so many things in such a short time.....

 

[fisherdvm]

One of the fellow diver calculated my air consumption. I went from 2600 to 1000 psi in 15 minutes flat at 20ft ! Ha, ha, ha... it is amazing what being cold, scared, and embarrassed can do to your breathing.