How to route can light cord

[TSandM]

You know, I don't think how you run the light cord is a life or death matter. I think there are some advantages to having it on the left. I think wrapping it around your arm on either side is an inconvenience, because if you want to clip it off, you have to unwind it, but it's minor. It's also not a big deal to get a light cord lengthened or shortened, and if you're at all DIYish, you can do it yourself (I have learned how). I also KNOW that it is quite possible to put a light in a temporary hold and then put it back without any disco -- it's called light discipline, and it can be learned. And it should be learned, because if you dive with people who use their lights in a disciplined way, they're very sensitive to erratic light movement (because it can be a sign of diver stress or problems) and it makes them crazy.

I like my light in my left hand, and I run the cord over the long hose. I prefer NOT to make wing adjustments with the light on my hand, so I use a temporary hold, and I don't find it a big deal. I've never had anybody donate gas to me with the light on the right, so I can't comment on whether it blinds you or not, but that would be a good reason not to put the light there. The bottom line is that light cord routing is not a life and death issue, and you can read the arguments people have given for each of the ways of doing it, and decide what seems good to you.

 

[chokolad]

That's a typical GUE response - "take the course".

I was hoping you'd explain why it a right hand light would be problematic for a non DPV, non stage diver, but no luck on that. Failing that, I thought maybe you'd expound on the advantages for a stage diver, but no luck on that either, so we're back to "do it that way because I say so", and I've never found that argument very compelling.

I can give you the GUE answer as I understand it (I am not GUE instructor, yadda-yadda-yadda). The reason is that configuration and drills do not change starting from single tank rec diving all the way up to multi-stage DPV diving. Only new elements are added, but you do not change the basics. This means you will not have to retrain after actually going to stage diving and DPVs. "Beginning with End in Mind" and all that.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

And then with your light in your right hand get the longhose form under the cannister waving your light from here to there, creating a disco fever... All cool and well, but in cave that will not score points...or work... or be appreciated...

But if that is ok by TDISDI, it's fine by me... Something I will have to take into account next time I am about to enter a cave...

Disco fever. Love it. Typical GUE response of taking a condescending tone and painting any alternative view as downright silly by throwing out a ridiculous analogy.

In a real world OOA scenario, creating a "disco fever" isn't a bad side effect. Forget about the fact that a quick sweep down to clear the long hose from the canister won't create anything more than a swing or two of the light. But I'm not going to waste my breath. It's not DIR and therefore it's wrong without any discussion. I get it and I humbly bow to your superiority.

 

[jonnythan]

I'd have to try it out and see, but in a dark environment swinging your light from in front of you to vertical at your face to vertical at your buddy's face in an OOA would increase the confusion factor by quite a bit. Compare this with keeping the light in your left hand, where it stays completely stable during the donation.

 

[rongoodman]

I went to the web site but couldn't find a picture of the light. If you can, stretching a piece of bungee cord from one side of the Goodman handle, over the top of the light, and securing it to the other side will make a nice thumb loop, making it easy to hang it your right thumb if you need to switch. It's also a handy spot to stash the odd arrow or cookie. I'm in the left hand/over the top of the long hose camp.

 

[nimoh]

Disco fever. Love it. Typical GUE response of taking a condescending tone and painting any alternative view as downright silly by throwing out a ridiculous analogy.

In a real world OOA scenario, creating a "disco fever" isn't a bad side effect. Forget about the fact that a quick sweep down to clear the long hose from the canister won't create anything more than a swing or two of the light. But I'm not going to waste my breath. It's not DIR and therefore it's wrong without any discussion. I get it and I humbly bow to your superiority.

while I agree that "disco fever" is a little over dramatic, it seems to me keeping the light stable in the left hand is preferable, and also keeps it ready if needed.

 

[cascas]

Disco fever. Love it. Typical GUE response of taking a condescending tone and painting any alternative view as downright silly by throwing out a ridiculous analogy.

Ever been in a cave ?

 

[TSandM]

I agree -- by the time you are at the point of clearing the long hose from the canister, the whole team should be aware of the problem and nobody should be worrying about spurious light signals. And I think it's also very easy to get wound up about these small things, and also to get sucked into pretty dubious arguments to support one's position.

GUE has a setup they teach and use. It has a certain set of advantages. The discussion here has pointed out that there are also some disadvantages, as there are with almost all choices we make in diving. The choices GUE has made with their configuration are acknowledged sometimes to have been made because a standard needed to be set, and one choice out of a group of options had to be selected. It isn't always clear what the BEST choice is, and people of similar experience and background can differ. But GUE prizes standardization as a central principle, so they make a choice, and everybody who dives their way follows their choices.

When it comes to light cord over or under, I think you can make arguments for both, and it may depend in part on what diving environment you frequent. What you do in OW tech diving might be different from what would be best in caves, where you are constantly dropping and picking up bottles.

The bottom line is that I don't care where you put your light cord, so long as you know how to manage it, and so long as you don't shine your light in my eyes. So I guess I'm proof that not every DIR diver is a light cord Nazi

 

[Mikko Ilari Laakkonen]

Which one do you guys do more; share air or adjust BC and check SPG? My point being that in my opinion the right hand is better since it basicly has nothing to do in my non-DPV dives. Making it a perfect place for my can light.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

 

[chokolad]

Which one do you guys do more; share air or adjust BC and check SPG? My point being that in my opinion the right hand is better since it basicly has nothing to do in my non-DPV dives. Making it a perfect place for my can light.

And my point is, that when you add DPV you will not have to relearn how to use the light with left hand and you will have enough practice with transferring light from left to right hand in order to adjust buoyancy or unclip the spg.