Call me crazy (you won't be the first...or the last) but with all this talk of others checking and touching valves, why don't people just reach back and check their own valves before they submerge and any time they feel necessary during the dive? Personally, I think the bigger issue here is if you can't reach your own valves to turn them if needed.
I Want My Valves All The Way
- Thread starter DandyDon
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
- Messages
- 54,281
- Reaction score
- 8,411
- # of dives
- 500 - 999
Ok.
As a poster pointed out yesterday, PADI finally changed, too. As far as what DIR does, that's up to them.
And if you get none, you feel secure - even tho a partially open valve might give you enough to not show on that test? Ok, I'll stick to my plan.
Some of us can't.
HenrikBP
Contributor
I believe that if inflating the wing, and 2 breaths off primary and back-up doesn't make the needle move, then I shouldn't run into issues at recreational depths either. Granted, I don't have the knowledge of skills to actually calculate if I'm foolish to believe that.
Looking at that from the opposite direction; if the valve was fully closed and then opened 1/4, what are the chances that the needle wouldn't move? My guess would be slim to none.
I can't reach my valve either, but have of course checked and double checked before donning the rig. I agree though - tough call on the helpful person that want's to give you just one more check before you leap.
I think one major contributing factor is when people have difficulty remembering on-off directions of a valve. I think that if we all knew and remembered at all times, then the "open fully and dial 1/4 turn back" would in itself not be a problem. But I guess that's self evident
Henrik
Looking at that from the opposite direction; if the valve was fully closed and then opened 1/4, what are the chances that the needle wouldn't move? My guess would be slim to none.
I can't reach my valve either, but have of course checked and double checked before donning the rig. I agree though - tough call on the helpful person that want's to give you just one more check before you leap.
I think one major contributing factor is when people have difficulty remembering on-off directions of a valve. I think that if we all knew and remembered at all times, then the "open fully and dial 1/4 turn back" would in itself not be a problem. But I guess that's self evident
Henrik
Last edited:
OP
- Messages
- 54,281
- Reaction score
- 8,411
- # of dives
- 500 - 999
Ok Henrik,
If you needle moves, you have a problem;
If it doesn't, you may are may not be okay;
It may have been closed then opened 1/3 or 1/2 turn and your test may not work;
And this is a nice idea: "if we all knew and remembered at all times, then the "open fully and dial 1/4 turn back" would in itself not be a problem," but fails.
See: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/244949-2-flies-ceiling-panic.html
Frequently others in Accidents forum.
If you needle moves, you have a problem;
If it doesn't, you may are may not be okay;
It may have been closed then opened 1/3 or 1/2 turn and your test may not work;
And this is a nice idea: "if we all knew and remembered at all times, then the "open fully and dial 1/4 turn back" would in itself not be a problem," but fails.
See: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/244949-2-flies-ceiling-panic.html
Frequently others in Accidents forum.
HenrikBP
Contributor
Don;
I agree with you that this is something to discuss and take a closer look at - I'm not dismissing the issue, just offering up one more check. I did read the recent thread and several other accounts. I almost stepped off the boat with the air off myself when I was first certified. A good DM caught and corrected my mistake before I jumped in.
Granted, if fully open (or closed as the case may be
) became the norm, some near-misses might be avoided. But as this thread has turned up - that too apparently has it's issues. As with anything I think it has to do with 1) willingness to put in the time to learn an established set of preparation steps - including unerring sense of turning direction . 2) practising and sticking to those steps ... and yes, I realize that that too will fail.
Practice, practice, practice ...
Henrik
I agree with you that this is something to discuss and take a closer look at - I'm not dismissing the issue, just offering up one more check. I did read the recent thread and several other accounts. I almost stepped off the boat with the air off myself when I was first certified. A good DM caught and corrected my mistake before I jumped in.
Granted, if fully open (or closed as the case may be
) became the norm, some near-misses might be avoided. But as this thread has turned up - that too apparently has it's issues. As with anything I think it has to do with 1) willingness to put in the time to learn an established set of preparation steps - including unerring sense of turning direction . 2) practising and sticking to those steps ... and yes, I realize that that too will fail.Practice, practice, practice ...
Henrik
ucfdiver
Contributor
I dive with mine fully open, so that if an emergency comes up that causes me to panic, I don't have to guess which way they're shut down, or question myself when they go both ways. I don't really see either way being an issue if divers would ensure they can always reach their own valves and practice doing so...
Video of how it *should* work-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A73rYfEUxRs
Video of how it *should* work-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A73rYfEUxRs
Similar threads
