Incorporating SMB deployment in OW S-drill / Valve-drill

[WhiteSands]

Currently SMB deployment is not incorporated into the S-drill / Valve drills. However in OW dives, if an OOA situation occurs, or a valve failure occurs, after sharing air, someone needs to shoot the SMB.

I'd like to get input as to which is the more logical way to do this.

S-drill
1. Diver A signals OOA. Diver B donates long hose, checks gas remaining.
2. Diver A shoots SMB, Diver B is deco captain (Pros: Task sharing. Cons: Getting OOA diver to perform task)
OR
2. Diver B shoots SMB, and is also deco captain (Pros: OOA diver just relax. Cons: Diver B task loaded, in practice Diver A not practicing anything)

Valve-drill (Single tank)
1. Diver A signals OOA, Diver B donates long hose, checks gas remaining
2. Diver A shuts down simulated free-flowing valve
3. Diver B shoots SMB, acts as deco captain (Pros: Diver A can relax after valve drill. Cons: Diver B task loaded)
OR
3. Diver A shoots SMB, Diver B acts as deco captain (Pros: task sharing, Cons: Diver A has to shoot SMB after just completing valve shutdown drill)

I would think it's better for both for diver A to shoot the SMB, because diver B needs to keep a very close eye on remaining gas.

What are your thoughts?

 

[dbulmer]

My own thoughts is that is a question of priority.

Providing the OOA diver with gas is the first and foremost priority.

Since the purpose of the DSMB is to tell the skipper where you are, I'd rather do that on the surface where possible. (in most locations that is a very viable option but there may be places where it isn't)

Choice of DSMB can also play a role - an oral inflate blob no problem but if you are using a different type of blob it gets more complicated.

In skills practice I prefer to practice OOA/Valve drills separately - I dedicate time to DSMB practice but I never mix the 2 on a training dive.

 

[LiteHedded]

i wanna say I had to shoot a bag while donating gas in my fundies class. is that not a thing they do anymore?

 

[WhiteSands]

My own thoughts is that is a question of priority.

Providing the OOA diver with gas is the first and foremost priority.

Since the purpose of the DSMB is to tell the skipper where you are, I'd rather do that on the surface where possible. (in most locations that is a very viable option but there may be places where it isn't)

Choice of DSMB can also play a role - an oral inflate blob no problem but if you are using a different type of blob it gets more complicated.

In skills practice I prefer to practice OOA/Valve drills separately - I dedicate time to DSMB practice but I never mix the 2 on a training dive.

unfortunately shooting the SMB on the surface is not safe for where I usually dive. Accidents happened before & because of the heavy boat traffic shooting the SMB is very much a necessity. I carry a 2m oral inflate SMB if that matters. Thanks.

---------- Post added October 29th, 2013 at 09:33 PM ----------

i wanna say I had to shoot a bag while donating gas in my fundies class. is that not a thing they do anymore?

May I ask what was the sequence you were taught?

 

[nimoh]

I think shooting an smb after a valve drill would be the same as shooting it without the valve drill, for those doing oral inflation, but either way, why would the disadvantaged diver shoot the smb?

As for the s-drill, I think it is a good skill to have if nothing more than to increase task loading

 

[LiteHedded]

unfortunately shooting the SMB on the surface is not safe for where I usually dive. Accidents happened before & because of the heavy boat traffic shooting the SMB is very much a necessity. I carry a 2m oral inflate SMB if that matters. Thanks.

---------- Post added October 29th, 2013 at 09:33 PM ----------



May I ask what was the sequence you were taught?

I dont remember. I think whoever donated shot the bag after the other guy was on the long hose

 

[Cyprian]

i wanna say I had to shoot a bag while donating gas in my fundies class. is that not a thing they do anymore?

It is still done.

We were thrown an OOG in the middle of an ascent drill, after we shot the SMB, but I am sure there are multiple scenarios that instructors use. It was fun! The OOG came somewhere in the midst of an ascent to the next stop.

I think, and T1 divers.....please correct me if I am wrong, that this skill is practiced more than once during a T1 class.

 

[ucfdiver]

We did this in my Fundies class as well.

 

[PfcAJ]

I think getting a bag up quickly is pretty important, especially if you're in an area with a lot of boat traffic or a current. Or both!

In my mind the SMB needs to be shot by the donating diver. The receiving diver needs to focus on keeping that reg in his mouth and can be the 'anchor' for the donating diver's buoyancy.

 

[TSandM]

I was generally taught that you do not want to load the out of gas diver with anything beyond breathing and managing his own ascent. This is where diving in a team of three is really handy, because one can shoot the bag and the other can call deco; but if you have only two divers, the guy who DIDN'T run out of gas should certainly be capable of managing a bag and watching his depth and time.

I don't understand your sequence for the valve drill. We do not share gas during valve drills. If the diver is shutting down a freeflowing post, he should be able to do that quickly enough not to run out of gas; if he runs out of gas, you are now in scenario 1 again. If a diver has had to close a post for a non-fixable failure, the dive is aborted. However, he should now be capable of managing other tasks on ascent, such as shooting a bag or calling deco.

Shooting a bag is never an emergency procedure, in the sense that it has to be done RIGHT NOW. Solve the issues with gas first, because those are true emergencies, then put the team in order and start working on the tasks of your ascent.

Bag shooting was taught in Fundies, and in my Rec 2 and Rec 3 classes, we were definitely given problems where we had to solve a gas issue and then have someone shoot a bag. I've also had mischievous buddies set fun problems like signaling out of gas, making me donate, then having me shoot a bag, and look over and see my buddy now is missing his mask. Fun times!