First PADI Recreational Backmount Doubles Certification Issued

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I have always found it amusing that the people that hated the idea of independent doubles are the same people that love sidemount
Makes sense if you think about it. The ability to easily reach and feather a valve if one reg fails gives you the ability to access all your gas with sidemount just like manifolded doubles once the faulty reg post is shut off. That’s the difference. With independent backmount you either give up half your gas if one reg fails or have a really sh!tty time feathering it IF your arm/hand has that kind of endurance.
 
Of course I am not from Texas, and I know that local use can be quite different around the world.
When I started diving there were only twin tanks available here. A single tank was simply carrying too little air...
I did start using a single tank only 10 years later, when 15-liters steel at 200 bars were made available, around 1985, providing the same 3000 liters as a 10+10 liters twin at 150 bars.
And even on single tanks I did always employ two fully independent regs, both with the same top specs, on two separate valves. This is what I did learn as minimum safety requirement during my first course, and I do not understand how people can rely on just a single valve, single first stage, and a sub-par quality octopus.
Please note that I am a fully recreational diver, no way I could be tempted by technical diving. So I do not see any reason for a certification about using double tanks, as doubles were the standard equipment used during my first course for training, and which I did use for more than 10 years, before switching to single tank. I did never read anywhere that standard OW or AOW certifications pose limits on the number and/or size of the tanks employed...
Please correct me if I am wrong, there are so many certification bodies nowadays that I could not know the rules for all of them.
But both of my sons are AOW-certified with PADI, and I did not see anything impeding them to use the old ARALU twin tanks which both I and my wife still own...
 
As a result there are some divers in the US who are not technically trained to use backmount doubles, but recreationally dive them anyway without any training whatsoever.

Its means that they have trained on them...
Not that complicated.
If someone is going to lug doubles it does mean they have take the time to research and know what they are getting into.

Is there any plans on a single steel tank certification?
Or
How about over 80 cuft tanks certification?

Because how are people to know they need less weight ? And that it will feel differently?
 
Its means that they have trained on them...
Not that complicated.
If someone is going to lug doubles it does mean they have take the time to research and know what they are getting into.

Is there any plans on a single steel tank certification?
Or
How about over 80 cuft tanks certification?

Because how are people to know they need less weight ? And that it will feel differently?
I don't know. When I started with Tec40, I wasn't taught how inflate my dry suit, lay face down in the water, and "throw" my arms over my head to move my undergarment around so that I've have more shoulder mobility. I simply wasn't able to reach my valves (fundies did fix that).

There are some things that should always be taught when learning to use doubles that may not be intuitive. I have no idea on the content of this distinctive specialty, but I would hope that it would address what I had missed in the instruction I received when I first dipped my toes into tech.

I won't argue that people can't figure this out on their own, but a knowledgeable instructor can accelerate skills/knowledge acquisition.

I think it is silly for a business to require certification to use doubles, but that is their right.
 
What kind of BS is this? Somebody paid money to learn how to use doubles?! WOW! PT Barnum was right!
 
GUE has a doubles primer.as well as a drysuit primer. I'd imagine (as I haven't taken either) that these workshops are partially meant to prepare divers for fundies.
 
Makes sense if you think about it. The ability to easily reach and feather a valve if one reg fails gives you the ability to access all your gas with sidemount just like manifolded doubles once the faulty reg post is shut off. That’s the difference. With independent backmount you either give up half your gas if one reg fails or have a really sh!tty time feathering it IF your arm/hand has that kind of endurance.
If I am diving doubles there would also be a deco tank with me, also usually an O2 tank for clean up.
 

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