Protecting 1st Stage while Cave Diving?

[MEmersonC]

Can anyone please advise on how they protect their 1st stage while cavern or cave diving for back mount. After a few dives my 1 stage looks like it lost a battle with a garbage disposal. Ok, its not that bad, but seriously is damage to the top of the reg and DIN screw just the norm?

 

[_Ralph]

Can anyone please advise on how they protect their 1st stage while cavern or cave diving for back mount. After a few dives my 1 stage looks like it lost a battle with a garbage disposal. Ok, its not that bad, but seriously is damage to the top of the reg and DIN screw just the norm?

Don't hit the ceiling?

_R

 

[kelemvor]

1. Make sure it's DIN. If not, convert it.
2. Mount the first stage upside down, this will cause very little of it to stick out further than the tank valve its-self. Might be difficult if your reg doesn't have a rotating turret or fortunate port locations.

These will help reduce the amount that the first stage sticks out and is vulnerable. Other than that, as Ralph says, get yourself under control a little better.

 

[tursiops]

>>>sidemount

 

[Manatee Diver]

During training hitting the ceiling was an instant fail for a number of the drills.

 

[rddvet]

Can anyone please advise on how they protect their 1st stage while cavern or cave diving for back mount. After a few dives my 1 stage looks like it lost a battle with a garbage disposal. Ok, its not that bad, but seriously is damage to the top of the reg and DIN screw just the norm?

It will take some time and you will get over it. My first few cave dives in class in Orange Grove I would get to close to the ceiling due to fear of being too close to the silt/bottom and dinged my regs a few times. Since you're aware of it, you will learn not to keep doing it. The classic " you don't use gear changes to combat poor skills" holds true. I'm assuming you're new, so you will learn with experience. If you're full cave already, then your instructor should have broken the habit.

1. Make sure it's DIN. If not, convert it.
.

I don't think any agencies allow yoke regs in cave classes anymore, but I could be wrong and that would be scary as hell.

 

[rjack321]

Don't hit the ceiling?

_R

I can't like this enough @_Ralph

If you hit the ceiling lightly more than once or twice in a week+ of diving, you need to slow down, find bigger caves, and/or take full cave or a refresher. Yes it happens but it should be *rare*

Hitting the ceiling is entirely under your control and your responsibility to studiously avoid @MEmersonC

 

[tbone1004]

change your trim, your feet should hit the ceiling before your manifold does with relatively few exceptions

 

[Lorenzoid]

Along the lines of Ralph’s cheeky answer, I’ll say I spent three years after my first GUE Fundies class practicing and practicing until I had the skill of precision control that I knew would be needed to proceed to cave training.

 

[Bigbella]

A number of friends utilize rubber anti-freeze caps all year round, as an inexpensive solution to that occasional problem, with or without vodka, at under 10.00, for the one from Poseidon . . .