DAM Size

[mweitz]

Did a boat dive on Saturday in 12' swells with a long interval. Big surge, beautiful dive with lots of hydrocoral.

Normally I carry my small CC Halcyon bag rigged up with a spool, but since I was on a boat Sat and Sun and we were in more "aggressive" locations I carried my 4.5' Halcyon bag with me. In any case, my buddy motioned for me to shoot the bag. We had a little "conversation" at 80' with me telling her no, I had the large bag (which I've only shot a couple of times, from 30'). She insisted. So I pull this mammoth (to me) bag out, rig it up, and fill it with an extra LP hose I have on my left post and let her rip. Turns out we were pretty close to the boat and they saw us right away, but the current was pretty strong. The kelp was at about a 30 degree angle. We did our deco, and surfaced with the boat a bit of a ways off. It would appear and disappear in the swell, as did we to them. The boat came and got us a few minutes later.

A lot of us here on the West Coast have been taught to use the smaller bag, having been told it is as easy to see it as the larger ones in our local conditions. Several folks on the boat (A DIR Charter) mentioned to us that my bag looked like the small one and they were getting larger bags. Something to consider if you only have the small bag. I think I'll carry both from now on. I really only had the larger one with me in case I needed to use it on the surface. In retrospect I'm glad I shot it from depth and that I had practiced with it a couple of times.

Mark

 

[coralcuts]

I have the 6 footer in my pocket and just ordered a smaller one at DEMA so I have the choice of which to deploy, I ust wish I could make the bigger one pack smaller as it takes up most of my pocket.

 

[The Kraken]

Always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it . . . :05:

the K

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Did a boat dive on Saturday in 12' swells with a long interval. Big surge, beautiful dive with lots of hydrocoral.

Normally I carry my small CC Halcyon bag rigged up with a spool, but since I was on a boat Sat and Sun and we were in more "aggressive" locations I carried my 4.5' Halcyon bag with me. In any case, my buddy motioned for me to shoot the bag. We had a little "conversation" at 80' with me telling her no, I had the large bag (which I've only shot a couple of times, from 30'). She insisted. So I pull this mammoth (to me) bag out, rig it up, and fill it with an extra LP hose I have on my left post and let her rip. Turns out we were pretty close to the boat and they saw us right away, but the current was pretty strong. The kelp was at about a 30 degree angle. We did our deco, and surfaced with the boat a bit of a ways off. It would appear and disappear in the swell, as did we to them. The boat came and got us a few minutes later.

A lot of us here on the West Coast have been taught to use the smaller bag, having been told it is as easy to see it as the larger ones in our local conditions. Several folks on the boat (A DIR Charter) mentioned to us that my bag looked like the small one and they were getting larger bags. Something to consider if you only have the small bag. I think I'll carry both from now on. I really only had the larger one with me in case I needed to use it on the surface. In retrospect I'm glad I shot it from depth and that I had practiced with it a couple of times.

Mark

Interesting ... when I first learned how to shoot a bag, a friend who's a NAUI Tech instructor encouraged me to get a large DSM for the reasons you mentioned. When I took DIR-F, my instructor encouraged us to get a smaller bag for the reasons you mentioned. I just started an IANTD Rec Trimix class, and the instructor encouraged me to use the large bag ... again for reasons you mentioned.

I think it all boils down to "use the correct tool for the conditions" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Soggy]

With 12 foot swells,

1) Why were you diving in the first place, or were they really 6' swells? It would be nothing short of idiotic to get into the water (or allow others to get into the water) with a 12' sea running.

2) why would you get in the water with the *plan* of shooting a bag for anything other than contingency, rather than returning to a fixed anchor point and ascending a line, especially since you knew that the sea conditions would make spotting a free-floating diver difficult?

Those criticisms aside, I carry both a SCC Halcyon bag and a CC 6' Halcyon marker in open ocean dives if there is any possibility of the sea kicking up or if I'm any distance off-shore.

But, then again, I also make an effort to return to the place I started rather than floating in the open ocean hoping that someone saw a 6' piece of orange fabric in the huge open ocean.

 

[mweitz]

You can attach it to the bottom of your BP with bungee loops. I don't remember what you do for gloves, but I'm fairly certain Maciek had his rigged that way at some point. I also don't know to rig it in my storage pack, but I think that is probably the best. Large bag in the storage pack, small rigged up in the right pocket and extra spool in the left pocket...

Mark

I have the 6 footer in my pocket and just ordered a smaller one at DEMA so I have the choice of which to deploy, I ust wish I could make the bigger one pack smaller as it takes up most of my pocket.

 

[mweitz]

Well, they were 12' at the buoy. They were much smaller where we were. In any case the swell was pretty big.

The plan was to return to the anchor line. "We missed the anchor line" = we screwed up. Swimming to shore was an option.

Mark

With 12 foot swells,

1) Why were you diving in the first place, or were they really 6' swells? It would be nothing short of idiotic to get into the water (or allow others to get into the water) with a 12' sea running.

2) why would you get in the water with the *plan* of shooting a bag for anything other than contingency, rather than returning to a fixed anchor point and ascending a line, especially since you knew that the sea conditions would make spotting a free-floating diver difficult?

Those criticisms aside, I carry both a SCC Halcyon bag and a CC 6' Halcyon marker in open ocean dives if there is any possibility of the sea kicking up or if I'm any distance off-shore.

But, then again, I also make an effort to return to the place I started rather than floating in the open ocean hoping that someone saw a 6' piece of orange fabric in the huge open ocean.

 

[Soggy]

You didn't mention unintentionally missing the anchor line in your post. That makes more sense. In that case, depending on the conditions, I would either make my own fixed anchor point by tying into something with a reel and bag, or shoot a bag and do a drift deco, as you did.

Well, they were 12' at the buoy. They were much smaller where we were. In any case the swell was pretty big.

The plan was to return to the anchor line. "We missed the anchor line" = we screwed up. Swimming to shore was an option.

Mark

 

[mweitz]

Sorry, thats what happens when you post in the middle of the night. Yes, we missed the anchor line, primary plan was to return to the anchor, secondary was to shoot a bag and drift. Folks on the anchor said they saw our bubbles go right past them, so I don't know how we missed it.

In the future we won't pair up the two most navigationally challenged divers on the boat

Mark

 

[mweitz]

We were taught to use the small bag and to orally inflate it. I find it much easier to use a LP hose on the bigger bags. They fill so quickly that you don't get pulled up before you let it go. I'll use the small one for practice, but if I need to drift in the future, I'll use the large one. I can't think of any negatives to using it ...

Mark

Interesting ... when I first learned how to shoot a bag, a friend who's a NAUI Tech instructor encouraged me to get a large DSM for the reasons you mentioned. When I took DIR-F, my instructor encouraged us to get a smaller bag for the reasons you mentioned. I just started an IANTD Rec Trimix class, and the instructor encouraged me to use the large bag ... again for reasons you mentioned.

I think it all boils down to "use the correct tool for the conditions" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)