Doubles for Recreational Diving?

[TSandM]

TSherman, what's wrong with diving doubles because you don't want to switch out tanks?

The gas planning required to do multiple dives off a set of doubles is really no more complicated than the gas planning required to do safe dives on a single tank.

Having the gas supply in doubles does not commit one to entering deco or doing anything stupid. Nor are they hard to learn to dive or to manage, nor does one have to take a tech class to dive them competently. I do not need to be able to manage a gas switch at 70' without a mask while air-sharing with somebody and handling a bag to be able to swim around at 100 feet while wearing double tanks!

 

[Gombessa]

I got rolled in 12" on a steep beach in doubles. I just sat there turtled and waited for my buddies to get out and help pick me up

 

[texdiveguy]

My L 4/5 disc pushes on my spinal column, in the words of my doctor "I have good news, you are getting old." The good news was no herniation/bulge.



Back kicking at Mach 1, rolling on your back and frog-kicking along, the ease of starting ascents, that kind of stuff. I like the stability of doubles, but the mass certainly makes things slower underwater.

If I don't need 200 cubic feet of gas for a dive, I'm not gonna bring it-unless I feel the need to get back into doubles to work up to something (like my upcoming class, or a big dive if I haven't been diving them much). That being said, I can go back and forth between the two setups pretty easily, I adjust within a few minutes of the dive.

Fair enough....I too use both s & d set-ups. It depends on several factors which I will use for a given dive set. I do though find the benefits of diving doubles is more conducive to my style of diving....both from a rec and tec stand point....but its all about having fun!

Hope you continue to improve with your back issues.

 

[tstormdiver]

I am currently diving my LP85 doubles to prepare to finish up my Adv. Nitrox & Deco Procedures course in May. I started out trying to do it in recreational equipment & found that to be completely, NOT user friendly. The transition to doubles has been quite a struggle for me. I had a horrible first dive in them (got into an uncontrolled descent to 95ft.). I almost called it quits that day, but got back up on that "horse" & am now really learning to control them. It has also taken me the last 12 or so dives just to get comfortable with them. It has taken me this long to get used to balancing them, general buoyancy control & to learn to control my attitude in the water column. For me, it's been like learning to dive all over again from scratch. Each dive has been an improvement over the last. I can assure you that I still have plenty of work ahead of me, practicing. On land, in the doubles, I'm a clumsy, lumbering oaf that just wants in the water ASAP! Those straps are not comfortable with no water to help support the weight. In the water, there is maybe a little more grace. My trim is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but is improving. As it stands right now, the head instructor at my LDS insists that his Instructors & Dive Cons assisting wear doubles when involved with a deep diving specialty class for redundancy. In the quarries' cold waters, it's not a matter of "if" your regulator will freeze up, but rather "when" it will, so redundancy is standard, on the part of the Dive Leaders, for those classes in our store. I did my Dive Con specialty internship in my doubles, and found it to be quite a confidence booster. I was so busy helping with the students, I didn't have time to dwell on the issues I've had in the past with them. Right now I use my doubles for recreational diving to get used to them for later technical diving. Like others have stated, there are pluses & minuses to diving doubles. Pluses (from what I've learned & experienced)- redundancy, more gas (AKA longer dives), overall more stability, less or no carried weight. Minuses- Very heavy & awkward on land, difficult stopping & starting quickly, I had trouble at first balancing them & still have a irrational fear of getting "turned turtle" & not being able to get myself righted (I've been practicing barrel rolls in them lately). You must make the decision as to what will work best for you in your circumstances.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I've just started using doubles and intend to use them recreationally. I prefer to dive in the 40-80 foot range with them. I have an aversion to changing tanks between dives, don't know why but it's something that I've always disliked. I can do a whole days worth of dives at 40 feet in double 100's then get them filled overnight and start over. Packing the extra weight is worth it to me to avoid changing tanks, strange but true. Planning is the same as with several single tanks and I can snack while my buddies swap tanks
Ber :lilbunny:

Wow, this thread is kinda scary. Ok, here is my rant and my $.02.

If you don't need doubles, dive your singles. These will just make you do stupid things. Your tanks should be used based on your dive plan. I own doubles for NE diving and I rent singles when I vacation dive (rec dive with pretty fish).

Your reason for diving doubles shouldn't be because you are too lazy to switch tanks during a rocky boat sit (even though I do the same thing in NC). The dives in NC are pretty much shallow, under 120' so doing 2 dives a day on twin 100's or 120's isn't too bad.

Diving doubles doesn't lower everyone's IQ as you seem to believe. Some of us are perfectly happy diving them within the limits of a dive plan designed for a more conservative air supply. For example, my average dive depth is probably 50 feet no matter what tanks I'm diving and I usually return to the boat with 1000-1200psi when diving an AL80. Should I dive a smaller tank to make sure I come back with it closer to empty since I'm coming back from my AL80 dives with almost half my air left?

Oh and I don't dive the doubles on boats, only at the quarry so I'm just plain lazy where tank switches are concerned, no "rocky boat sit" excuses here. You can see from my post that I'm not diving deep with them. The majority of my doubles dives are in 30-40 feet of water where I see better air consumption and easily match my singles diving buddies, 3 tanks for them, 1 set of tanks for me.

My biggest issue is that I see a lot of people who dive doubles in a wetsuit. Do you have enough lift to get up if your BC goes out on you? I assume everyone has a lift bag and a signal device to get up on.

Many people are taking "Tec" type gear and saying I can do this. You should really have a little training before you decide to go long. How do you plan your dive to know you have enough gas to finish multiple dives using just your back gas? Its a pretty simple calculation. Do you have enough to lend to your buddy and finish your dive?

I'm diving dry with them and no I'm not carrying a lift bag or signal device since I'm still in the learning to use them phase and diving in the quarry. Minimal gear and one challenge at a time during a learning curve for me thank you.

You're right, the planning isn't hard for multiple dives when you understand the relationship between psi and how many cubic feet of air remain in your tank compared to your buddy's.

Straping on doubles and "swinging a bottle" isn't all there is to tech diving. There is a lot of theory and trial and error experience needed to move on.
You really need to speak to someone and remember you are chancing your life to the experts that post in here when you believe everything you read. A certified Tech instructor is the best resource you can have. There are plenty of them in different agencies. They will give you the benefits of setting up your doubles for what you want to do.

This I agree with. Getting help from a qualified individual is always a good idea.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[PerroneFord]

Are they all or mostly all cave dives?

I take doubles in the pool.

 

[WD8CDH]

Stable is a description I would strongly apply to diving with doubles. Agile is not. So yes there's a trade-off. And I don't personally think you build up much inertia. It's more like diving with the brakes on.

It also depends on the total air supply. In general, I find multiple small tanks to be both more stable AND more agile than single large tanks because the mass is closer to the body.

My triple 40s are easier both above and below the water compared to my single 120.

Double OMS 45s are more comfortable than a single LP85 or LP95.

If you ever have a chance to try a double or triple set of small tanks, try it, you'll like it.

Even a double set of old 72s is a nice rig.

Almost all of the Cousteau rigs were either triples or quads.

 

[Gombessa]

My triple 40s are easier both above and below the water compared to my single 120.

Weirdo!!!

 

[micklock]

I dove double steel 40's yesterday because all my 80's were empty, and they worked perfect. And I looked cool, like Mike Nelson.:scubadive

 

[Walter]

Weirdo!!!

Maybe, but he's 100% correct. Triple 40s is a sweet rig!