I knew this DIR stuff was a snap!!!
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I knew this DIR stuff was a snap!!!
Sorry - the sarcasm was lost... The guy I was replying to had a subheading referring to DIR something or other...
Eh, it may have taken me a couple of minutes to feel like I was comfortable with a long hose, but it took a LOT longer, with a number of hard-learned lessons, to become proficient with it.
Actually doing an S-drill underwater is a big part - the first time I did it, I didn't bring the loop over my head as I deployed. Also of paramount importance is knowing why to perform a mod-S before getting into the water. While some of the graybeard long-hosers may long ago have reached back-of-the-hand familiarity with it, as a new adopter, I can definitely say that the long hose introduces complexities that may not be apparent to "recreational" set-up users.
For one, you're gonna forget to don the necklack at least once. Hopefully you realize when you do and it doesn't happen again.
You're going to mix up the order of donning the long hose and the necklace, which may interfere with a clean over-the-head donation maneuver.
Having a reasonable length necklace may or may not be an issue, but I do know if it's a tad too short, it's a huge pain, getting in the way of looking down, accidentally triggering the purge, etc.
Routing of the long hose can be an issue, especially if you don't have a can light. Having a "tucked" hose under the harness can accidentally release the weight belt buckle if you're not careful with placement, not having the hose positioned correctly behind the wing can cause it to bulge out, not being careful while looping it over your head can make it catch the manifold or valve, making reg recovery difficult, etc.
Almost all of this can be solved by doing a mod-S drill before hitting the water, but you gotta to do it (and why it's important, so you keep doing it).
The long hose is certainly not rocket science, but there there's more to it than just giving TDL your credit card number.
It is not your instructors responsibility to get you to practice. The 'issues' you cite are soo basic.
Twice now I have seen a recreational diver jetting off to do a nice dive with their octo bungied around their necks. Which shouldn't be surprising. The setup is very well thought out and I believe is much safer than the conventional "now where did my buddy stick his octo this time" approach. The only thing with these two divers was ... they had no long hose!
Were you actually taught to do an S drill on the land before you go dive? A can light is more of a hinderance than a help. The hose 'routes' itself, then you tuck it, do it smoothly with as few moves as possible and then you won't be popping open buckles. Place it behind your neck, not the valves. The answer you seek is a simple process: practice a few dives and then you'll wonder why you fretted about such a simple thing. Don't over analyze. Go dive.
Your avatar is awesome. What kind of shark is that? Bull? Now that scares me a lot more than rental gear or long hoses! Kal