new diver, newer gear

[okcalla]

So I certified a little over a year ago and never had the chance to dive again until recently when I went to the Georgia aquarium. While in georgia I stumbled across a dive shop with excellent prices. Needless to say gear was purchased. Up to this point I had not purchased gear because I think my local shop is a little too pricey and had me priced out of the gear I really wanted. So finding the right gear at these prices was almost a no brainer. However for my dive shop I will say time in the dive pool is priced very well and the people are great to work with. However this is where my tale begins.

The first stage, hoses, regulators and dive console all came pre-configured from the dive shop I purchased them at. Epic cold water first stage, HOG regulators and a sea elite slimline 2 console. The BC is a Dive Rite Transpac XT with the voyager XT wing. I took my gear to the local dive shop pool to test and make sure I was comfortable and that every works as it should. A diver in a S&R class helped me to figure out my cam bands and get me all straightened out on the finer points of assembling my gear. I believe he may even be member here so a special thanks to him.

Once in the pool I felt off balance like I wanted to roll over with any movement and eventually figured out I had my weight placed too far forward. So I went to the shallow end removed the harness made the adjustments and went back for more testing. no rolling this time.

Now I deflated the bc a little and descended to the deeper water. Deeper being 10' give or take according to my console. Here I began exchanging my regs back and forth. Small hitch here. My primary reg seems to enjoy a good free flow until I place my hand over the mouth piece it will then stop and stay stopped until I return to using it and switch it out again. The reg I am using as my octo has no such issues. Keep in mind BOTH regs are the same HOG regulators. The Free flowing starts the instant I begin to loosen my lips from around the mouth piece leaving me no time to turn the reg down. If I re-close my lips around the mouth piece the attempted free flow stops. I would assume the first stage isn't my culprit as the octo isn't free flowing. Do I just need to tune the reg somehow? I also tried turning both adjustments to both extremes and everywhere in between to no avail. As this issue seemed not to endanger my dive in any way I continued working with my gear in other ways.

I inflated the BC a little to try and work on buoyancy. Vertical buoyancy is good both head up and head down. However this seems not to translate to horizontal buoyancy. Once I move to a horizontal position I hold for a second then begin a speedy ascent. Am I under weight? bad technique? Or is something else at play here?

So the dive was friday and by saturday the bc appeared to be dry I waited one more day to be sure before bringing the BC in from hanging in the garage. For giggles I pulled the dump valve and water poured out from the valve. I re-inflated the wing manually waited 20 to 30 minutes pulled the dump and more water. I currently have it still hanging and am repeating the process until it stops. Is this normal? Is the water somehow in my wings bladder or is it simply trapped between the bladder and the outer material?

I think there will be a couple more pool dives before taking this out to an actual dive site but any help is appreciated.

 

[Diver0001]

Now I deflated the bc a little and descended to the deeper water. Deeper being 10' give or take according to my console. Here I began exchanging my regs back and forth. Small hitch here. My primary reg seems to enjoy a good free flow until I place my hand over the mouth piece it will then stop and stay stopped until I return to using it and switch it out again. The reg I am using as my octo has no such issues. Keep in mind BOTH regs are the same HOG regulators. The Free flowing starts the instant I begin to loosen my lips from around the mouth piece leaving me no time to turn the reg down. If I re-close my lips around the mouth piece the attempted free flow stops. I would assume the first stage isn't my culprit as the octo isn't free flowing. Do I just need to tune the reg somehow? I also tried turning both adjustments to both extremes and everywhere in between to no avail. As this issue seemed not to endanger my dive in any way I continued working with my gear in other ways.

This is completely normal and expected for a high-performance regulator.

When you take it out of your mouth just point the mouthpiece down (deeper) and your problems will be over.

There is also a venturi adjustment and possibly a cracking adjustment on your regulators that you can set to a less sensitive setting if you want. And as a last resort you can have them de-tuned but I personally wouldn't go that far unless you find them freeflowing (even a bit) while it's actually in your mouth.

I inflated the BC a little to try and work on buoyancy. Vertical buoyancy is good both head up and head down. However this seems not to translate to horizontal buoyancy. Once I move to a horizontal position I hold for a second then begin a speedy ascent. Am I under weight? bad technique? Or is something else at play here?

It's really hard to diagnose these things without seeing you in the water. As a general rule start by being absolutely sure you have enough weight. Not too much and not too little. After that you should probably get one of the other divers you go to the pool with to watch you and give you some feedback on where they think it might be necessary to put a trim-weight. Also, pay close attention to your breathing when this is happening. I always tell people that when you think "down" you should automatically exhale and likewise, when you think "up" you should automatically inhale. Getting this rhythm dialed in can take some practice.

So the dive was friday and by saturday the bc appeared to be dry I waited one more day to be sure before bringing the BC in from hanging in the garage. For giggles I pulled the dump valve and water poured out from the valve. I re-inflated the wing manually waited 20 to 30 minutes pulled the dump and more water. I currently have it still hanging and am repeating the process until it stops. Is this normal? Is the water somehow in my wings bladder or is it simply trapped between the bladder and the outer material?

Yes, this is normal. It gets inside the BCD when you press the "vent" button on the inflator when there is no (little) air in the bcd. After every dive, you should hang the BCD upside down and drain the water before storing it.

Good luck.

R..

 

[broadreach]

A regulator second stage may free flow if it is held in an angle where the mouth piece is facing up. Could it be that you were holding it that way? Alternatively, regulator second stage can be adjusted to increase/decrease their sensitivity - if this happens too much you should have it adjusted.

Water in a BC bladder normally takes a while to drain. It got in there when you deflated the BC underwater and then gets spread around in small droplets. When you hang it upside down to dry the water pools at the lowest point and then you can drain it. It is usually necessary to repeat the process several times before it is dry.

 

[Bob DBF]

It's a lot of gear to get used to at once, talk to the shop about the reg and they will probably check and re-tune it, if you didn't miss something along the way since it is user adjustable.

Water will get into a BC, but it sounds like a bit much for me, but the more you vent the more you will see. Drain it out, flushing helps keep the inside of the bladder clean. Work on your weighting, buoyancy, and trim so you will reduce the cycling.

It all takes time, don't worry just work on the basics.




Bob
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I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[okcalla]

Thanks for the replys. looking back i think i was under weight by 3-4 lbs if I am to use the 7% figure. I'll see what happens if I try to point the regulator immediatly down on the next dive.

 

[Colliam7]

While in georgia I stumbled across a dive shop with excellent prices. Needless to say gear was purchased. . . .

Congratulations on your first scuba gear purchase. That is always an exciting moment for a diver.

The first stage, hoses, regulators and dive console all came pre-configured from the dive shop I purchased them at. Epic cold water first stage, HOG regulators and a sea elite slimline 2 console. . . . My primary reg seems to enjoy a good free flow until I place my hand over the mouth piece it will then stop and stay stopped until I return to using it and switch it out again. The reg I am using as my octo has no such issues. Keep in mind BOTH regs are the same HOG regulators. . . . Do I just need to tune the reg somehow?

Yes, it (the primary second stage) needs some adjustment, probably beyond what you are capable of doing yourself at this point. Not a big deal, but something that you should have done. Take it to your LDS. Expect to pay something (a small amount) for labor (since you didn't buy it there) - if so, that will still be less expensive than shipping the reg back to GA, or driving there again.

Vertical buoyancy is good both head up and head down. However this seems not to translate to horizontal buoyancy. Once I move to a horizontal position I hold for a second then begin a speedy ascent. Am I under weight? bad technique?

Technique is more likely than weighting, but not necessarily the culprit. When you move to a horizontal position, do you inhale and hold your breath? Many people do and don't even realize it - they stop breathing, and they are holding a breath while doing so, and start to ascend. When you moved to a horizontal position, was your BCD completely empty? Or (more likely) was it partially inflated? I suspect the issue is a combination of a) needing to do a proiper weight check with new equipment, and b) learning to fine tune your buoyancy with new equipment. I wouldn't be wild about adding weight, just yet. You may need more, but I wouldn't conclude that at this point, based on your description.

I pulled the dump valve and water poured out from the valve. I re-inflated the wing manually waited 20 to 30 minutes pulled the dump and more water. I currently have it still hanging and am repeating the process until it stops. Is this normal? Is the water somehow in my wings bladder or is it simply trapped between the bladder and the outer material?

It is inside the bladder. Not altogether surprising given your description of all the inflation / deflation you were doing while practicing with the new gear. But, you will want to have someone do a bubble check with you, underwater, to make certain that there are not bubbles coming from the dump valve, or the point of connection of the corrugated low pressure hose to either the duimp valve or the low pressure inflator, which would suggest a small leak. A loose tie-wrap, for example, might allow for some seepage at either connection point that could make the amount of water in the bladder grow. Just because gear is brand new doesn't mean that might not be the case.

After any dive, you should inflate your BCD bladder, and hang the BCD to dry. Let it hang for ~ 30 minutes, dump any water inside, then repeat. Not a bad idea to flush the bladder with fresh water after a pool session, then inflate / hang / dump / repeat

 

[Jim Lapenta]

As far as the regs go are you using the breathing effort adjustment knob all the way open? If so the reg may be tuned so that there is a slight freeflow. If this is the case just turn the knob back a half turn or so and see what that does. What position is the venturi switch in? Do you have a copy of the manual for your reg? It is available free on the HOG/Edge website. Or email me through my website for a copy.

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