MichaelMc
Working toward Cenotes
In technical sidemount, when changing between the regs for the left and right main (back/bottom gas) tanks, is there a gas-verification protocol such as used when going to a different gas in technical diving? In terms of knowing what gas you are breathing. Such as: checking depth, tank, tracing reg, involving buddy?
I ask in the context of looking ahead to using stage or deco bottles.
In backmount, except ID, we do not accustom ourselves to switching between regs without verifying. Except..., for switching to the necklace in need or when swapping back to the long hose after an OOG drill or necklace reg check.
In sidemount we do change back and forth between L/R main tanks several times during the dive. Does acquiring this habit of not tracing our main tank regs when we change regulators become a concern once we have other regs with unbreathable gases.
One of my diving safety officers, a technical and below 400' CCR scientific diver, raised the question as a possible concern. I'm not looking to critique sidemount protocol, rather to understand the technical one.
My impression from the board is that for rec. sidemount one just changes regs. I have not seen any discussion that this is a habit one needs to be broken of, for your main L/R tanks, once you start carrying unbreathable gases. I just wanted to check that impression.
Thanks.
ETA 1:
I know main L/R sidemount tanks have the same gas; I am not advocating changing that. Also, I'm fluent at the task of swapping between my left and right tank second stages to keep the tanks balanced, have a reserve in each and exit on the tank I want to.
The question is if lots of unverified (equal gas) second stage changes between main sidemount L/R tanks is viewed as adding a risk, of habituation to changing regs without checking what gas the reg was attached to. A risk when different gases in other tanks are then added to the diver. Understanding that reg-gas-verification (gas switch) procedure would be used for the different gassed tanks, but perhaps still not between the main (same gassed) tanks.
I ask in the context of looking ahead to using stage or deco bottles.
In backmount, except ID, we do not accustom ourselves to switching between regs without verifying. Except..., for switching to the necklace in need or when swapping back to the long hose after an OOG drill or necklace reg check.
In sidemount we do change back and forth between L/R main tanks several times during the dive. Does acquiring this habit of not tracing our main tank regs when we change regulators become a concern once we have other regs with unbreathable gases.
One of my diving safety officers, a technical and below 400' CCR scientific diver, raised the question as a possible concern. I'm not looking to critique sidemount protocol, rather to understand the technical one.
My impression from the board is that for rec. sidemount one just changes regs. I have not seen any discussion that this is a habit one needs to be broken of, for your main L/R tanks, once you start carrying unbreathable gases. I just wanted to check that impression.
Thanks.
ETA 1:
I know main L/R sidemount tanks have the same gas; I am not advocating changing that. Also, I'm fluent at the task of swapping between my left and right tank second stages to keep the tanks balanced, have a reserve in each and exit on the tank I want to.
The question is if lots of unverified (equal gas) second stage changes between main sidemount L/R tanks is viewed as adding a risk, of habituation to changing regs without checking what gas the reg was attached to. A risk when different gases in other tanks are then added to the diver. Understanding that reg-gas-verification (gas switch) procedure would be used for the different gassed tanks, but perhaps still not between the main (same gassed) tanks.