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medic13:
Dry suits =Trilaminate , vulcanized rubber
Full face masks with communications center ECT
Sealed regulator system
Backup reg and bottle system
Computers- depth, temp, Pressure gauge, compass
Slates, knife, scissors
Fins, mask, boots, hood, BC, or backplate wings ECT


Not all of us dive dry. Of course, if the situation is a bad one, where there is a comtamination risk at all, we only send in our dry suit divers.

WE don't have underwater communications systems. There simply isn't funding for this, and if we required that all of our divers bought their own, we wouldn't have any members, so we rely strictly on hand signals.

Obviously all of our divers have computers, compass, knife, scissors, finsk, masks, boots, etc.


We live in a very small county, and like I mentioned, there just isn't funding for all the hi-tec gear that we would like to have. So, we make do with what we have, while at the same time making sure that it fits in with the counties guidelines.

I guess I don't know how to explain it better then that....


Kayla
 
Kayla:
WE don't have underwater communications systems. There simply isn't funding for this, and if we required that all of our divers bought their own, we wouldn't have any members, so we rely strictly on hand signals.
Kayla

Are you guys doing ocean, river, or lake dives?
Strictly hand signals? Don't you dive with tethers and at least use line signals?
 
My county is much the same way. We only have two of us that dive on a regular basis, there are a couple more who if we can get them they will be here. We to are volunteers, with no financial support from the county. We purchase all our own gear, pay for all our own training and so on. The only remimbursement I have ever recieved is last year the county paid for two of my tanks to be hydro'd, because they got sent in with the fire dept.'s scba's.

Just keep up the good work and when you are old enough, jump in (pun intended).
Take care and good luck.......
 
We do use line signals if the vis is bad enough to where you cant see your buddy. For sure! The most important thing is communication.



Desa... your county sounds a whole lot like ours! I was beginning to think that ours was the only one that operated like that!
 
Askin' 3 times: do you all do ocean, river, or lake dives?
How do you maintain an effective and efficient search patterns with high POD in low vis buddy diving without tensioned tethers?
Since all you do are recoveries, doesn't buddy diving burn up your searchers faster?

If you dive without tethers, how do you tell command that you've found something? Surface and possibly lose position?

Our county dive team is all volunteer and isn't part of the sherriff's office, PD, or Fire Dept. We work with them though. We are funded through fundraisers, local and state public and government grants with some county money too.

Your team should try to snag some homeland defense grant money.
 
We do bay, river, lake diving. If in fact we have to search for a body, yes, we will use lines so that we don't lose our position. Most of the time however, we have a pretty specific location, and can just go down and bring the body back to the surface.

Like I said, if we are searching, there are pretty specific search patterns that we follow, a two man team, a diver in the water, a man on shore tending the line. We can easily communicate with that line. However, if we have a location, we will send down a two man team (two divers) to recover the body. It makes it easier on both if they don't have to go at it alone.


Does that answer your question? I didn't see that you had asked this before or i would have answered, I'm doing my best to try to answer everything here.....


Kayla
 
Kayla:
As far is it goes for me, I just hold a basis OW from SSI. I am certified to dive in low vis, swift water, bay, river, lake, pond, etc. I'm not exactly sure that's what you were looking for though. When a diver goes thru whatever course is being taught, they don't recieve a certification, but rather an "OK" from the president and e-board to dive that type of environment. Yet again, something that I think is different from most of the stuff the reat of you do. Whether its better or worse I'm not sure.

Kayla

Hmm let me try to understand. You are given no formal cert. when trained in house? The people that "Instruct" who are they certified by to teach? Or are they the teachers because they have been around the longest?
I cant imagine that system holding up in court. If the person who teaches is certified and insured to teach, and they dont issue a card thats one thing, but to just sign off on someone is real sketchy, I wouldnt want that person to be called in a lawsuit.
I hope you continue your dive training with an agency that specializes in psd or other high level training. By no means do i think a Basic open water card is a good idea for psd work, id advise against it. I also do not advise having only a rescue diver cert for this kinda work. A padi rescue diver cert is not meant to be a PSD cert. Further: classes dont make you experts, they merely give you the tools to develop your skills. Ive seen some great BOW divers and Ive seen some lousy instructors, and vice versa.
Also I keep hearing this DAN insurance thing pop up, If anyone has DAN and relies on it. You should go over the fine print, for instance the distance from home to be covered, and if it allows PSD work to be covered. Im not certain but check it out. Remember DAN is a secondary insurance.
- g mount
 
TheAvatar:
Askin' 3 times: do you all do ocean, river, or lake dives?
How do you maintain an effective and efficient search patterns with high POD in low vis buddy diving without tensioned tethers?
Since all you do are recoveries, doesn't buddy diving burn up your searchers faster?

If you dive without tethers, how do you tell command that you've found something? Surface and possibly lose position?

Your team should try to snag some homeland defense grant money.

To answer some of your questions. No ocean diving here, all lakes and the Ohio River. If we are working in zero vis, we will typicaly only have one or two divers on the bottom at a time. A lot of people find it hard to believe that I wold go to the bottom of the Ohio by my self, and while its not fun, its not like I am completely by my self.

Example: There is a second diver standing by and we will have aggreed upon a set time usually 10-15 minutes, depending on what we are looking for. If I haven't surface in the appropiate time frame, he will clip into my line and come to the end, which is where I should be. We never enter the water without full tanks and we carry identical quick detatchable pony tanks so I know where his is, he knows where mine is type of thing. We both carry multiple cutting instruments and again, we know where each others equipment is. Remember, vis here is so bad you cant see a light unless you press it hard against your mask. Its not for everyone.

Keep rope signals simple. 1 tug means nothing (could just be the water vibrating the rope) 2 tugs means I need more rope. 3 tugs means I have it. Bunch of tugs means I need help.
As far as telling comand we have something, again depends on the water, might just tie off a marker and let it go to the top. But, usually we pull slack in the line, tie it off, unclip from the end, clip back in above the tie off, then surface. Whoever line tender is will mark that rope accordingly.

Some of the lakes here have 3-4 feet of visibility. When we dive there we think we are in the tropics.LOL

As far as the grants you are right. Only in the last few weeks have we recieved notification that we will recieve some funding for an air system (we currently use a cascade system on a truck that we go to a county over in Kentucky to get filled) plus we are getting comunications systems (hopefully).

Its not the greatest setup in the world, but we have made it work for many years.
 
Desa:
Some of the lakes here have 3-4 feet of visibility. When we dive there we think we are in the tropics.LOL

Yeah, three to four feet, that's outstanding vis!!! Must be nice! :wink:
 
Desa... Thanks for helping me out. I guess I'm just getting really tired of defending the group that we have worked so hard get on its feet!

I think that your group sounds a whole lot like ours... its not the prittiest thing in the world, but we bring bodies back to families... thats got to count for something.

I'm also positive that we don't do everything right... if you can find me someone that does.. I would be amazed.


I think thats all I have. I don't know what else I can possibly answer.


Kayla
 

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