OW Class in a BP/W.... PADI version

[Snowbear]

...all she saw was my black glove...

...there might be an advantage to getting a yellow cover for my primary...

Or a glove color other than black.

Glove color that contrasts the color of your drysuit helps with your buddy being able to see hand signals as well

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

She later told me that she couldn't see the reg -- all she saw was my black glove, and didn't recognize the regulator next to it.

Were you holding it by the reg or by the hose?

Buddy briefings are your best friend.

I'm assuming whether you held the reg or the hose you had the mouthpiece pointed toward your buddy, not sure a yellow cap would have helped.

 

[Jason B]

My point was that if the yellow faced second stage is bungied around the neck, an unknowing OOA diver may swim up, see the yellow face and think "octo" and go grab for it, only to find it strapped around your neck.

 

[StSomewhere]

Well I'm getting rid of the yellow faceplate for my primary, precisely because it seems confusing to people. Mostly its "Why do you breath of your octo?" type questions. They'll get what I give them, though Lynnes experience reminds me why I've read (on DIRX?) that blue gloves are preferred over black for signalling.

DiverBuoy, my primary is on a bungeed under my chin, tied with a fisherman's knot. If someone were to grab it (and I'm not clear how they would find it unless as Snowbear says my trim was whacked), they could easily pull it out of the bungeed but the hose its on is way too short to be useful to them. Its just not physically possible that I would be "strangled" if this happened, though I can see how it might look that way if you weren't familiar with the configuration.

All in all, I guess that's even more reason to do gear checks with your buddy before you get in the water...

 

[StSomewhere]

Were you holding it by the reg or by the hose?

The s-drill protocol for a longhose air share is very specific. You hand the reg off to your buddy holding it by the hose near the second stage. Divers who use the longhose should be doing a modified s-drill to start every dive.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

The s-drill protocol for a longhose air share is very specific. The the reg is handed off to your buddy holding it by the hose near the second stage, not by the second stage itself.

You don't say. From now on I'll just assume that everyone follows protocol. I see that so much in the real world. Forgive me for asking questions of the poster. :huh:

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

DiverBuoy, my primary is on a bungeed under my chin, tied with a fisherman's knot. If someone were to grab it (and I'm not clear how they would find it unless as Snowbear says my trim was whacked), they could easily pull it out of the bungeed but the hose its on is way too short to be useful to them.

So you dive a short-hosed primary bugied to your neck? What about your secondary? Is it on a long hose or what?

 

[StSomewhere]

Secondary is bungeed on a shorthose, primary on the longhose is wrapped like normal. As I said, if my trim is on, the only reg you should see is the primary. Its the one I'm breathing off of or handing to you.

And, yes, TSandM absolutely knows the s-drill protocol. That's going to be the problem if you are going to teach students on the longhose is they need to know how to do an s-drill, etc. Its just different from what PADI, NAUI, etc are teaching in OW classes, but the kinks for the longhose system have been worked out long ago by hogarthian divers so everyone doesn't need to reinvent ways to do this.

Edit: And, yes, this should be covered in advance with your buddy so they know what to expect. Maybe everyone doesn't know the protocol, but someone diving the longhose needs to explain it to their buddy.

Further edit: I should've said the configuration many PADI, NAUI instructors are currently teaching... That wasn't fair to the instructors who are trying to do affect change.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

Secondary is bungeed on a shorthose, primary on the longhose is wrapped like normal. As I said, if my trim is on, the only reg you should see is the primary. Its the one I'm breathing off of or handing to you.

I'm just going by what you said, trying to get clarification.

So you've rigged your kit so that the "hi visibility" second stage is now your primary and on the long hose?

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

Its just different from what PADI, NAUI, etc are teaching in OW classes

That generalization is total BS, hence this thread where a PADI OW instructor is discussing utilizing a hogarthian rig.