hitting head when using BP/W

[Randy43068]

actually you won't have more than a puff from the 7' hose if the valve is off. Seven foot is standard for some gear setups, and should be standard for EVERY kit, if you ask me. But who's askin'?

Just before I step off, I take several breaths from one of the second stages while watching the pressure gauge. If it does NOT change pressure I'm reasonalbly sure my valve is on, so I clip it off, and I'm ready. I do it EVERY time before I get into the water.

You may want to do a hot drop into a wreck or site if the boat is having trouble staying in position or trying to stay off of a reef or rocks. They'll drop you off into the current and you decend right away and don't pop back to the surface to give the OK. You drop and go... usually for a dive with current as I mentioned.

 

[Randy43068]

A dive in a current where you need to get to a certain spot (like a wreck)

take that post back. I was here telling him about current first!
<laughing>

 

[djanni]

take that post back. I was here telling him about current first!
<laughing>

okay, I thought about current. I've dived some pretty ripping current myself but it wasn't the situations you and JeffG described.

It just seems to me that in such situations as you two describe one would take extra precaution in the other areas. Wouldn't you want to do more to ensure the valve is open if you know you're doing a hot drop?

I think all this started over the idea that one should be able to reach back and open his air valve in an emergency. That would be nice were they designed to make it easy. Going back to training and as someone else mentioned, I was trained to remove the BC underwater in such an emergency. Again, no argument that it wopuld nice to just reach back there and twist that little black handle.

 

[JeffG]

take that post back. I was here telling him about current first!
<laughing>

You just type too much.

 

[Randy43068]

okay, I thought about current. I've dived some pretty ripping current myself but it wasn't the situations you and JeffG described.

It just seems to me that in such situations as you two describe one would take extra precaution in the other areas. Wouldn't you want to do more to ensure the valve is open if you know you're doing a hot drop?

I think all this started over the idea that one should be able to reach back and open his air valve in an emergency. That would be nice were they designed to make it easy. Going back to training and as someone else mentioned, I was trained to remove the BC underwater in such an emergency. Again, no argument that it wopuld nice to just reach back there and twist that little black handle.

You're right, and that's another reason I breathe from one of the regulators while watching the pressure guage. If it moves then the post is OFF. If the needle doesn't move then I'm good to go. I too have trouble reaching my valve but I can probably jockey my tank around while on my back to reach it. I dunno about taking the BC off, I think you'd be in a world if hurt if the valve was off and you started rippin your gear off. It would be easier to make adjustments for reaching the valve. Granted it's not something you'll need to do every day, but then these skills are to be used when a problem occures. Prevention is the best choice.. check air before dropping in.
One reason one would want to turn a valve off on a single tank would be a freeflow that you can't stop. Shut off the valve for a moment, then back on.. it may be enough to stop the freeflowing regulator.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

Going back to training and as someone else mentioned, I was trained to remove the BC underwater in such an emergency.

Are you sure?

I don't know about SSI but PADI does not teach this...well not formally, anyways.

 

[WVMike]

maybe you guys have big heads...

Yep, thats me, big head :11:

So here I thought it was just me. Now I know others are doin' the reverse head butt as well.

Yeah, I sort of got used to it. Plus makes a good excuse for lack of neck flexibility.

 

[djanni]

All I can say for sure is our Instructor would say there could be situations where you need to remove the bc (and put it back on) and we practiced doing that. We practiced it during the pool dives and it was exercise we had to perform during the open water dives.

Are you sure?

I don't know about SSI but PADI does not teach this...well not formally, anyways.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

All I can say for sure is our Instructor would say there could be situations where you need to remove the bc (and put it back on) and we practiced doing that. We practiced it during the pool dives and it was exercise we had to perform during the open water dives.

Yah...it's generally not taught as a response to the kinda foul-up that we're talkin' about here. It certainly wouldn't be the preferred way to quickly deal with this type of OOA emergency.

 

[StSomewhere]

In my PADI OW class we most certainly did have to remove/replace our BCs. Typical of most PADI classes, this was done at the bottom of the pool.

FWIW, the guy who drowned because he hotdropped with his tank turned off was in a Scuba mag "Lessons for Life" article.