double tanks training

[ajduplessis]

I noticed that you dive with a dry suit. Be very sure about your skills and how you use the suit with doubles. Let me give you an example.

I am new to diving in a dry suit but have lots of expeience diving doubles and confident with valve drills/manipulation. I use my wing as buoyancy device and only add airto the suit to relieve squeeze. I leave my auto dump valve very open and dive without issues.

This weekend we dedicated an entire dive to practicing skills. The valve drill was a shock!!! The moment I reach for the valve the autodump will release the air and seriously restrict arm movement due to squeeze and also screw up my buoyancy!!! I quickly realized that I need to relook how I use the dump valve. It's now and lot more closed and I dump by hand as I would using my inflator hose. Valve drills are back to normal!!!

Make sure you have all the skills as little surprises like this can get you into a heap of pooh very quick.

 

[Akimbo]

… They are extremely useful for deep dives, IF you know how to manage failures. Learning to do that quickly, smoothly and accurately is, in my opinion, much easier to do under the supervision of someone who knows how.

Good points all. IMHO, doubles (larger than twin 40s anyway) allow decompression dives (deep by implication). If you have that much gas, you can use it, so you better know how. I consider decompression and gas management as much a part of a doubles rig as the harness.

I agree that it is much easier to be shown how a manifold works than investing the intellectual effort to step through all the scenarios on your own. I just think that many people develop a greater intuitive and reflexive understanding when they do. Perhaps it is how my synapses are wired, but I gain much deeper understanding from experiences, reflection, and correction than from memorization.

 

[Shipwreckscanada]

Thank you all for answering my thread.