DIR- GUE Importance of doffing/donning bp&w in water?

[PfcAJ]

Yesterday I tried doffing and then donning my backplate & wing while on the surface of the water. I failed. Hoses and shoulder straps were all tangled up. I found it very difficult to get my right shoulder through its strap. I always start with the left shoulder and immediately connect my drysuit inflator hose, and I mostly got that to work. I tried a few times with the right shoulder, always struggling. Once I succeeded in getting the shoulder straps on, but somehow I trapped my long hose between my back and the backplate. It was all a mess. I got to shore and started from scratch on my table again.

I have no trouble doing this with a traditional jacket BC and short hoses though.

I suspect my shoulder straps are too tight. Also with a primary light, backup light, and primary 2nd stage hanging off the right D-ring, the shoulder strap was just weighed down. I also learned my 40 pound wing is too small for my double 85s, steel backplate, and 14 pounds of lead. Luckily I did this in chest-deep water so I wouldn't lose my rig if dropped.

How important is this skill with a bp&w? I suspect very important. I'm not cave diving anytime soon, but I understand that gear often needs to be removed to get through restrictions.

I'm in the GUE world, if that matters.

All tips welcomed...

Oh and DO NOT remove your gear to get through a restriction. If you got through and now you think you need to remove it to get out, you’re wrong.

If you think you need to remove it to get through on the way in, you’re in the wrong gear config.

Do. Not. Remove. Backmount. Doubles.

Or backmount anything. Don’t.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Doffing to hand up to a crew member on a boat, sure. But donning in the water--I can't think of a scenario for that.

 

[PfcAJ]

Doffing to hand up to a crew member on a boat, sure. But donning in the water--I can't think of a scenario for that.

Like underwater? Yeah there’s about zero reason to do that.

On the surface? Yes.

 

[Lorenzoid]

On the surface? Yes.

Can you give an example or two? I'm having difficulty coming up with any scenario where you would enter the water without your rig on. I suppose I have heard of Mexican cenotes where it's common to lower one's gear into the water by rope, climb down, and don it on the surface (though that sounds like a good argument for sidemount). Others? Whatever it might be, it can't be all that common.

 

[Shabaday]

I have a bad back. If we are doing a shore dive I have a beach buggy and I don in the water but like someone else said I do it while I can stand. I doff in the water when diving off our own boat. I can do boat dives since I don't have to walk far. Depending on the type of ladder depends on if I doff my BP/W first. I know its not DIR but I use quick release shoulder buckles and stiff webbing

 

[Raphus]

No chance. If i had to, i need to cut it.
In water there is no reason.

On the surface maybe. Bzt if its not possible to get on the boat with my doubles i just wont dive.

 

[PfcAJ]

Can you give an example or two? I'm having difficulty coming up with any scenario where you would enter the water without your rig on. I suppose I have heard of Mexican cenotes where it's common to lower one's gear into the water by rope, climb down, and don it on the surface (though that sounds like a good argument for sidemount). Others? Whatever it might be, it can't be all that common.

Well, on one particularly cool dive in Fl the best approach is to drag your gear up the spring run till you get to the spring. It’s WAY too soft to walk in with it on your back.

Diving off a RIB and needing to take off the gear is another.

A friend of mine got his leg SUPER stuck in some roots and we had to shimmy him out of the gear. Woulda been hard if the harness was too tight.

And of course any sort of injury could put you in a position to take it off. I took a tumble once and darn near fell into the sinkhole. Cutting out is an option, but I mean I’d rather not have my stuff shredded if I can avoid it.

 

[inquis]

But donning in the water--I can't think of a scenario for that.

After doffing to clear an entanglement.
I've also done it to get in the water ASAP after arriving at a dive site because I was seasick (small zodiac, severe ocean chop with reflections from multiple directions).

 

[johndiver999]

People can't think of a reason to put your scuba gear on underwater? Seriously? What if you have a leak and want to see what it looks like? What if you get tangled and need to remove the unit to get untangled? Do you then just carry the tank(s) in your hands to the surface?

I have no good experience doing it with a dry suit and dealing with the inflator, but if I were diving that rig, I would figure it out. I am absolutely amazed at some of the opinions expressed above. People perseverate over perfecting their trim, being able to swim backwards, propelling themselves slowly like a primitive amphibian, but feel that being able to put their tank back on underwater is such an unimaginably rare event that it should be ignored?

 

[Raphus]

It is just not possible with a drysuit and doubles.

There is usually no weigth on the diver, because the doubles are heavy enough.
If you remove them you are extremely positive because of the drysuit. And the doubles extremely negative. If you put more air in the wing to make the doubles less negative you shoot up.

With mono and weigth belt, yes its possible.
The whole DIR/gue system is well constructed. If they dont see a rig removement as a necessary skill, then there is probably the reason for it.