Bottles Clipping Arrangement

[Rick Inman]

When clipping multiple stages/deco bottles, what is the DIR approved order of the bottles? Lean closest or rich closest?

 

[limeyx]

When clipping multiple stages/deco bottles, what is the DIR approved order of the bottles? Lean closest or rich closest?

Since each bottle is marked with MOD, I am not sure it matters too too much.

Generally though the reasoning goes:

1) The O2 bottle is clipped on the leash/behind the diver initially. This is to put it as far away from your mouth as possible so you don't end up accidentally switching to it at the wrong depth (and also if you really screw up and have to go to whatever gas is left, this is the last option)

2) Assuming you dive with an O2, a 70 foot (50%) and a bottom stage, then I think generally the bottle you are breathing first (i.e. the bottom stage) goes "inside" -- closest to the diver.

So for a dive with O2, 50% and bottom stage:

bottom stage clipped inside on the left arm. 50% clipped "outside" on the left arm.
100% on the leash or nose-clipped to the right D-dring

I guess if you bring a 120 bottle, then it would start out where the 50% is above and move the 50% to the leash.

Lean/rich don't really mean anything in DIR -- everything is MOD/depth based.

 

[nadwidny]

1) The O2 bottle is clipped on the leash/behind the diver initially. This is to put it as far away from your mouth as possible so you don't end up accidentally switching to it at the wrong depth (and also if you really screw up and have to go to whatever gas is left, this is the last option)

The O2 is put on the leash because in a 3 cylinder dive you have your stage and 70' cylinder clipped "up top". There is no room for another cylinder to be carried this way so a leash is needed or it is nose-clipped to the waist Dring. In a 2 cylinder dive the O2 is clipped "up top". It has nothing to do with accidently switching to a wrong gas. That is covered by another protocol.

2) Assuming you dive with an O2, a 70 foot (50%) and a bottom stage, then I think generally the bottle you are breathing first (i.e. the bottom stage) goes "inside" -- closest to the diver.

Some may do it this way however in this situation I put my stage outside as it is the one to be exchanged when it's time to do the "Switch the O2 with the Stage" dance. Also It works better for me to have the lighter cylinders on top

I guess if you bring a 120 bottle, then it would start out where the 50% is above and move the 50% to the leash.

When diving a depth when a 120 is necessary we are usually breathing a stage so the sequence would be: stage outside, 120 inside. At the cylinder move point we move the stage to the leash and bring the 70 to the inside. After the switch to the 70 we move the 120 to the leash and bring the O2 to the inside.

Lean/rich don't really mean anything in DIR -- everything is MOD/depth based.

Absolutely. Cylinder position means crap.

 

[limeyx]

The O2 is put on the leash because in a 3 cylinder dive you have your stage and 70' cylinder clipped "up top". There is no room for another cylinder to be carried this way so a leash is needed or it is nose-clipped to the waist Dring. In a 2 cylinder dive the O2 is clipped "up top". It has nothing to do with accidently switching to a wrong gas. That is covered by another protocol.
...

My point was that you'd put the O2 on the leash because (in order of importance)
1) You want the 70 foot bottle first so it's better under the arm than on back
2) if you *did* make a mistake in the gas switch, or really got into a crappy situation, moving the O2 bottle as far from your mouth as possible makes sense. Obviously the stage switch procedure is used to ensure you are breathing the correct bottle.

 

[Mako Mark]

NON DIR opinion (as this is a short thread and I am not trying to stir)
what I learned before DIR was even thought of, was left lean right rich but it is really up to you and your buddy in a non DIR situation. that said, whatever method you use, make sure that it is 1000% ingrained in confined water, before you actually dive whatever rig you have for real. Then make sure that your gas switch check eliminates the posibility for confusion and includes a second brain in case your brain is confused.

just practice until you do it right. then it should go right.

 

[nadwidny]

My point was that you'd put the O2 on the leash because (in order of importance)
1) You want the 70 foot bottle first so it's better under the arm than on back
2) if you *did* make a mistake in the gas switch, or really got into a crappy situation, moving the O2 bottle as far from your mouth as possible makes sense. Obviously the stage switch procedure is used to ensure you are breathing the correct bottle.

So what are you saying? Do you put your O2 on a leash even on a 2 cylinder dive?

 

[*Floater*]

I recently watched 5thD-X's excellent tech 1 DVD and it answers the OP's question plus shows you some excellent video of stage work from 1 to 3 bottles. (It doesn't explicitly show you how DIR divers rig their stage bottles though, so that might be worth checking out for those who don't know before watching the DVD. For example, the way the stages were rigged in my ANDI TSD class differed substantially from DIR and necessitated clipping the SPG at a non-DIR location.)

By the way, iirc they didn't put the O2 on a leash when using only two bottles, but it was on the inside and the 70 ft. bottle was on the outside - both on the left of course. However, I also dove with a DIR diver who used to clip the O2 bottle by the upper clip to his hip d-ring until use while diving with two stages - I think the bottle wasn't full so it floated up behind him.

 

[limeyx]

NON DIR opinion (as this is a short thread and I am not trying to stir)
what I learned before DIR was even thought of, was left lean right rich but it is really up to you and your buddy in a non DIR situation. that said, whatever method you use, make sure that it is 1000% ingrained in confined water, before you actually dive whatever rig you have for real. Then make sure that your gas switch check eliminates the posibility for confusion and includes a second brain in case your brain is confused.

just practice until you do it right. then it should go right.

From the original post ...

"When clipping multiple stages/deco bottles, what is the DIR approved order of the bottles? Lean closest or rich closest?"

 

[limeyx]

So what are you saying? Do you put your O2 on a leash even on a 2 cylinder dive?

Generally, I dont think you would, but there's nothing stopping you I guess.
I am right now limited to diving with a single deco bottle (Tech1 limits) but I am starting to combine that with a bottom stage, and both would be under my arm.

I think it's somewhat "personal preference" (dare I say that in a DIR forum?) based on some reasonable logic. The leash would probably tend to make things more complex so you would probably just stick it under your arm.

 

[RTodd]

When clipping multiple stages/deco bottles, what is the DIR approved order of the bottles? Lean closest or rich closest?

The bottle you will breathe first goes on the "outside." It needs to be there to facilitate your budding checking your breathing gas MOD, etc. Since you are asking this question, I am going to assume you don't have any need to deal with more than two bottles at this time. That means if it was a 70' bottle and an O2 bottle, you would place the O2 bottle to the inside.

What they teach you in the tech classes is what matters for assuring you are breathing the right mix, not the order of where bottles are stored. Once it goes to three or more bottles, my primary considerations for where to place bottles are my comfort at deco (one bottle on left most of the time particularly if not al40s) and the easist and quickest way of switchiing bottles to the left d-ring leash after use.