Disturbing trend in diving?

[Nemrod]

So other than that, it was a good dive?

It was a blast . And I only touched on some of the highlights . And a big bull shark kept me company on drift while I waited to get picked up. He was a jovial fellow and I appreciated his keeping me company.

Oh, I kept diving. A little pneumonia and blood running out of my mouth should not keep a dedicated diver out of the water.

On topic, I got two SW Peregrines. And a new G260/Mark 17 Evo. And I even read the OMs for the computers. Because two is one and one is none. I did several upgrades and changes as a result of the misadventure.

 

[Pressurehead]

On topic, I got two SW Peregrines. And a new G260/Mark 17 Evo

Nice.
I do not feel disturbed by this trend.

 

[christ0phe]

So, lately I've seen some things posted that have me raising my eyebrows a bit.
There have been a few stories posted about people relying completely on the divemasters or guides for their bottom times, NDL status, basic dive profiles. This seems to be in Mexico from what I gather but it might include some other locations.
The trend seems to be that these divers in question don't have computers or depth gauges/any kind of timing device and rely 100% on the divemasters to take care of them and keep them safe.
Is this a thing?

I noticed this a lot last weekend in Cozumel. I would feel really uncomfortable relying on a dive master (aka I would never lol), but I guess it makes sense that a lot of vacation divers wouldn’t have a computer or aren’t even aware of NDL limits.

 

[dmaziuk]

... I guess it makes sense that a lot of vacation divers wouldn’t have a computer or aren’t even aware of NDL limits.

How'd you arrive at that equivalence?

 

[rx7diver]

The best thing you could do is park your DH.

The DSV leaked badly, the cage valve must have been stuck, the intake hose flooded and shot water down my larynx causing me to have a laryngeal spasm, this at about 110 feet, switched to crappy pancake secondary, then, let's see, my computer quit just as I saw it went into deco since I could not go up, I could not inhale or exhale so I blacked out, I came back to at some point and somehow managed to inhale/exhale occasionally, made an ascent, dropped my spool, caught it after it unwound, nearly lost my camera but finally got it locked away, made it back to the surface, boat picked me up, bleeding from my mouth, told them I bit my tongue, had pneumonia for two months and three courses of antibiotics. More or less that is it. Quit diving DH regulators, that is my advice, for serious diving of any sort beyond fiddling about in a shallow swimming pool. That way it will not happen to you. I have had enough split hoses, leaky valves, water sputtering down my throat, after decades of DH, enough is now enough, time to move on.

OK. DSV problem. I'll start taking more notice on maintenance and pre-dive. Thanks.

Or, don't install a DSV on your DH. Also, I have a SP BA attached (to my DA AM upgraded with a 1st gen Phoenix Nozzle) as a secondary, which continues to perform very well even ~38 years after I purchased the BA new (in 1987).

And I don't dive my DH deeper than ~30 ffw (though this is primarily because I prefer having two complete regs when I'm solo rec diving deeper than this).

I continue to enjoy diving my DH. (Have been diving it ever since I purchased it used c. 2016, IIRC.)

rx7diver

 

[Nemrod]

Or, don't install a DSV on your DH. Also, I have a SP BA attached (to my DA AM upgraded with a 1st gen Phoenix Nozzle) as a secondary, which continues to perform very well even ~38 years after I purchased the BA new (in 1987).

And I don't dive my DH deeper than ~30 ffw (though this is primarily because I prefer having two complete regs when I'm solo rec diving deeper than this).

I continue to enjoy diving my DH. (Have been diving it ever since I purchased it used c. 2016, IIRC.)

rx7diver

I am not going to go back through all of this. I am moving on.

 

[rx7diver]

I am not going to go back through all of this. I am moving on.

I've learned quite a lot about diving DH regs from you and others here (on SB) and on VDH. We used DH regs for some of the pool skills in my open water course (in 1986, a university YMCA/NAUI course), but I never dived one in open water until I purchased my PRAM c. 2016 in 2015 from a SB member.

I owe my now favorite solo shallow rec rig (alum VDH classic DH plate, VDH Argonaut 23# singles wing, USD alum 72 with USD pillar J-valve and pull rod, and PRAM) to invaluable knowledge you all have freely shared. A couple of years ago I attached my SP BA as a secondary to use if another diver, unfamiliar with DH regs, approaches me needing to share gas, and also if I were to dive with an op that requires a secondary.

I'm going to miss your posts sharing your DH knowledge and insight.

rx7diver

 

[Nemrod]

I've learned quite a lot about diving DH regs from you and others here (on SB) and on VDH. We used DH regs for some of the pool skills in my open water course (in 1986, a university YMCA/NAUI course), but I never dived one in open water until I purchased my PRAM c. 2016 in 2015 from a SB member.

I owe my now favorite solo shallow rec rig (alum VDH classic DH plate, VDH Argonaut 23# singles wing, USD alum 72 with USD pillar J-valve and pull rod, and PRAM) to invaluable knowledge you all have freely shared. A couple of years ago I attached my SP BA as a secondary to use if another diver, unfamiliar with DH regs, approaches me needing to share gas, and also if I were to dive with an op that requires a secondary.

I'm going to miss your posts sharing your DH knowledge and insight.

rx7diver

I did not say I would not help out where I can. I am not like going to forget 56 years of double hose diving just because I bought a G260 Carbon or decided hence forth that the G250 and Mark 11/Mark 2 Evo are my favorite go to regulator. But, y'all got Hermon and Luis and John and a host of others much more qualified than me to provide guidance.

BTW, anyone, I have three Krakens, one went to a buddy, one I use and keep and will be buried with along with me my Marlin 1895 and the other is BNIB (well, actually, there was no box to be brand new in) and is for sale but it is not cheap. I will still retain several nice DHR including my favorite Kraken and a beautiful Phoenix, my Mistral from 1966 and a nice square label RAM and am heading to the vintage gathering in a few weeks in Florida. The Kraken/Phoneix are wonderful for macro in shallow, warm, clear tropical water with little, bitsy, shy creatures. I am sure the Kraken will visit Bonaire with me in a May. Everything has it's place. And one place it will not be is on the deep Jupiter ledge, fighting current, trying to keep up with in shape buddies half my age and a bull shark on my axx, just saying . Make that a pair of G250s please and a Mk 11 and a nice, reliable Shearwater computer.

Sorry for my contributions to deflecting the thread where in this case "You" equals me:

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I've learned quite a lot about diving DH regs from you and others here (on SB) and on VDH. We used DH regs for some of the pool skills in my open water course (in 1986, a university YMCA/NAUI course), but I never dived one in open water until I purchased my PRAM c. 2016 in 2015 from a SB member.

I owe my now favorite solo shallow rec rig (alum VDH classic DH plate, VDH Argonaut 23# singles wing, USD alum 72 with USD pillar J-valve and pull rod, and PRAM) to invaluable knowledge you all have freely shared. A couple of years ago I attached my SP BA as a secondary to use if another diver, unfamiliar with DH regs, approached me needing to share gas, and also if I were to dive with an op that requires a secondary.

I'm going to miss your posts sharing your DH knowledge and insight.

rx7diver

I bought and started diving a stock "pure" DAAM
based on reading VDH and scuba board. I got to the point where I could comfortably go out on my own spearing fish alone using the DA Aquamaster with J rod, no bc, tank in a basket harness.
I would hike goat trails down the cliffs to entry points and jump in with spear gun in hand.
I could relax enough and not think about the quirks of the double hose and just concentrate on wrestling and dispatching the 3' lingcod I just shot and getting it onto the game hook and moving on, all the while keeping track of time and depth to maintain an idea of when my air would start running low.
I have to admit, when coming out of the water on a beach or in the parking lot or along the side of the road in a turnout, people and especially other divers would gawk, and my getup was always a fun conversation piece. "Like something out of Seahunt" was a common comment.
One guy called it "It's like taking the '57 Chevy out for a cruise on Sunday", which I suppose is true, or maybe the Model A?
I proved to myself that I could do it. At some point I got tired of having to tear down the while reg every time I used it to keep it clean and funk free. I also realized I didn't need to prove to anyone or to myself that I was able to use a double hose "pure" proficiently any longer.
Single hose just proved to be more time efficient and hassle free.
To me there is a practicality standpoint. I view gear as a means to an end and not necessarily an end in itself. I started to think of the whole vintage scene as a "thing" in itself and not necessarily a means to a further end. And besides, around here I was the only one doing it, a lone wolf. There was no one else around to share the enthusiasm with.

I did it, it had loads of fun with it, and I moved on.
I currently do not own any double hose regs.