First PADI Recreational Backmount Doubles Certification Issued

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Could you elaborate a little on this technique? It sounds like it could be very helpful.

Pretty simple. Close your exhaust valve for your dry suit. Add some gas to it. Lay face down and alternate "punching" above your head, and it helps move your undergarment around. Then open your exhaust valve and continue on.

Try doing valve drills without doing this and then without to see the difference.

 

[Wibble]

Just a thought about teaching twinset/doubles diving...

Given that PADI specialises in single tank diving, will they struggle to find instructors who are competent in twinset diving and are fully dived up in that configuration? Would imagine that someone who's doing 5 sessions a day in the water on singles might find it challenging to run doubles slickly? Especially as valve drills take some effort and need the diver to be competent with buoyancy and finning.

Or is that easy to do?

 

[p_kos]

If I am diving doubles there would also be a deco tank with me, also usually an O2 tank for clean up.

Not sure what that has to do with my point that sidemount has an advantage over independent doubles, therefore it makes sense to be against independent doubles but in favour of sidemount. For the record, I dive manifolded doubles and am not a sidemount diver.

 

[boulderjohn]

Just a thought about teaching twinset/doubles diving...

Given that PADI specialises in single tank diving, will they struggle to find instructors who are competent in twinset diving and are fully dived up in that configuration? Would imagine that someone who's doing 5 sessions a day in the water on singles might find it challenging to run doubles slickly? Especially as valve drills take some effort and need the diver to be competent with buoyancy and finning.

Or is that easy to do?

PADI has a full tech program with tech instructors well-versed in the use of doubles.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Just a thought about teaching twinset/doubles diving...

Given that PADI specialises in single tank diving, will they struggle to find instructors who are competent in twinset diving and are fully dived up in that configuration? Would imagine that someone who's doing 5 sessions a day in the water on singles might find it challenging to run doubles slickly? Especially as valve drills take some effort and need the diver to be competent with buoyancy and finning.

Or is that easy to do?

I would certainly hope so.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Given that PADI specialises in single tank diving, will they struggle to find instructors who are competent in twinset diving and are fully dived up in that configuration?

Twinset diving is already part of PADI tech courses (unless you choose to go Tech sidmount instead) so there are a lot of very competent Tech instructors well versed in Twinsets

 

[Wibble]

Twinset diving is already part of PADI tech courses (unless you choose to go Tech sidmount instead) so there are a lot of very competent Tech instructors well versed in Twinsets

Point is more that a typical OW instructor would need to do a lot of work to get to the standard and practice required to be good with twinsets. If they're diving OW all the time, the skills are somewhat different.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Just a thought about teaching twinset/doubles diving...

Given that PADI specialises in single tank diving, will they struggle to find instructors who are competent in twinset diving and are fully dived up in that configuration? Would imagine that someone who's doing 5 sessions a day in the water on singles might find it challenging to run doubles slickly? Especially as valve drills take some effort and need the diver to be competent with buoyancy and finning.

Or is that easy to do?

I really do not think there is significant difference between closing the valve of a free flowing regulator mounted on a single or a twin tank.
Depending on shoulder mobility, reaching the valves of a single tank can be more difficult than reaching the valves of a twin tank. At least for me, and with my Aralu twin tank and my Cressi 15.liters steel single, reaching the valves is easier with the Aralu twin tank.
Only significant difference when switching between the two is buoyancy, as the Aralu are aluminium (Luxfer) so more buoyant than the steel single. However the Aralu are equipped with their 3kg lead prism, which can be installed between the bottom parts of the tanks. With this additional weight installed, the buoyancy is exactly the same as the 15-liters steel, and I do not need to adjust my weight belt.
Many people think that diving twin tanks is somewhat complex and challenging, while in reality the difference between a twin tank of proper size (the Aralu is 9+9 liters at 200 bars, 3600 liters) and a single tank providing a reasonable air quantity (as a 15 liters at 232 bars, 3500 liters) is truly minimal. Both have two valves, you use them with two complete and independent regulators, and the twin tank has a manifold which does not allow tank separation, so they are used exactly the same way: if one reg fails, you close its valve, and continue breathing with the other.
As said, buoyancy can be the same. And as the twin tanks are more hydrodynamic and better balanced, kicking is easier and more efficient.

 

[boulderjohn]

Point is more that a typical OW instructor would need to do a lot of work to get to the standard and practice required to be good with twinsets. If they're diving OW all the time, the skills are somewhat different.

All agencies have some courses that require special knowledge and experience on the part of the instructor. For example, the PADI cavern diving course is a recreational certification, but in order to be certified to teach it, the instructor must be fully cave certified. There are many courses that have additional requirements beyond OW instructor certification.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

For example, the PADI cavern diving course is a recreational certification, but in order to be certified to teach it, the instructor must be fully cave certified.

Where is that documented? As while the attached instructor guide for that course is a bit dated, it does not state that being a certified cave diver is a requirement. It may have changed of course.