Pull Dumps — lose them

[ibj40]

Sometimes you just have a brain fart. I was on a dive a bit over a year ago and one of the other divers, who had over 200 logged dives, somehow forgot to vent his BCD completely when it was time for the initial descent of the day. He was head down and kicking at about 15 feet as the rest of us floated down. The DM saw it, made sure the rest of us were OK and went up to straighten him out. He had no issues for the rest of the day. Good thing it was something non life threatening.

Something like this has to have happened to all of us, at least once, if not twice.

Couple of years ago, on a boat with some new divers, one of them asked my how long I had been certified. Well, over 30 years, I responded, must have over 1,000 dives, but quit logging them after the first ten years. So we get ready, it's a giant stride off the back of the boat, we form up on the surface, and dive guide says let's go.

I pull my shoulder dump, duck my head (I always go down head first), and nothing. Sure enough, my weight belt was on the boat, right where I was sitting. Captain handed it down, I put it on, and on we go. Back on the boat, newbie rides me good, and I probably deserved it. Only the second time I can recall every forgetting my weight belt, but clearly it happens.

 

[JohnN]

And in the brain fart category: Forgetting to connect your drysuit inflator. . . or even better, neglecting to completely close the drysuit zipper "Invigorating" in 40oF water

 

[Akimbo]

Something like this has to have happened to all of us, at least once, if not twice.

Probably true but my concern is not figuring it -- whether leaving air in the bladder of holding a pull-dump open while filling. Maybe I'm fortunate to be analytical by nature but it is difficult for me to relate to problems like this that aren't self-corrected. I also can't comprehend why so many divers found lifeless with their lead still onboard. I guess that brains are just wired differently.

 

[Colliam7]

And in the brain fart category: Forgetting to connect your drysuit inflator. . . or even better, neglecting to completely close the drysuit zipper "Invigorating" in 40oF water

And, I have done both of those things at different times. The inflator omission was transiently uncomfortable. I stopped descending manged to retrieve the hose and connected in up before continuing. The 'enter the water with an unzipped back zipper was both 'invigorating' and 'dive ending'.

 

[boulderjohn]

When I was doing my IDC, the Course Director entered the water with his wetsuit only partially zipped, and the result was borderline comical.

I was supposed to start the dive in an instructor role, after which we would just do the dive. I had to do a briefing on the boat before the dive. The boat moored, and I began the briefing. The seas were starting to get rough due to an approaching storm, and the boat was pitching in an odd way that made me totally seasick, the only time that has ever happened to me on a dive boat. Seeing the color of my face, the Course Director told me I could skip the exercise, but I went ahead with it. We jumped in the water, and I felt better instantly. I did my IDC stuff, and we started the pleasure dive.

He immediately called me over and indicated the zipper problem. We hovered in place while I worked on it, hovering over the top of him like an airplane tanker refueling another plane. I got everything done and then reached around him to give the OK signal in front of his face. As I did, all that sea sickness returned in a flash. Seeing the OK sign, he started to swim off, not knowing until after the dive that he did so through a cloud of vomit.

 

[Bob DBF]

Does anyone, aside from me, think it is interesting that all this talk of a pull dump being unnecessary and dangerous overlooks the fact that a butt dump is a pull dump. I guess some animals are more equal than others.


Bob

 

[boulderjohn]

Does anyone, aside from me, think it is interesting that all this talk of a pull dump being unnecessary and dangerous overlooks the fact that a butt dump is a pull dump. I guess some animals are more equal than others.

There is a significant difference in how they work.

 

[Colliam7]

Does anyone, aside from me, think it is interesting that all this talk of a pull dump being unnecessary and dangerous overlooks the fact that a butt dump is a pull dump. I guess some animals are more equal than others.

Actually, Bob you are not the only one who found it interesting. I did as well. 'Pull dump' is exactly what a butt dump is - we pull on a piece of nylon cord to open the dump - as is a shoulder dump where we pull on something (back to that in a moment) to open the (shoulder) dump. I think the distinction being made is between the thread title, 'pull dumps - lose them', and what is really meant, which is 'shoulder pull dumps - lose them'.

Jim gave a good example of a reason to lose the shoulder pull dump - a near panicked diver is trying to inflate but is (inadvertently) pulling on the corrugated hose at the same time, negating any inflation coming from the air being added. Other threads have focused on the high profile of the shoulder portion of the pull dump, and the possibility of entanglement if line gets wrapped around that shoulder unit. Still others have focused on the wear and tear on the corrugated hose associated with pulling on it, to apply tension to the wire inside the corrugated hose, connected to the shoulder dump. I encourage students to a) know whether their BCD has a left SHOULDER pull dump or not, and b) avoid using it, if the unit has one. Now, I do actively encourage them to learn to use their butt (pull) dump(s), and point out that there is no need to do the 'rear up to a vertical position' maneuver - what I see too many divers do to use their corrugated hose to dump air. (I teach that you can a) roll into your right side, while staying horizontally trimmed, and the left shoulder dump becomes more effective, and / or b) use your butt dump, possibly pushing your butt up just a bit to be sure that air moves to the rear of the BCD/wing if necessary.)

So, I agree, there are several 'pull dumps' on a BCD / wing. And, what Jim was referring to was the left shoulder pull dump.

 

[BRT]

And in the brain fart category: Forgetting to connect your drysuit inflator. . . or even better, neglecting to completely close the drysuit zipper "Invigorating" in 40oF water

I've forgotten the drysuit inflater several times but I just hook it up underwater. I've come very close to getting in the water with no fins or no mask several times. It will happen sooner or later.

 

[aquacat8]

My brain fart: I was very excited to go fossil diving in Venice Florida for the first time...When I reached the surface I was struggling to swim to the boat, having difficulty getting my head up, and became a bit scared. What was wrong? Was it true that back inflate BCs tip your face in the water sometimes? I staggered onto the boat. There my problem became clear. I had been greedy and the big bag of fossilized shark’s teeth, mammoth ear bones and manatee bones clipped to my front D rings had been weighing me down!