How do YOU hold your 2nd stage?

[joe rock]

I didn't read it that way, but then I'm biased by experience.

As the thread progressed, I'd agree with your position. As for the majority of our fellow SBers who responded negatively, it's hard to not take the following as a triffle condesending:

...something I spend some time on as not one person was doing it correctly.

JR

 

[dive_goddess]

You guys are freekin hilarious. Nothing like taking something out of context...

And I quote:

As the thread progressed, I'd agree with your position. As for the majority of our fellow SBers who responded negatively, it's hard to not take the following as a triffle condesending:

...something I spend some time on as not one person was doing it correctly.
JR

What JH actually said was in context to the Scientific Divers he checks out for his job - THAT's ALL! Brother. Where'd people learn to read?

Since I am getting good at this quoting thing - here's the above quote in full context...

Okay - so I know it's a fairly limited question - but one that I feel is important nonetheless - and I have very rarely seen people do it correctly. When I conduct check-out dives for my job (and all Scientific Diver candidates are already certified divers), it's something I spend some time on as not one person was doing it correctly.

So rather than answering my own question, I'd like to see what other people have to say and why...

So you are telling me that he wasn't supposed to make sure that his Scientific Divers should all have the same skill sets and if not then he shouldn't work with them? Glad you aren't a Diving Safety Officer... Sorry - not you, Joe Rock, just the bulk of the monkeys on this thread)

Now I'm mad - and I don't even know why! Maybe cause the other relatives are here...

 

[Thalassamania]

As the thread progressed, I'd agree with your position. As for the majority of our fellow SBers who responded negatively, it's hard to not take the following as a triffle condesending ...

Having been a DSO, I have to tell you that what JohnnyH is saying is true, a trifle condescending or not. As written I'd not describe it as condescending, I'd describe it as amazed, a bit befuddled and a dash confused.

 

[JeffG]

You guys are freekin hilarious. Nothing like taking something out of context...

And I quote:


What JH actually said was in context to the Scientific Divers he checks out for his job - THAT's ALL! Brother. Where'd people learn to read?

Since I am getting good at this quoting thing - here's the above quote in full context...



So you are telling me that he wasn't supposed to make sure that his Scientific Divers should all have the same skill sets and if not then he shouldn't work with them? Glad you aren't a Diving Safety Officer... Sorry - not you, Joe Rock, just the bulk of the monkeys on this thread)

Now I'm mad - and I don't even know why! Maybe cause the other relatives are here...

Well, lets see.

I don't do it like he does.

If I went on a "check out" dive with him...I would be doing it wrong.

If he mentioned that fact to me, I would laugh in his face.

 

[TSandM]

I'm going to take a jump forward and actually look at what he's saying: 1) If you cover the purge valve when passing a regulator to another diver in need, you make it difficult for them to purge the reg when they get it. I think that's rather self-evident.

2) In order to avoid doing that, you have to school yourself not to cover the purge valve ANY time you are handling your second stage. This one I disagree with. When I put my own reg in my mouth, I have my palm over the purge valve in the rather natural motion I think most people adopt. HOWEVER -- When donating, I have hold of the hose next to the second stage. I've schooled that motion until it is instinctive. Even if I'm handing off my regulator to someone else in a totally non-emergent situation (eg. we've decided to share air for a while to equalize supplies) I hand it off the exact same way.

The two motions (putting a regulator INTO my mouth, and handing off a regulator to someone else) are very different, and I don't think there's any problem with learning different techniques to do the two things.

As anybody who knows me knows, I'm in favor of standardized procedures and protocols. But I also think you have to be careful not to overdo the process, and make people spend time training procedures that don't make any significant difference.

 

[JeffG]

2) In order to avoid doing that, you have to school yourself not to cover the purge valve ANY time you are handling your second stage. This one I disagree with. When I put my own reg in my mouth, I have my palm over the purge valve in the rather natural motion I think most people adopt.

I do it not because its natural, but because I might need to purge all the water out of the reg or to protect the reg from freeflowing.

I agree that donating a reg, vs just sticking one in your mouth is two different things, but others don't seem to see it that way. LOL

 

[JohnnyH]

As anybody who knows me knows, I'm in favor of standardized procedures and protocols. But I also think you have to be careful not to overdo the process, and make people spend time training procedures that don't make any significant difference.

TSandM - that was a fair response, and I agree that it's important to not get lost in the details.

This thread's been somewhat bewildering. It is interesting how things can gain momentum all on their own!

Just for clarity - this was just a little point I notice on staff/vols who I'm tasked with ensuring they are adequately trained and experienced to become Scientific Divers for the aquarium. The safety of both these divers and the expedition teams they eventually belong to is my responsibility. When I see them covering the purge while buddy breathing, I only suggest to them that they think about these little details and I explain my reasonings. From my own personal experience and from discussions with others, I have come to the conclusion that whenever possible it is best to establish best-practices and stick with them.

If you don't agree with that - that's fair - you are definitely entitled to your own opinions, and I always learn from hearing them.

Now I've got to go clean the isolation valve on my snorkle...

John

 

[TSandM]

That you are talking about this in the context of buddy-breathing makes your point easier to understand. I think a lot of us have never even done buddy breathing (I haven't) because it isn't taught in a lot of OW classes any more.

 

[JeffG]

That you are talking about this in the context of buddy-breathing makes your point easier to understand. I think a lot of us have never even done buddy breathing (I haven't) because it isn't taught in a lot of OW classes any more.

Well, thats the first time buddy breathing has been mentioned and buddy breathing has gone the way of the dodo bird. So why is he getting them to do it then?

 

[JohnnyH]

Well, that's the first time buddy breathing has been mentioned and buddy breathing has gone the way of the dodo bird. So why is he getting them to do it then?

It's actually not the first time buddy-breathing has been mentioned on this thread - but regardless of that I do think it too bad it's "gone the way of the dodo bird".

Small example.

Last year, while doing a check-out dive in our 200,000 gal Giant Ocean Tank with a new co-op (a marine bio college student that spends 6 months working at the aquarium) we had completed the check-out portion of the dive and were just touring around.

I looked back at her and saw something floating by her head - it was her reg sans mouthpiece, which she was showing me in her hand. I reached down and put her octo in her mouth and she signaled "OK". At this point I finished the dive and we were about to head to the platform when I look over at her again and she is handing me something. I had to do a double-take as it was her mouthpiece (again), with her octo floating up by her head. Granted we were only 23 feet deep, but she was in a new environment with a bunch of sharks and eels and 700 other critters and no reg - so I commence buddy breathing with her as we began a controlled ascent surface.

She was spot on, no panic, and has since become one of our best co-ops. She had also never been taught buddy-breathing, so she and I had gone over the procedure before the dive and again (of course) in the tank.

Guess how I handed her my reg? She had no air left in her lungs as she had just exhaled when her (2nd) mouthpiece popped off and needed to hit that purge button asap (and yes, there is also the "swish" purge method, but she didn't know it).

John