Regulator "finger tight"

[Scubaroo]

Well that should cure it, but a good rinse, hooking it up to a tank, leaving the cover & diaphragm off and giving it a good purge would probably have done the trick too.

 

[kidspot]

no tank to hook it up to today - rental :-(

 

[alemaozinho]

Yesterday a friend tested out my rig for me to make sure everything was in proper order. I thought I had read in the DIR forum that the 2nd stage was to be put on finger tight, which I did, but in the middle of the dive it came completely off (apparently it loosened up during the dive/donning time) He shut off the valve, screwed it back on and continued (I was snorkeling at the surface watching) Did I miss-interpret something or was it just "carelessness" on my part that allowed this to happen? Anyway if someone would like to correct me so this doesn't happen again I'd appreciate it. If nothing else I'll snug it up with a wrench this time. - other than that "little" stumbling block it was a very smooth dive.

Another friend of mine is getting certified with me and I believe both of us are going to be diving as close to DIR standards as we can from the start, just a lot of things to learn and I'm looking forward to a DIR-F course I can get to as soon after cert as possible - Trying to learn good habits from the start as much as possible. Unfortunately at this point my only source of information is off the web and the DIR-F book/videos. So I'll apply what I can understand and learn more as I go.

Thanks.

P.S. this was his first time using a bp/w and even though it was loose on him he really liked the comfort and stability.

you could take an adjustable wrench with you and fix things on the fly mmmhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[RichLockyer]

wrench. If you're deco diving, some divers like to carry a small wrench if they were to ever NEED to swap second stages.

Likewise, even if their own reg is only finger tight, the "community" stage or safety bottle may not be, so the wrench needs to be a part of the rig regardless. If the wrench is there, then there is no need for the reg to be only finger-tight.

But to the root of the problem, yes, it was carelessness on the part of the predive inspection. A finger-tight reg will not fall off unless it is well on it's way to coming off prior to pressure being applied by the tank valve.

(this is not directed at you Boogie)
DIR is much more than a list of equipment. Please do not simply copy something because some DIR person does it without a complete understanding of why it is done the way it is.
Buying the same set of tools as Jeff Gordon's mechanic will not make you a master mechanic any more than copying another diver will make you a diver of equal caliber.

 

[Soggy]

DIR is much more than a list of equipment. Please do not simply copy something because some DIR person does it without a complete understanding of why it is done the way it is.
Buying the same set of tools as Jeff Gordon's mechanic will not make you a master mechanic any more than copying another diver will make you a diver of equal caliber.

If you are going to attempt to be DIR without the training, at least read the Fundamentals book. If you don't understand something, especially something potentially catestrophic such as this, PLEASE ask someone knowledgeable so you can make a reasonable decision about whether the technique applies to you. A lot of DIR specific techniques were formed in technical/cave diving, and isn't necessarily applicable to an open water dive...finger tight 2nd stages being one of them.

 

[kidspot]

thanks for the advice soggy - and I really enjoyed the DIR-F book, but without someone to ask a lot of it remains theory. Joe just PM me about the possibility of teaching a DIR-F course here so it may be a reality soon and I would be honored to learn some of this "properly".

Rich we think we know why it came undone - just before the dive there was a lot of "twisting and turning" of the regulator and hoses getting it oriented just right (took a while) and it must have gotten spun around enough then to have only needed a couple of regulator swaps while testing the backup reg in order to finish it off. But it's now cleaned, and tightened securely. Of course now I'll never forget to check it in the future, so one lesson learned . . . many more to go. You were right though - my predive inspection was faulty.

Sorry to sound like such a "fool" on this, but most of the divers I know don't even dive in a BC - just a hard pack, with a "J" valve and only one reg - so much of this is unfamiliar to them as well. (My friend who was doing the testing has only used a jacket inflate once, otherwise he always dives without a bc) I am a teacher by trade, so I understand the importance of proper guidance, but sometimes book learnin' is all that is available. Thanks for all the help here though - I really appreciate it. -

Oh and just so everyone doesn't worry too much it's not just gear that I'm looking at, I'm working at my buddy awareness, understanding bouyancy and other skills that are possible with my current snorkeling buddies. I know it's not the same, but I want to be the best diver and buddy that I can be when.

Hope that all makes sense - I just got off work (night shift) and am not thinking too clearly yet - LOL

 

[Kriterian]

The rationale behind originally going "finger tight" is so that you can swap out one of your second stages unto a deco stage, or vice versa, in the event of a second stage failure.

Sorry for interjecting into the topic but I thought that the reasoning behind "finger tight" on the first stage was to prevent damage to the high pressure seat. Granted I learned this a long time ago, so if first stages have changed and this is no longer a problem please correct me.

 

[Soggy]

Sorry for interjecting into the topic but I thought that the reasoning behind "finger tight" on the first stage was to prevent damage to the high pressure seat. Granted I learned this a long time ago, so if first stages have changed and this is no longer a problem please correct me.

How would it prevent damage to the HP seat?

The reasoning behind it is that, in the event of a regulator failure, you can switch the 2nd stage with one of your deco/stage bottle regs and get you through your deco/get you to the upline.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Sorry for interjecting into the topic but I thought that the reasoning behind "finger tight" on the first stage

The reasoning behind it is that, in the event of a regulator failure, you can switch the 2nd stage

... notice anything?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Soggy]

... notice anything?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Whoops