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

[Germie]

a SB member once posted a video of him removing a set of steel doubles

Unless that is re-posted in the pub, I don't think many want to re-live that viewing experience

I do it here in a drysuit with twin12 steels. It is not that hard to remove. But to put it on this is quite hard.
In my eyes it is not a usefull skill to put it on under water. To remove it at surface, yes, I have done that several times because boats required it. It is very important never to let the inflatorbutton go, otherwise your twinset will drop to the bottom if you remove it and don't pump it up directly after removal. What works in such cases is simply a line with a boltsnap on the boat, put the boltsnap on a D-ring, you don't are blocked when removing the twinset, but your twinset won't drop to the bottom.

But put it on under water, never needed in over 3000 dives. I only did this 'skill' for fun. If you drop the twinset in a drysuit, for sure you will pop up. Also it is needed to hold it not far from your body, otherwise the same happens. So you can do it in a drysuit with steel tanks, but it is not that usefull.

 

[Vicko]

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.

I live in a third world country where my life is worth less than the marina I was building?

Using surface supply for shallow water work, especially when working with concrete is a massive pain in the ass that I prefer to avoid.

 

[Nick_Radov]

I live in a third world country where my life is worth less than the marina I was building?

Fair enough. But Croatia seemed pretty close to first world status when I was diving there a few years ago. Or if Croatia is third world then I guess Florida is as well.

 

[Macan]

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.

Here’s a screenshot from our recent YouTube video that highlights a potentially dangerous situation. Imagine this: if the net had trapped the first stage of the diver’s regulator or tank, and the diver is alone or their buddy isn't nearby to assist, it could quickly become perilous. At first, the diver may not know that the net has caught the rig. But as the diver moves or tries to ascend, they could become further entangled. In such a scenario, if reaching back to disentangle the net doesn't work, the only viable option might be to remove the BCD to fix the issue.

Yes, while the likelihood of needing to remove your BCD underwater is slim—perhaps as rare as being struck by lightning—learning this skill in a controlled, supervised environment has numerous benefits. It enhances equipment mastery, builds confidence, and improves buoyancy control, etc. all of which are crucial for handling unexpected challenges during a dive. These are also the same reasons why BCD removal and replacement is a required skill in Open Water training/certification.

The full video of the Screenshot can be found here:

 

[rx7diver]

... Yes, while the likelihood of needing to remove your BCD underwater is slim—perhaps as rare as being struck by lightning—learning this skill in a controlled, supervised environment has numerous benefits. It enhances equipment mastery, builds confidence, and improves buoyancy control, etc. all of which are crucial for handling unexpected challenges during a dive. These are also the same reasons why BCD removal and replacement is a required skill in Open Water training/certification.

I agree. I posted here on SB a while ago about the time that I removed my rig (SP Stab Jacket and HP80) when ascending solo from depth (from ~135 ffw in Lake Huron, IIRC) when my reg began free-flowing. The skinny: I could see from my SPG that my cylinder would likely empty completely before I reached the surface; I could not easily reach my cylinder valve to feather it when wearing this particular rig; I doffed my rig, pulled it around in front of me and feathered the cylinder valve as I ascended the anchor line. IIRC, I included in that SB post the output from my computer. No big deal--except the people on the dive boat, watching the free-flow, were quite concerned/confused when I surfaced hugging my gear!

So, being able to remove one's rig at depth can be useful for situations other than entanglement, too

rx7diver

 

[Nick_Radov]

I agree. I posted here on SB a while ago about the time that I removed my rig (SP Stab Jacket and HP80) when ascending solo from depth (from ~135 ffw in Lake Huron, IIRC) when my reg began free-flowing. The skinny: I could see from my SPG that my cylinder would likely empty completely before I reached the surface; I could not easily reach my cylinder valve to feather it when wearing this particular rig; I doffed my rig, pulled it around in front of me and feathered the cylinder valve as I ascended the anchor line. IIRC, I included in that SB post the output from my computer. No big deal--except the people on the dive boat, watching the free-flow, were quite concerned/confused when I surfaced hugging my gear!

So, being able to remove one's rig at depth can be useful for situations other than entanglement, too

rx7diver

Some of you guys can't even manage to get the basics right, and then you end up creating all sorts of ill-conceived "solutions" for problems that could have been trivially avoided in the first place with correct equipment and standard operating procedures. It would be hilarious if there wasn't actual risk involved. I hope there are no newbies reading this nonsense and taking it seriously.

 

[Fat old english bloke]

I’ve never been tangled in line or net that I was not able to cut or carefully work myself free from, but then it’s probably happened to me less than twenty times.

 

[MidOH]

Some of you guys can't even manage to get the basics right, and then you end up creating all sorts of ill-conceived "solutions" for problems that could have been trivially avoided in the first place with correct equipment and standard operating procedures. It would be hilarious if there wasn't actual risk involved. I hope there are no newbies reading this nonsense and taking it seriously.

And yet he's 100% correct.

Here's a logical use of that scenario. Feathering valves that aren't practical to reach easy.

As long as you latch onto you shoulder strap well, and don't lose your rig, it's safe, and easy.

And many of us have practiced this, to see how practical it can be.

Old scuba guys, and the scuba police instructors, want to protect their way of doing things. And protect their egos, that their way is the the only way. They are too ignorant to see that new blood may have some better ideas. Nowhere more apparent than scubapoliceboard.

At our quarry, I dump my rig and give it a quick shove into the water. Don and doff in the water. No risk to our backs or knees. We still get "YOU CANT DO THAT!" from the old farts every weekend. The guys who walk, geared up, 1/4 mile in pain, because they haven't discovered the wheel.

 

[eja12a]

I agree. I posted here on SB a while ago about the time that I removed my rig (SP Stab Jacket and HP80) when ascending solo from depth (from ~135 ffw in Lake Huron, IIRC) when my reg began free-flowing. The skinny: I could see from my SPG that my cylinder would likely empty completely before I reached the surface; I could not easily reach my cylinder valve to feather it when wearing this particular rig; I doffed my rig, pulled it around in front of me and feathered the cylinder valve as I ascended the anchor line. IIRC, I included in that SB post the output from my computer. No big deal--except the people on the dive boat, watching the free-flow, were quite concerned/confused when I surfaced hugging my gear!

So, being able to remove one's rig at depth can be useful for situations other than entanglement, too

rx7diver

Seems like with a little bit of planning that whole situation could have been avoided. Like having a redundant gas source if you’re solo diving beyond recreational limits. Or diving in a team.

 

[MidOH]

I do it here in a drysuit with twin12 steels. It is not that hard to remove. But to put it on this is quite hard.
In my eyes it is not a usefull skill to put it on under water. To remove it at surface, yes, I have done that several times because boats required it. It is very important never to let the inflatorbutton go, otherwise your twinset will drop to the bottom if you remove it and don't pump it up directly after removal. What works in such cases is simply a line with a boltsnap on the boat, put the boltsnap on a D-ring, you don't are blocked when removing the twinset, but your twinset won't drop to the bottom.

But put it on under water, never needed in over 3000 dives. I only did this 'skill' for fun. If you drop the twinset in a drysuit, for sure you will pop up. Also it is needed to hold it not far from your body, otherwise the same happens. So you can do it in a drysuit with steel tanks, but it is not that usefull.

If I was neutral buoyant before taking it off. I'll be neutral with it off.

As long as I don't let go. But yeah, I'm slightly positive, my rig is slightly negative. Hang onto the shoulder strap.

No need to put it back on really, if just a rec dive. But I suppose you could. I had no issues getting it back on. But I do that on the surface often.