Just an observation...

[Crush]

I usually get asked "are you a cave diver?" at which I laugh and say "maybe one day..."

When being paired with an insta-buddy on a boat we discuss:
1. OOA signals;
2. What is our turn pressure?
3. Signals for check air pressure;
4. Anyone can thumb the dive at any time for any reason, no repercussions;
5. Where insta-buddy's octo is and how to release it;
6. Where my octo is and it will not release. I will donate the reg from my mouth. Feel free to take it without asking if needs be, my octo is always near;
7. Where insta-buddy's quick-release BC buckles are;
8. I have no quick release buckles. If it looks like I need help and you can surface with me under control, please do so. If not I prefer to be bent and embolized on the surface to being drowned at depth so take my knife (located there) and start cutting me out - if I stop you, I don't need help. Please do NOT forget to get the bungied octo from around my neck.

 

[skankpile]

Funny I got there through a different method as I'm sorta anti-dir. I showed a video of my finning technique practice to my instructor, and he said:

1) put the octo where you need it, on your neck with 22-24 hose
2) get a long hose so you can do something with it and not dangle a ~30" catching current.

He's an old school caver and basically scalded me, so I switched and have been happy ever since.

 

[RTee]

I just give them my default one liner. "Don't have an opinion if you dont know what you are talking about."

...I had once a military co-worker who had all kinds of one liners. One of his was:

When I want your opinion, I will give it to you.

 

[txaggie08]

Must have been some kind of ranking NCO.

My fire department LT is a jarhead.....you never know what is going to come out of the boys mouth. Really great guy, but man sometimes we have to shove a reg in his mouth and throw him in....

8. I have no quick release buckles. If it looks like I need help and you can surface with me under control, please do so. If not I prefer to be bent and embolized on the surface to being drowned at depth so take my knife (located there) and start cutting me out - if I stop you, I don't need help. Please do NOT forget to get the bungied octo from around my neck.

I missed this discussion. I've recently begun convincing them BPW is a good system, but they are fighting tooth and nail on those buckles. We got in a pool the other day, and I showwed them how to drop of and ditch a hog harness.....there was no more discussion about it being bad after that, since I beat the other three out of and back into my gear, and was sitting watching them fight to get readjusted....

skank, I'm not really DIR, but I am very interested in the hogarthian system. I Don't object to the DIR thing, some VERY good divers, and I like the emphasis on quality skills, and good team cohesion, but I think it ignore some technology that , at least in the rec side is very useful. I only know what I've read on the tec side, I will leave that discussion to you fine gentleman and women for the time being....

 

[fisheater]

There are numerous BP/W, long-hosing recreational divers here in California, so no one bats an eye.

I spent two weeks in the Philippines last year and no one batted an eye. (In fact, MOST of the native dive staff were in BP/Ws.)

The only time anyone said anything in Hawaii, was when a diver asked the DM "why doesn't he have a BC?" The DM responded that "he DOES have a BC" and went on to explain it. Oh, and "under their breaths" the DMs all said that they wished that they could dive a BP/W, but the shops didn't sell them, so they couldn't dive them.

Some day. Some day.

 

[DevonDiver]

I spent two weeks in the Philippines last year and no one batted an eye. (In fact, MOST of the native dive staff were in BP/Ws.)

Very commonplace here.... it's refreshing!

 

[buddhasummer]

Not a "tech" diver at this point, but very quickly heading that way. Working on my own personal fitness and bouyancy issues, plan to be in doubles by the end of the summer. I'll put this here because the people who appreciate it will read it...

That being said, I'm working very hard on configuring gear, and have taken a definite shine to the hogarthian style configuration(or DIR, whatever you call it). I do dive with a computer, but all my diving is shallow, repetitive, recreational limits diving....the computer is a simpler option in these circumstances, for me. I carry a 7foot hose on a hog reg, with a standard halcyon ss BPW. I route said hose down and under either my pockets or knife, and run it across my chest and around, secondary on a necklace.


People are down right freaked the hell out by this. I did a ten dive trip to cozumel this last week, and I literally had people sliding up to my dive buddy(who took a session in the pool to even agree to dive with me....he learned quickly)asking them wth I was doing. I have been very surprised by just how scared people are to A. Put anything around there necks. B. Take there primary out of there mouths.

I'm also appalled at how many people don't clip off or control consoles and secondaries around delicate reef structure, and pay absolutely no attention to the fact there fins(not the type, just them in general) are rototilling the bottom, but that's another rant.

I did have quite a few people on the boat want to know about the BPW setup though, people get a little weirded out by a bare backplate, but apparently decided I was not crazy after the dm pulled his out as well

When travel diving in SEA, Indonesia and Thailand, I have always been the only one on the boat with a BP/W, comments have always been of a curious nature, never negative. I often get asked if I am a "technical diver" I explain that I am not but am happy to explain why I dive what I dive. This has often resulted in people asking for website addresses so they can look into it themselves.

 

[waterpirate]

We all start out as lemmings, and do what we are told. Yet some of us turn away from the cliff and go the other the way. Good thing or no lemmings would be av ailable for the next round of marching to the cliff in lock step.
Eric

 

[spectrum]

Get a double hose regulator, that will raise eybrows and prompt questions!

Is that a rebreather?
Is that thing safe?
Where did you find that?

 

[rlynch]

not in my neck of the woods - we have a few vintage divers (with updates for SPG's primarly).
I'm dealing with some short hose stuff for a class - but thank god i can dive my normal long hose setup for OW, and even my normal doubles and dry.