Doing it Ridiculous

[Matthew]

Though you do as you wish, I would contend that ditching weights is, in every situation underwater, the last resort. Reaching our valves is faster.

If you mean reaching the valve and turning it on, it is impossible to be faster, at least the way I am configured.

 

[HarryH97]

If you mean reaching the valve and turning it on, it is impossible to be faster, at least the way I am configured.

It is only possible to be faster when you do it ridiculous! When you do it ridiculous the right hand is almost always positioned in front with or without a scooter; giving you constant depth and time feedback. Bend the right elbow and naturally the hand should feel and turn the valve or right post for doubles on/off. This is of course faster than bringing the right hand down to the waist which requires more joint movements and greater distance for the hand to travel. The difference is measured in milliseconds.

Of course you must do it ridiculous to get this advantage, which means your tanks are positioned correctly and hands in the right place.
Earn yourself a million points and just do it...do it...do it DIR... This board is just too funny!
Sincerely,
H2

 

[Randy43068]

Harry, what are you thinkin' here? Drop your weight, shoot to the surface!
Why would anyone need to reach their valves?

Serious on;
By the way, informative post. Thanks!
Serious off;

 

[Greg D.]

wow this thread got way to long in a hurry, sorry if this has been posted before but I just can't get over the name DIR, just saying it sounds ridiculous

 

[Randy43068]

Then don't say it, just dive it!

 

[neil]

Thanks Nemrod, good explaination. I know a double hose reg is a single stage and how it works mechanically but had no idea how divers were trained in their use.

Actually, there are single and two-stage DH regulators. Most of the ones I know of are two-stage. Both stages are enclosed in the can, not in the mouthpiece.

 

[Matthew]

Of course you must do it ridiculous to get this advantage, which means your tanks are positioned correctly and hands in the right place.

Earn yourself a million points and just do it...do it...do it DIR... This board is just too funny!

Sincerely,

H2

Wouldnt you also need a valve that fully opens with a half-turn?

I'm all for the ability to operate the valve underwater, I'm trying to practice as often as I can, though Im probably not as proficient as you guys.

However in the situation described where a diver who is not yet prepared to get in the water accidentally falls in, to me it is just as sensible to try to keep himself from sinking, whether by finning or ditching weight if need be AND turning on his air. Its different if a diver intentionally enters the water fully prepared (reg in mouth, mask in place etc.) except for a shut or partially open tank valve, and realizes it while at depth.

 

[Matthew]

Harry, what are you thinkin' here? Drop your weight, shoot to the surface!

Why not, if youve been down shallow a few seconds without having taken a breath of compressed air?:05:

 

[Bruciebabe]

Wouldnt you also need a valve that fully opens with a half-turn?

It would roll off too easily in an overhead environment. Roll offs kill people.

 

[waynne fowler]

If you mean reaching the valve and turning it on, it is impossible to be faster, at least the way I am configured.

Ok I'll just give it to you that you can drop your weights faster than I can turn on the valve... You quite possibly in fact are right.. you take 2 - 3 seconds to drop the weights (assuming they don't snag on something, leg, bcd, fin whatever, and that your not horizontal.. if your horizontal then you have to roll to one side or go vertical to drop it all the way off..) let's leave it at 2 - 3 seconds.

It may take me 3 - 4 seconds to turn my valve on in a pinch if something doesn't go right about the same as dropping weights if all goes well. But lets leave it at 3 - 4 seconds

I assume we are still talking about the same scenarios that this debate began with..

1) Diver not ready to enter water, kit on, air off, falls in water

2) Diver thinking he's ready jumps in water with air off.

What do you do.

A) Drop weights and go to the surface. Have someone go retrieve weights. put weights back in/on go on dive. (That assumes you can find them) How much of a hassle is it to put belt back on or reinstall into integrated pocket system (shouldn't be a great big deal but it's a bit of a hassle). This whole process might take only 10 minutes but has potential to take a lot more time.

B) Turn on valve and continue dive. Whole process takes only the amount of time it takes to turn the valves on.

If the tank is empty as someone threw out,... well we can still dump weights and we would have wasted about 5 maybe 10 seconds if things got fouled up.

It really doesn't matter how we slice it, what the situation is. If we enter the water with our valve off, the easiest remedy that makes the most sense will always be to simply turn our air on. I would imagine that there 'could' be some strange exception though I am at a loss to think of one.

If our rig doesn't allow us to do this it is a simple, most likely minor adjustment that will remedy this. Unless we have flexibility issues which we should work to resolve. All of this is simple stuff.

If our mask floods at 15' on our descent would we just pop up to the surface to clear it because after all we just descended?... No we'd clear it where we are.. The first thing we try to instill in new divers is that problems that occur under water should be remedied underwater.. simple stuff.