Ranz
Guest
100% me and no one else! I dont even want anyone touching my gear hehehe
Full Service or Self Service
- Thread starter Laurence Stein DDS
- Start date
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There are a few people, not many, that I trust with my life when it comes to diving. They can set up my equipment, otherwise I prefer to do it myself. Ive been so seasick on a boat that the only way I could go back into the water was to have someone set up my equipment.
Mike
Mike
Rooster1
Guest
I rather do it and even if they did it, I would check it all before I dive with it
sheck33
Contributor
nobody touches my gear or my valves unless i specifically ask them to. Especially when i am on a dive vacation, i have seen too many divers solving a variety of problems beause someone else set up their gear.
Viv
Contributor
I will not let anyone else touch my gear ever since a bad experience I had during one of my first boat dives. A "helpful" diver on the boat with me thought I was taking to long to set up my gear and decided to assist me, even though I didn't ask for help. To make a long story short - my weight system was not set up correctly and I lost my weights at depth which resulted in a uncontrolled ascent.
Part of the problem is that there are so many different types of gear configurations that it is difficult to be familiar with all of them. Someone may be experienced and have a great deal of knowledge, but if you're not familiar with something leave it alone.
Part of the problem is that there are so many different types of gear configurations that it is difficult to be familiar with all of them. Someone may be experienced and have a great deal of knowledge, but if you're not familiar with something leave it alone.
DivePartner1
Contributor
Simply because someone else takes a 'first stab' at setting up your gear does not relieve the diver, or to a lesser extent the diver's buddy, from making sure your equipment is ready for a safe dive.
I don't understand being surprised by valves that aren't fully open at depth, unless the boat turned these off just before the diver jumped in. The diver--and buddy check--should never let anything this basic slip by, particularly if your valves are unconventionally set up.
I don't understand being surprised by valves that aren't fully open at depth, unless the boat turned these off just before the diver jumped in. The diver--and buddy check--should never let anything this basic slip by, particularly if your valves are unconventionally set up.
of charters that do everything for you, there is only same ocean buddy systems in effect. If you trust someone else to set up your own gear why would you feel it important to have your buddy check it.
The word you in the foregoing is NOT applied to anyone specific but is intended apply generically to the conversation at hand.
The word you in the foregoing is NOT applied to anyone specific but is intended apply generically to the conversation at hand.
CuriousMe
Guest
Down here, it's all as some would call, vacation dive boats. It is customary for the DM to set up your gear....as for me it depends....if I'm in a six pack and we're zipping along all over the place....I'll let the DM set it up, other wise I'll end up on my but. It it's a bigger dive boat, I'll set it up before or as we leave the dock.
I agree with DivePartner though....we do buddy checks, but also...especially if someone else set it up....I'll give it a good going over to check out that my weights are secured (and placed as I requested), that my air is on....that everything looks secure....then go through my buddy check.
I know it doesn't mean that I won't have problems doing it this way....but I haven't so far....and figure as long as I'm checking it thoroughly....I'd rather not get knocked on my but during the boat ride
I agree with DivePartner though....we do buddy checks, but also...especially if someone else set it up....I'll give it a good going over to check out that my weights are secured (and placed as I requested), that my air is on....that everything looks secure....then go through my buddy check.
I know it doesn't mean that I won't have problems doing it this way....but I haven't so far....and figure as long as I'm checking it thoroughly....I'd rather not get knocked on my but during the boat ride
OP
Laurence Stein DDS
Medical Moderator
DivePartner1,
The incident I was witness to occurred because the boat's crew went around all gear and "checked" the valves. Everyone actually set their gear up. Some people turned their air on and some did not.
I personally, turn it on to check for a full tank before leaving the dock, check my primary and octo for breathing and leaks. Then I turn the air off AND BLEED THE SYSTEM. I do this for two reasons. First, if an o-ring fails or a tank falls, you don't lose a sizable portion of your air until the problem is solved. Second, I want to know that I actually turned the air on and pressurized the system predive. If I turn the tank off and don't purge the system it looks like its on. I want to start from zero and know that everything is on. I believe that boat crews also don't want a leak to suddenly occur and some may be instructed to make sure all valves are off.
Unfortunately, on this boat, some of the divers left their tanks on. When the boat crew went around turning off the valves for the run out to the dive site, the systems were not purged. Without taking a few breaths and looking at the guage, the diver who left their tank on would believe that nothing had changed.
The unlucky diver probably should have done one more check of their system pre dive but in all honesty, if they believed their system was on and their guages read a full tank, they had no reason to believe differently. They had already checked it.
Also, everybody out there...I want to see a show of hands of all those (with years of experience) who has NEVER jumped into the water with a tank turned off or forgotten their weight belt. I don't know one person it hasn't happened to for whatever reason. You can blame a failure of buddy checks or excitement to get into the water. As humans we make mistakes.
We simply don't need any assistance in our mistakes. I believe that having another set of hands on your gear--especially if you are unaware of it, is dangerous. There are three or four incidents in this one post that have had the same problem. Seems like an awful lot incidents for 20 or so replys don't you think?
Larry Stein
The incident I was witness to occurred because the boat's crew went around all gear and "checked" the valves. Everyone actually set their gear up. Some people turned their air on and some did not.
I personally, turn it on to check for a full tank before leaving the dock, check my primary and octo for breathing and leaks. Then I turn the air off AND BLEED THE SYSTEM. I do this for two reasons. First, if an o-ring fails or a tank falls, you don't lose a sizable portion of your air until the problem is solved. Second, I want to know that I actually turned the air on and pressurized the system predive. If I turn the tank off and don't purge the system it looks like its on. I want to start from zero and know that everything is on. I believe that boat crews also don't want a leak to suddenly occur and some may be instructed to make sure all valves are off.
Unfortunately, on this boat, some of the divers left their tanks on. When the boat crew went around turning off the valves for the run out to the dive site, the systems were not purged. Without taking a few breaths and looking at the guage, the diver who left their tank on would believe that nothing had changed.
The unlucky diver probably should have done one more check of their system pre dive but in all honesty, if they believed their system was on and their guages read a full tank, they had no reason to believe differently. They had already checked it.
Also, everybody out there...I want to see a show of hands of all those (with years of experience) who has NEVER jumped into the water with a tank turned off or forgotten their weight belt. I don't know one person it hasn't happened to for whatever reason. You can blame a failure of buddy checks or excitement to get into the water. As humans we make mistakes.
We simply don't need any assistance in our mistakes. I believe that having another set of hands on your gear--especially if you are unaware of it, is dangerous. There are three or four incidents in this one post that have had the same problem. Seems like an awful lot incidents for 20 or so replys don't you think?
Larry Stein
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