Reg. hose lenght???

[rescuediver009]

OK, I gotta ask. What is meant be newer and improved design and cutting of a major component? Did you mean in recreational diving, there is one less valve? I have absolutely no idea what you mean on newer and improved design.

More tired than I thought man. I meant that with the newer and imporoved design of regs that failure is less common than it used to be, and yes with recreational diving there is only one valve. So if you cut your main supply if say you have a free flow, you are pretty much buggered. And (no offence to anyone listening but) to teach a person just learning scuba to turn off their valve, get buddy air, and make a safe ascent to the surface is unlikely. Most divers I have seen have trouble accomplishing one of the above and just bolt ballistic.
This is in contrast to more advance training where divers are trained to isolate a variety of problems by breathing off their octo and shutting down one valve. as I am sure you agree, not too practical or easy for beginners.

 

[Dan Gibson]

I thought I was tired and was missing something.

More tired than I thought man. I meant that with the newer and imporoved design of regs that failure is less common than it used to be, and yes with recreational diving there is only one valve. So if you cut your main supply if say you have a free flow, you are pretty much buggered. And (no offence to anyone listening but) to teach a person just learning scuba to turn off their valve, get buddy air, and make a safe ascent to the surface is unlikely. Most divers I have seen have trouble accomplishing one of the above and just bolt ballistic.
This is in contrast to more advance training where divers are trained to isolate a variety of problems by breathing off their octo and shutting down one valve. as I am sure you agree, not too practical or easy for beginners.

 

[RichLockyer]

More tired than I thought man. I meant that with the newer and imporoved design of regs that failure is less common than it used to be, and yes with recreational diving there is only one valve.

Reg failure is never the first thing on my mind these days.

These days, it's a DM with training little better than the OW students who screws up and shuts my valve OFF just before I step in.

And for the record, no, I do not allow a DM to "check" my valve.

 

[The Kraken]

I don't want to stray to far away from the subject of the thread, but:

Rescue wrote:
"With open water students struggling with buoyancy, and newer and improved design, I think that this skill has been placed lower on the priority list."

I have to agree. When my wife got her OW is seemed to me that weight/balance and trim was more or less mentioned as an after thought.

To make a long story short, she and I went back to the pool and worked on these issues.

Many new divers don't realize what an important part the location of the tank plays in trim. Once we got her trimmed out, we took a small piece of thread, attached it to her upper tank band and tied a figure 8 knot in the line that she uses to judge the placement of the tank when strapping up. It's a very small piece, about 8 inches that tucks nicely between the tank and the BC bladder so there's no entanglement problem.

 

[rescuediver009]

Reg failure is never the first thing on my mind these days.

These days, it's a DM with training little better than the OW students who screws up and shuts my valve OFF just before I step in.

And for the record, no, I do not allow a DM to "check" my valve.

Funny or not, I have seen it happen along with isolators closed, and even posts shut off with divers finding out half way through the dive.
After seeing things like that, there are just to many people that like to touch stuff that they don't have a clue about.

 

[RichLockyer]

After seeing things like that, there are just to many people that like to touch stuff that they don't have a clue about.

Yup. If a DM reaches for my valve or SPG, I turn away slightly and politely ask him not to touch my gear.
It's a little easier because as I am stepping onto the platform I am looking at my SPG and tapping my purge... and yes, it IS only a "show" for the DM, but it eases his mind a bit when I won't allow him to check for me... he knows a check was done.

From the time my reg is mounted to the valve, my eyes (and usually hands) do not leave the rig. I'll attach the reg for a quick pressure check, remove it, then mount the plate and put the reg back into it's bag while I go up for the briefing.