Doubles (Twin-Set) Removal & Replacement in Mid-Water

[Tracy]

A solo diver absolutely needs to be able to doff his/her rig (IMHO)--even if it's a doubles rig, and even if he/she is wearing a drysuit. (What's the alternative?)

rx7diver

A team based approach to technical diving? That would be an alternative.

 

[rx7diver]

... I guess if you absolutely had to you could flood the suit to not be so buoyant and pray you don't rocket too fast?

How would you do it without being ridiculously over weighted?

When I attempted this (wearing a custom DUI crushed neo drysuit; compression-resistant Thinsulate underwear; manifolded 3,500 psig PST HP100's; Al back plate; and solid Pb on a weightbelt), I began by first deflating my drysuit as much as possible (though not so much that I couldn't move while in it) while inflating my wing to compensate. Diving in fresh water.

I'm not sure I would have been able to successfully do this so relatively easily if I had been wearing, instead, a heavy, SS back plate with P-weight (instead of an Al back plate and a weightbelt), or if I had been wearing a tri-lam drysuit with really thick, compression-resistant underwear.

NOTE: I never attempted this while wearing a deco cylinder or two, too, or while using my 3,500 psig PST HP120's (instead of my HP100's).

rx7diver

 

[rob.mwpropane]

NOTE: I never attempted this while wearing a deco cylinder or two, too, or while using my 3,500 psig PST HP120's (instead of my HP100's).

I don't think it's realistic to do. Even if you could pull it off you'd still be uncomfortable the whole dive with the amount of weight you'd have to carry.

 

[rx7diver]

I don't think it's realistic to do. Even if you could pull it off you'd still be uncomfortable the whole dive with the amount of weight you'd have to carry.

You know, regarding changing from manifolded HP100's to HP120's, I don't remember changing much (if at all) the amt of Pb I wore on my weightbelt. The Huron Scuba cylinder spec page (SCUBA Cylinder Specifications – Huron Scuba, Snorkel & Adventure Travel Inc. PADI 5 star IDC in Ann Arbor, MI) gives the empty-buoyancy of a HP100 and a HP120 to be identical (-1.3 lbs, though I'm not sure if this is for fresh water), which, if correct, seems to support my memory.

When I switched from HP100's to HP120's, though, I also changed manifolds and doubles bands. So, I might have needed to adjust my weightbelt slightly. So long ago. I'm almost certain that this kind of detail is written in one of my old logbooks (since I'm almost certain that I was still logging dives when I made this switch).

rx7diver

 

[Badger7]

How would you do it without being ridiculously over weighted?

You'd probably need to use an Alu or CF backplate and all lead on a belt. I'm sure its possible, but would be about as graceful as a gazelle on roller skates.

 

[ABay Diver]

Regardless of the criticisms, thats a very skilled and disciplined diver.

 

[LFMarm]

Great skills but unclear in which situation this could be helpful. In case you need to get out of the harness in a hurry, you cut it.

 

[rx7diver]

Great skills but unclear in which situation this could be helpful. In case you need to get out of the harness in a hurry, you cut it.

A solo diver might need to doff his/her gear to disentangle it, and then don it and resume diving.

rx7diver

 

[MidOH]

Just a short while ago scubaboard said if you take a doubles rig off under water, you'll lose buoyancy control and end up in an uncontrolled ascent right into a large ships spinning propeller.

Scubaboard said this was impossible. Then proceeded to insult everyone involved.

[Yet us noobs have already done it, was a nonissue.]

I'll pop some popcorn, and see what the over caffinated scuba police have to say this time.

 

[Nick_Radov]

I had to remove my doubles often, steel 12l with a alu backplate. My valves would get stuck in lines while working in bad-zero vis, and sinking to the bottom might break off the line so I had to stay as neutral as possible.
It helps that I use a weight belt, it makes it easier to maintain buoyancy just by breathing but also sucks because when I work I'm severely overweighted.

Was there a reason you didn't have surface supplied gas plus comms and a standby safety diver for that dive? Using regular open circuit gear in such conditions would seem ridiculously dangerous.