Before I say anything, I wont name the dive shop that certified me but I would like to commend them. They really did do an excellent job tailoring the class to the individual's needs and making sure that everyone is safe. My question is specifically derived from one exercise performed during the class, which I have noted is mandatory as defined by the SSI 2016 standards.
SSI 2016 standards states that SSI advocates donating the primary as this method can be used with almost any regulator configuration (one of which is listed as the long hose configuration, which I personally use for my recreational diving and would advocate it to any certified thinking diver).
I don't understand this. Students are not trained to use these other regulator configurations, so why teach a method of air sharing that is (in my opinion) sub-optimal for the typical regulator configuration that most students are trained on?
After taking the SSI open water certification course (and shadowing several courses afterwards), I have noticed that the procedure that is taught seems needlessly complex, confuses students, and generally results in tangled hoses, regulators being pulled from mouths, and panicking divers swimming immediately to the surface of the pool.
I personally feel (now that I own a set of regulators with a long hose configuration) that donating the primary regulator makes the most sense if your equipment configuration is optimized for it. Take the long hose configuration, for example. With a long hose setup, you donate your primary. You were just breathing off of it so you know it works, the OOA diver is probably going to grab it out of your mouth if you don't offer it anyways, and it is on a long hose. Assuming you aren't routing it improperly and trapping the long hose, you literally just hand it to the diver (with a bit of learned wrist-movement), pop your backup in, and pull the hose out of your waist belt. After that, the OOA diver can do his thing and swim in any position relative to the donor. The donor can keep his distance from the panicking diver if needed, face the panicking diver, or have the OOA diver swim in front, to either side, or behind him. Plus, the donor is more equipped to deal with a malfunctioning back up regulator at this point, should that occur. It is simple, lightning fast, and just plain awesome. It is also streamlined and there are no quick releases (read: release when you don't want it to) involved that will release your octo to drag along the pretty coral you just swam past.
Unfortunately, the typical recreational regulator setup that almost all OW divers are trained on, will rent for dive trips, or purchase on their own does NOT work like this. Unfortunate, but true. With the typical "octopus" setup, if you donate the primary, you still know it is working and you are better equipped to deal with a malfunctioning octopus so that is nice, but the primary is on a 3' hose. This means that the OOA diver is panicking, right in your face, as he or she tries to catch his breath, while tugging on your primary regulator that could very well be twisted up with your octopus. Your octopus is clipped somewhere on your chest (which is a rental BC so it will be in different places every time if you get a different BC every time) so you are now fumbling around and trying to find it.
In our OW class, we were taught to donate the primary, and then do some funky hand signals to communicate with the OOA diver that is right in our face, and then switch regulators so the OOA diver goes to the octopus, all while trying to keep track of what position the OOA diver should be relative to the donor so that the octopus doesn't end up upside-down and unbreathable (some octos are reversed for "face to face" buddy breathing.) Keeping hoses from getting crossed during all this is a nightmare.
Is it worth going through all that extra stress in an already stressful situation just to have the knowledge that a working regulator (the one in your mouth) is being donated?
In a situation where you are donating a regulator (and not having it taken from your mouth) would it not be best to go ahead and donate your octopus for the extra foot of hose on it alone? Extra hose length alleviates a lot of stress by separating the divers and giving them room to sort out the situation, and makes sure that they aren't tangled or jerking on hoses. Donating a regulator that you know works does not seem worth it when you consider that you are donating a regulator on a very short hose, and you are going to have to switch regulators afterwards which in my experience is a confusing, inelegant, and long-winded procedure that rarely works even in controlled circumstances.
Obviously neither donating the octopus straight away nor donating the primary and then switching regulators afterwards is optimal in an OOA emergency, but donating the octopus straight away seems like the lesser of two evils with the traditional regulator setup. (If you can't tell, I dislike this traditional setup immensely, as my dangling octopus has come loose from the quick release on almost every dive I have rented one for and gotten stuck on something or dragged across soft coral or simply not been in a position where I would find it if I needed it.)
The advantage that donating the primary works with all regulator setups is not really an advantage unless you are actually using other regulator setups, which almost all OW students will not ever use.
So why teach donating the primary at all, and not just teach handing off the octopus immediately instead? Am I missing something?
SSI 2016 standards states that SSI advocates donating the primary as this method can be used with almost any regulator configuration (one of which is listed as the long hose configuration, which I personally use for my recreational diving and would advocate it to any certified thinking diver).
I don't understand this. Students are not trained to use these other regulator configurations, so why teach a method of air sharing that is (in my opinion) sub-optimal for the typical regulator configuration that most students are trained on?
After taking the SSI open water certification course (and shadowing several courses afterwards), I have noticed that the procedure that is taught seems needlessly complex, confuses students, and generally results in tangled hoses, regulators being pulled from mouths, and panicking divers swimming immediately to the surface of the pool.
I personally feel (now that I own a set of regulators with a long hose configuration) that donating the primary regulator makes the most sense if your equipment configuration is optimized for it. Take the long hose configuration, for example. With a long hose setup, you donate your primary. You were just breathing off of it so you know it works, the OOA diver is probably going to grab it out of your mouth if you don't offer it anyways, and it is on a long hose. Assuming you aren't routing it improperly and trapping the long hose, you literally just hand it to the diver (with a bit of learned wrist-movement), pop your backup in, and pull the hose out of your waist belt. After that, the OOA diver can do his thing and swim in any position relative to the donor. The donor can keep his distance from the panicking diver if needed, face the panicking diver, or have the OOA diver swim in front, to either side, or behind him. Plus, the donor is more equipped to deal with a malfunctioning back up regulator at this point, should that occur. It is simple, lightning fast, and just plain awesome. It is also streamlined and there are no quick releases (read: release when you don't want it to) involved that will release your octo to drag along the pretty coral you just swam past.
Unfortunately, the typical recreational regulator setup that almost all OW divers are trained on, will rent for dive trips, or purchase on their own does NOT work like this. Unfortunate, but true. With the typical "octopus" setup, if you donate the primary, you still know it is working and you are better equipped to deal with a malfunctioning octopus so that is nice, but the primary is on a 3' hose. This means that the OOA diver is panicking, right in your face, as he or she tries to catch his breath, while tugging on your primary regulator that could very well be twisted up with your octopus. Your octopus is clipped somewhere on your chest (which is a rental BC so it will be in different places every time if you get a different BC every time) so you are now fumbling around and trying to find it.
In our OW class, we were taught to donate the primary, and then do some funky hand signals to communicate with the OOA diver that is right in our face, and then switch regulators so the OOA diver goes to the octopus, all while trying to keep track of what position the OOA diver should be relative to the donor so that the octopus doesn't end up upside-down and unbreathable (some octos are reversed for "face to face" buddy breathing.) Keeping hoses from getting crossed during all this is a nightmare.
Is it worth going through all that extra stress in an already stressful situation just to have the knowledge that a working regulator (the one in your mouth) is being donated?
In a situation where you are donating a regulator (and not having it taken from your mouth) would it not be best to go ahead and donate your octopus for the extra foot of hose on it alone? Extra hose length alleviates a lot of stress by separating the divers and giving them room to sort out the situation, and makes sure that they aren't tangled or jerking on hoses. Donating a regulator that you know works does not seem worth it when you consider that you are donating a regulator on a very short hose, and you are going to have to switch regulators afterwards which in my experience is a confusing, inelegant, and long-winded procedure that rarely works even in controlled circumstances.
Obviously neither donating the octopus straight away nor donating the primary and then switching regulators afterwards is optimal in an OOA emergency, but donating the octopus straight away seems like the lesser of two evils with the traditional regulator setup. (If you can't tell, I dislike this traditional setup immensely, as my dangling octopus has come loose from the quick release on almost every dive I have rented one for and gotten stuck on something or dragged across soft coral or simply not been in a position where I would find it if I needed it.)
The advantage that donating the primary works with all regulator setups is not really an advantage unless you are actually using other regulator setups, which almost all OW students will not ever use.
So why teach donating the primary at all, and not just teach handing off the octopus immediately instead? Am I missing something?
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