It's Quiet in Here Again

[Surelyshirly]

It is awful quiet in here again

 

[uwslate]

OMG Scubaboard is FINALLY back!....

 

[DiverBizz]

What type of posts are we to place in this section? I love diving and would like to take a dive trip but I am wondering how it would be if I go alone without a dive buddy. I hear some wonderful stories about women traveling alone but then there is always that one story that stands out about the bad trip.

 

[almitywife]

a women travelling alone could work for you.... if on a liveaboard you might end up with your own room

and welcome

 

[Surelyshirly]

I am going to 1000 Islands Canada next month, not alone but apparently the only woman. Aside from getting my own room, should be like anyother dive boat. By end of trip you know everyone.

 

[Surelyshirly]

What type of posts are we to place in this section? .

I would say whatever is on your mind.....the thread will take on the topic of the week as it goes along.

I am seriously considering going doubles....something I swore I would never do.... so dont tell a certain dive buddy.

HP80's seem to be where I am leaning but are there any LP sizes that are manageable? Read weakling friendly here.

I do a lot of boat diving in cold water so weight is really an issue and I REALLY REALLY want to be able to get on the boat on my own. Kind of a stubborn thing.

And a second question.... is it hard to switch from diving singles to diving doubles? Are we talking hours of pool work or some mentoring and some shallow diving to work on things?

 

[TSandM]

I absolutely LOVE my LP85s. The HP 80's can be problematic, because they're really short tanks, so they tend to put you head-heavy (which is an inherent problem with doubles anyway). The LP 85s are longer, and the first time I put them on, I sighed with pleasure at how easily I could balance them.

They're the most tank I can move around doubled up, as far as picking them up and putting them in the car and such-like. I think you'll be surprised, actually, at how easy doubles are to wear and walk around in, although your butt muscles get tired if you have to climb hills in them.

The biggest issues in transitioning to doubles, I think, are these two: One is trimming out the rig so you aren't an obligatory head-first lawn dart. I started with a set of LP72s (which are decent starter doubles, too) and I had to fiddle for a long time with gear to try to balance them correctly. I switched from a SS to an Al backplate and put the extra 5 lbs on my belt, and even went so far as to put 2 one pound weights in my drysuit undergarment pocket, which got me close to balanced. The LP85s, on the other hand, with the Al backplate and 16 lbs on a belt, balance perfectly.

The other challenge is to develop proficiency with valve shutdowns. There is no point in diving doubles if you can't manage your manifold. Then you've just added a whole bunch of o-rings (failure points) without getting anything in return except carrying a bunch of weight and gas you might lose. Learning to do facile, smooth valve shutdowns without losing buoyancy and trim takes time, and sometimes gear changes. People often find that their dry suit or undergarment is too restrictive to permit reaching the valves, which is an expensive insight. Others need to do stretches to achieve the shoulder mobility to get back there. And most people take time and practice.

I have actually gotten to the point where I way prefer diving my doubles. They're more stable in the water, and give me tons of feedback on my position. It's easier to control buoyancy because they have so much inertia. (Which means they're reluctant to leave where you are, but once they get going, they're equally hard to stop!) I like putting them on the boat and not having to swap out tanks on a 2 dive day. And the knowledge of the extra gas is nice on deeper dives.

Girldiverllc and I are going to put on a "girl's doubles day" in August, and try to encourage a bunch of women to show up and give it a try.

 

[Surelyshirly]

With the double LP85s you are using 16lbs on a belt? I was under the impression that I would be heavy with them.

Right now when I dive an LP85, with my drysuit and 4th element, I use 21lbs and will probably try to drop another 2-3 this week

 

[TSandM]

Well, you have to remember that, although doubles are HEAVY (land weight) they're still only twice as NEGATIVE. My 85s are something like -1 empty, so that's going from -1 to -2. Add maybe five pounds for the additional valve and the manifold, and that's only 6 lbs dropped. I use 21 pounds of lead and a SS backplate with my 95 singles, so that's 27 pounds altogether. Going from there to 16 with an Al backplate is actually more weight than I theoretically should have dropped with the doubles.

 

[shoredivr]

I just build a cabinet in my garage to store my new double 100 steels. I put the shelf right at butt level so that I just put on the harness, walk over to the back of my Toyota 4Runner divemobile, turn around, sit down on the 'tailgate'...no lifting from ground level.

Now I just have to figure out how to do the same at the dive shop...

If I was on the left coast, I'd consider joining you in August.