hitting head when using BP/W

[jonnythan]

1) I can get a breath and a half on my singles reg when the valve is off.

2) I can't believe people are actually making the argument NOT to be able to manipulate your gear with it on and to be LESS prepared for emergency situations, especially one as dumb as this,

 

[halocline]

Hey Jonnythan; I'm with you on the valve accessibility issue. I even spelled your name right, and that was after you called my idea "ugly"..that hurts!

As far as the hoses and exposure goes, it's just not true to the extent you're making it out to be. As far as the hoses being a little "shorter", that's an advantage as most standard recreational hoses are designed with the typical BC in mind, (I.E. further away from my back than my BP holds the cylinder) and for me are a little too long, which, BTW, makes them less streamlined because they tend to bulge a little more. With the reg barrel a couple of inches back, it really does improve the routing on my set up. Honest....

 

[CWMurf]

I agree with many of the posts on this topic so far. We need to be able to reach our valves. We need to be able to don and dof, both on the bottom and mid column. We need to drill skills regularly to make sure we can react without hesitation should a problem arise. My budies and I go to the quarry periodically just to drill. We have done freeflow drills and out of air drills and valve drills, blackout drills, etc. Perhaps next time I will have my buddy wait for me on the 20' platform. I will do a hot drop with the valve off. If I can't turn it on or drop my rig or swim it up I will have him there waiting with air.

I would certainly never suggest anyone else intentionally hot drop with no air but I would certainly urge you to do regular drills to ensure your safety regardless of what situation arises. I learned QUITE ALLOT on my first freeflow drill and I sure am glad that I learned it at 20' rather than 60' or 100'. Wouldn't it be better to find out under controlled circumstances that it really would be more efficient to be able to reach your valve?

I can just imagine dropping into 100' of water only to find that as I exhale and try to refill my lungs I am met with breathing resistance. As the darkness approaches more rapidly with every second as my descent rate increases I begin undoing buckles and rip off my rig so that I can turn it around to reach my valve. With the pain in my ears and the need for air increasing, along with my anxiety and near panic (boy do I wish I'd prepared myself to handle a situation like this!), I get the rig off but as I flip it around to get at the valve, in my haste I rip the reg out of my mouth and loose my grip on the rig. Now I no longer have the weight bulleting me toward the darkness and my decent rate decreases slowly. Now, with my remaining O2 I try to bolt for the surface but to no avail. As I approach the 20' mark the urge to breathe is overwhelming and I have released all the air in my lungs on my esa. As the H2O hits my lungs I begin to convulse and everything goes black.

NO THANKS!!

Think I'll just be sure I can reach my valve. My life may never depend on it but I'd rather not gamble on it.

 

[Mel.B]

Wow, this topic exploded while I wasn't watching!

Getting back to the topic at hand, Nemrod made the following suggestion...

Another possibility, your shoulder straps are adjusted incorrectly. Lengthen the shoulder straps so as to drop the BP down into the small of your back. This is probably why it is sitting to high for you. N

This actually seems quite valid to me as I bought my BP/W 2nd hand and simply adjusted the shoulder straps to be a bit looser. It seems to fit well in the water and I don't think I'd want to make the straps longer as I think with the compression of my 7mm suit it would move around too much. Some more info on the correct fitting of should straps would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mel

 

[Nemrod]

""Are you sure?

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

NAUI 1966. THe evil PadI does not merit much respect from me and we did do doff and don and we did not have a BC to take off.


""1) I can get a breath and a half on my singles reg when the valve is off.

2) I can't believe people are actually making the argument NOT to be able to manipulate your gear with it on and to be LESS prepared for emergency situations, especially one as dumb as this,""

Well you may not believe it --lol--but I have reviewed this threa and see no single valid reason why an open water single tank diver would need to reach hi/her valve---what emergency situation--? I certainly don't need a valve on to be able to surface after falling from a boat or dock or whatever and popping my mask up on my head SeaHunt style and taking a breath---geeeezzzzzzz.

Mel, there is a limit to making the shoulder loops long, at some point they will not hold the tank securely and or they will tend to slip from your shoulders, this can be allieveted somewhat by a chest strap. BUT still, you can raise and lower your tank several inches by adjusting the straps while still maintaining a good and secure fit---just don't over do it. N
__________________

 

[lamont]

A good buddy check routine should eliminate problems like that.

How does a buddy help in that situation? It was a helpful person on the boat that turned my air off for me...

 

[lamont]

The rule was: Before getting in the water press both purge buttons to ensure the valve is open, put air in your bladder so you have some flotation and then the reg in your mouth and breath from it.

If someone does that how could you possible jump in with a closed valve?

BTDT, regs breathed fine at the surface, quit at 60 fsw.

If you want to catch this one:

a. check your own valve(s) before descending
b. check your SPG needle when you breathe hard on a reg
c. be able to reach your valves

 

[lamont]

"Helpful" DM turns your air off, and 1/4 turn back. Breathing a 7' hose it takes several breaths to empty the hose, and 1/4 turn on it can "refill" just fast enough to survive a couple of pre-dive checks but not give you nearly enough air once you get in the water, particularly if you're doing a hot drop with an empty BC.

1/4 turn on can give you enough IP so that at the surface you can breathe and inflate your wing all day long without issue and it can basically quit on you on descent.

 

[*Floater*]

How does a buddy help in that situation? It was a helpful person on the boat that turned my air off for me...

The buddy check I was taught includes turning your back towards your buddy once your rig is on so that s/he can open the valve all the way up, and then close it a quarter turn. If your buddy did the opposite, then hopefully you would still pick it up during the rest of the test when s/he inflates your BC, and when you breath out of your second stage before the dive.

But I agree these problems can sneak through and it would be best to be able to reach the valve. I was just asking about it because I had never heard out this stuff before and I was trying to judge whether the additional benefits from it would outweigh the headaches/inconvenience of a reg that's high up. Hopefully I won't have that problem though (I just ordered my single rig so I don't know yet).

 

[StSomewhere]

1/4 turn on can give you enough IP so that at the surface you can breathe and inflate your wing all day long without issue and it can basically quit on you on descent.

EXACTLY!

Its beyond me why someone wouldn't want to be able to reach their own valve, considering that you probably only have one for singletank diving, and that the DM wasn't born that doesn't feel the need to monkey with it right before you splash in.