Hey...can you turn me on?

[Uncle Pug]

Can you reach your own valves to turn your air on?
1. Underwater
2. On deck/shore
3. Without undoing buckles & snaps and shifting things around
4. Quickly

and....

1. Have you ever forgotten to turn your air on before donning?
2. Have you ever be then last one on the boat to go in and "Oops!"
3. Have you ever Jumped in with your air off?
4. Had a freeflow that you needed to control with the valve?

and....

1. Have you practiced this skill?
2. Can you do it with a jacket BC?
3. Can you do it with a BP and STA?
4. Can you do it with valves that angle back?

 

[buff]

I can reach around and turn my air off or on but I have very long arms. I am embarrassed to admit it but my friends and I used to think turning someones air off to be quite the bit of fun!! We got so used to each of us doing it that it just wasn't fun anymore. Thank God no one died! I don't do that anymore.

I always breathe my reg a few times before I jump in. And I always jump in with my reg in my mouth. I think if you do the latter it's hard to miss that your air is turned off.

The British Royal Navy dives with their tanks inverted, with a valve protector-I can't remember the name of it. It seems to me like the anatomicaly correct way to go. It is much easier to reach down below and rotate a valve than reach up and above. It also protects the valves from overhead contact.

I did have a crap reg. free flow on me. I breathed off the free flow and ascended from the shallow depth. Dive done. Regulator discarded.

 

[sea nmf]

Well, no, I can't reach around and turn on my air once I've donned the gear.

Yes, I have jumped in the water without my air turned on. I just had my buddy turn it on.

I don't practice this drill except in my head. But each time I dive, I try to imagine that I'm caught in kelp or some such thing, and visualize myself removing my BC, disentangling myself, and putting it back on.

I guess I should take a dive just to practice this, though.

 

[Rick Murchison]

When I learned to dive, a pool session didn't go by that the instructor didn't rip the mask off and turn the air off. Reaching and manipulating the tank valve is therefore second nature to me. Every year I read of at least one case where someone has died with plenty of air in their tank, but they have either jumped in with the air off and been unable to reach the valve, or they have jumped in with the valve open only a quarter turn, thought they'd run out of air at depth, panicked and embolized on ascent.
I am a strong proponent of making valve manipulation underwater a part of the OW syllabus again, but to my knowledge none of the agencies teach it at that level any more. Indeed, when I started formal scuba training again after two decades of "just diving" I was surprised to find that the first course that required valve manipulation was at the technical level.
I am constantly amazed at the number of divers who position their tank so they cannot reach the valve.
In answer to the original question, there are two kinds of divers - those who have jumped in with their air off, and those who will. I ain't answerin' into which group I fall.
Rick

 

[tombiowami]

It was not taught or mentioned in my OW class. I can get to the valves by pushing the tank up. I am definitely not proficient at it but have started making it part of my learning. Have even been doing stretching excercises to help.

Tommy

 

[Ferrara]

I can manipulate my valves in whatever equipment I use (mostly manifolded doubles). I can reach them standing or sitting on dry land or during the dive. I can reach them without moving or shifting my rig in any way.

I did not formally learn or practice this until tech level courses. A shame. Now I know better!

Early in my dive career on a shore dive with a group they descended and left before I was ready. This was also one of my first 20 or so drysuit dives. By the time I descended to 15 feet or so air stopped comming. I learned how to reach my valve in seconds. I hade to undo the waist strap. You could say learning took place. Aside from learning the importance of valve manipulation I learned first hand the value of predive equipment checks and buddy procs.

We practice shutdown drills and other things very often!

 

[lakesdiver]

Originally posted by Uncle Pug
Can you reach your own valves to turn your air on?
1. Underwater
2. On deck/shore
3. Without undoing buckles & snaps and shifting things around
4. Quickly

and....

1. Have you ever forgotten to turn your air on before donning?
2. Have you ever be then last one on the boat to go in and "Oops!"
3. Have you ever Jumped in with your air off?
4. Had a freeflow that you needed to control with the valve?

and....

1. Have you practiced this skill?
2. Can you do it with a jacket BC?
3. Can you do it with a BP and STA?
4. Can you do it with valves that angle back?

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Quickly enough that I don't turn blue first.

1. Yes
2. No.
3. Yes
4. Yes

1. Yes, but not intentionally
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. N/A (none of my tanks or ones i've used had angled valves).

 

[large_diver]

I can reach my valve when single-tanking, but I usually have to shift things at least a little bit.

I've definitely donned before turning air on...but like buff I always take a breath or 2 from my primary and back-up before entering the water

I have practiced in the past, but not consistently. I think the first time I practiced was after reading a story about a guy who was diving the U-853 off the coast of RI. He was diving double steels (not sure what size) in a wet suit and jumped in with his gas off and no air in his BC. He went straight down 130 feet to the bottom where his body was found with the air off, tanks full. Sobering story.

-LD

 

[Lost Yooper]

I had a moron charter captain turn my isolator off once before I jumped in. I didn't notice it for about ten minutes. No biggie, but I sure was POed.

Mike

 

[The Chairman]

but I will be starting a class in yoga (no kidding) soonly. I can barely make the knobs if I contort myself enough.

However... THAT being said...

ONLY A STROKE WOULD JUMP IN WITHOUT THEIR AIR ON... :tease:
nyuk, nyuk, nyuk...

and no, I have never ever even come close... now watch me the next time I dive...