Light head on left hand

[Reinoud]

Quick question -

I have a new OMS Phamtom HID and wondering if anyone has any ideas to secure it on the belt behind a right hand zipper bag/pocket - I don't want to have to take the bag off every time to get the light off

You do not want to put it behind a pocket on the waist belt. The light cannister should be ditchable in case of an emergency.

 

[PerroneFord]

Why would putting it behind a pocket make it non-ditchable?

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

I believe the DIR solution would be to put your pockets on your thighs.

Correct.

There is a way to rig it with a quicklink that is not metal to metal and easily cutable.

I used quick-links for a couple of things in my pre-DIR days. In my experience, they corrode easily and become difficult to impossible to undo over time. I would not want to have to try and remove one in the water in an emergency. I know you could cut the line in a pinch, but that effectively renders the light unusable, since it can no longer be stowed. For some types of dives, a light is almost as critical to your safety as your life support equipment, and unhooking it permanently would create more problems than it solves.

 

[do it easy]

Correct.


I used quick-links for a couple of things in my pre-DIR days. In my experience, they corrode easily and become difficult to impossible to undo over time. I would not want to have to try and remove one in the water in an emergency. I know you could cut the line in a pinch, but that effectively renders the light unusable, since it can no longer be stowed. For some types of dives, a light is almost as critical to your safety as your life support equipment, and unhooking it permanently would create more problems than it solves.

Good point about the corrosion- I often forget about it because I dive in freshwater.
It there were an emergency and you had to ditch the light, you wouldn't be concerned about putting it back on- it's been ditched. Of course, that light is tiny and probably positively buoyant so you'd be better off ditching your wetnotes.

You can still remove and replace it to clear entanglements, etc. The problem the OP has is that his bag/pocket is in the way, so he would have to remove that before he removes the light. Which brings us back to thigh pockets.

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

The problem the OP has is that his bag/pocket is in the way, so he would have to remove that before he removes the light. Which brings us back to thigh pockets.

Actually, the OP was asking why the lighthead is worn on the left hand. The issue of mounting a light on the same side as a pocket was raised by someone else.

Personally, I have thigh pockets on everything (even my wetsuit), so it's not an issue for me. I'm not sure what the problem is with removing the pocket to get to the light, unless it's just an "annoyance factor" - if I had a small enough light (Helios 4.5 or similar) and a hip pocket, then the waist strap is exactly where I would mount them. The small cans can ride pretty high on the waist without interfering with the wing, which also allows the pocket to sit up and out of the way. Either one is easily removable in an emergency, and can be restowed once the emergency is past.

The other advantage to that system is that you can loop the long hose under the hip pocket much more easily, which allows it to be stowed behind the wing. I've never been a big fan of pulling the long hose in front of the wing (as you have to do with the shorter cans and no pocket), so that arrangement seems like a "win-win" to me.

 

[do it easy]

Actually, the OP was asking why the lighthead is worn on the left hand. The issue of mounting a light on the same side as a pocket was raised by someone else.

oops, my bad- I meant wegscuba. Yes, I think for wegscuba, the problem does sound like an "annoyance factor."

 

[smb1014]

Now that we are on the subject of removing the light canister, I have the active control ballast pockets from Halcyon. I do not prefer to wear a weight belt. Removing the light canister with the ACB seems a bit difficult in an emergency kind of situation. Any suggestions on a fast way to get the ACB’s off, or a better solution? The ACB’s attach to the harness with a tri-glide.

 

[wegscuba]

DIR Atlanta stated:

if I had a small enough light (Helios 4.5 or similar) and a hip pocket, then the waist strap is exactly where I would mount them. The small cans can ride pretty high on the waist without interfering with the wing, which also allows the pocket to sit up and out of the way. Either one is easily removable in an emergency, and can be restowed once the emergency is past.

The other advantage to that system is that you can loop the long hose under the hip pocket much more easily, which allows it to be stowed behind the wing. I've never been a big fan of pulling the long hose in front of the wing (as you have to do with the shorter cans and no pocket), so that arrangement seems like a "win-win" to me.

So with that said, DIR Atlanta - are you saying the lamp first toward the back plate and then the pocket??