Questions about using canister light?

[Bom]

I have questions about diving with canister light.
1. Where do you put the battery tank? wrist? or any other recommended position?
2. How do you routing the cable?
3. In case that cable is too long, how to manage the cable?

Thanks,

 

[buddhasummer]

In most cases, the canister goes on the right side waist strap, I use a buckle to keep it in place, light head goes on left hand, the cord is not an issue.

This may be of use:

https://www.globalunderwaterexplorers.org/equipment/config

---------- Post added December 7th, 2015 at 04:13 AM ----------

Of course if you're using a "conventional" BC then I have no idea. Sorry for the assumption.

 

[tbone1004]

if you're using a conventional BC the easiest way is on the cam band, but it's not ideal. That said you probably aren't doing dives that are big enough to justify a canister in a stab jacket anyway. In sidemount, I butt mount my canister by putting it on the crotch strap.

 

[boulderjohn]

I have sometimes loaned my back up canister light to students using conventional BCDs with no appropriate strap to hold it. In each case, I was able to stow the battery in a zippered pocket, with the zipper shut enough to close all but the space needed for the light cord. It worked fine.

Other questions:

When back mounting, I have mine on the right side, and I usually (not always) hold the light in my left hand. Since I use a long hose primary, the issue is whether to route the light cord under or over the hose. Different people have different opinions. I route it under so that the hose is fully available immediately upon donation.

When sidemounting, the battery is horizontal on the butt plate, and the light cord goes through the bungees on the left side of my sidemount BCD.

I have sometimes been in caves where the light cord is longer than I would like and is a potential entanglement. That is especially true when I am back mounted and have decided to hold the light in my right hand. In that case, I loop the excess cord around my thumb.

 

[CptTightPants21]

I would only use a canister light if you are diving a bp/w or harness system that can correctly support it. Storing the canister in the BC pocket might work as a quick fix for students, but I wouldn't make that the "normal" set up. There are a lot of cordless primary light options with goodman handles that will serve your purpose--look at something like the Dive Rite LX20.

Hose routing depends on the individual/agency. I know a lot of GUE people route the hose in front of the 7ft hose although I am not sure if it a standard. They both have benefits and drawbacks. If you route the cable under the 7ft hose and next to the body, you don't have to worry about it hindering you when you donate in OOA, I also is a little less likely to get snagged. The one downside I find with routing the hose against the body (and it is a small downside in my book) is that you need to pay attention and pull the primary light head across your body and under the 7ft hose if you are going to clip it off (shooting a bag, primary light failure, etc). If you don't pull the light head underneath the 7ft hose, you will be looping (and trapping) your primary hose when you clip the primary off to the right chest d-ring.

If the cable is always in front of the 7ft hose, you don't need to worry about that when you clip it off, but you do need to worry about it when you donate. Both have slight issues, and both sides would say that they have simple fixes. I tend to route underneath the 7t hose, but I have done both just to keep my skills up.

I'm not sure about cable length. Sidemount canisters have a slightly longer cable than the standard canisters, but I am not sure how customizable cable length is and I think its generally standardized.

 

[bradells]

...

Hose routing depends on the individual/agency. I know a lot of GUE people route the hose in front of the 7ft hose although I am not sure if it a standard. They both have benefits and drawbacks. If you route the cable under the 7ft hose and next to the body, you don't have to worry about it hindering you when you donate in OOA, I also is a little less likely to get snagged. The one downside I find with routing the hose against the body (and it is a small downside in my book) is that you need to pay attention and pull the primary light head across your body and under the 7ft hose if you are going to clip it off (shooting a bag, primary light failure, etc). If you don't pull the light head underneath the 7ft hose, you will be looping (and trapping) your primary hose when you clip the primary off to the right chest d-ring.

If the cable is always in front of the 7ft hose, you don't need to worry about that when you clip it off, but you do need to worry about it when you donate. Both have slight issues, and both sides would say that they have simple fixes. I tend to route underneath the 7t hose, but I have done both just to keep my skills up.
...

How likely are you to clip off your light, vs donate gas on a given dive?

Also, what happens when you transfer the light to your right hand? Do you then rerun the cord again just to do something with your left hand quickly?


Part of the steps of learning how to donate gas, is moving the light cord out of the way after gas has been initially donated (and similarly for returning your reg). (And yes, trading the long hose with the light cord is GUE standard)

With running the light cord behind (i.e., between your body and the long hose), and clipping it off temporarily, a worst case scenario of annoyingly not rerunning the light cord, and someone loosing/not having access to gas (free flow/reg failure/tank failure/etc) ... your up donating/routing S*** creek.

With the light cord infront (i.e., 'trapping' the long hose), there is still enough length to donate your regulator, stop, stabilize and assess the situation to carry on with the next steps and actions.


The length of the hose being 7feet doesn't mean, kick your teammate out to the end of the 'leash' and let them figure out what's going on. It's there to provide a way to do an exit of the waterspace that requires the full length of the cord, and gives you some options on hose routing depending on your exit strategy (contact swimming ascent from either side, gives room to shoot a bag for a 'coloured' water ascent, enough length to be towed if scooter diving, and enough length for a single file exit in a physical overhead environment).


The only time I have issues with light cords, is monkey diving with my LED canister. It's a little long, and stubborn (cable bends). A quick wrap of the line around my wrist/elbow takes care of it for streamlining (or take slack with my thumb).


BRad

 

[CptTightPants21]

How likely are you to clip off your light, vs donate gas on a given dive?

Also, what happens when you transfer the light to your right hand? Do you then rerun the cord again just to do something with your left hand quickly?


Part of the steps of learning how to donate gas, is moving the light cord out of the way after gas has been initially donated (and similarly for returning your reg). (And yes, trading the long hose with the light cord is GUE standard)

With running the light cord behind (i.e., between your body and the long hose), and clipping it off temporarily, a worst case scenario of annoyingly not rerunning the light cord, and someone loosing/not having access to gas (free flow/reg failure/tank failure/etc) ... your up donating/routing S*** creek.

With the light cord infront (i.e., 'trapping' the long hose), there is still enough length to donate your regulator, stop, stabilize and assess the situation to carry on with the next steps and actions.


The length of the hose being 7feet doesn't mean, kick your teammate out to the end of the 'leash' and let them figure out what's going on. It's there to provide a way to do an exit of the waterspace that requires the full length of the cord, and gives you some options on hose routing depending on your exit strategy (contact swimming ascent from either side, gives room to shoot a bag for a 'coloured' water ascent, enough length to be towed if scooter diving, and enough length for a single file exit in a physical overhead environment).


The only time I have issues with light cords, is monkey diving with my LED canister. It's a little long, and stubborn (cable bends). A quick wrap of the line around my wrist/elbow takes care of it for streamlining (or take slack with my thumb).


BRad

If the light is temporarily in the right hand (most likely checking spg), there is no closed loop so you don't need to do anything with the light cable. Also if you are going to be donating air, you will put the light head back into your left hand in order to donate with you right regardless of your routing method.

My buddies and I usually do fires drills on each other during dives (OOA, rip off a fin, flood a mask, etc), especially if it is generally a benign dive site. In terms of how often you donate vs clip off the light, hard to say but probably in the realm of 60/40 clip off light/donate. You do multiple s drills, basic fives, but generally only clip off the light to shoot a lift bag at the end of the dive and that's only if you need to shoot one.

In my mind it's not so much how often you do one vs the other, but the situation you are in when one needs to be done. If I NEED to donate do I really want to be worried about a light cord getting in the way? I practice and can reroute the light cord while donating air efficiently when I have it routed in the front, but I have also found that while its easy during planned drills or when diving with other GUE people, its a little bit different when not diving with GUE divers--they tend to pull a little bit more, aren't as controlled when receiving the regulator so the cable gets pulled. GUE divers know the drill/skill requires a rerouting of the cable so they are "gentle".

Clipping off the light generally happens for two reasons in my experience 1. shooting a lift bag 2. Primary Light failure. I have done both several times in a night dive and pulling the light head under the 7ft hose isn't hassle at all because you know the issue exists. Remembering to reroute the cable under the hose when preparing to shoot a bag is no different than remembering to reroute it during an air donation.

Both methods have good and bad points and at the end of the day it is doing whichever method you personally like and being proficient in executing with said method.