Rescue Scenario Dive - 3rd Air Source?

[rongoodman]

But I have one more question, if a 5' primary hose is recommended for OW and a 22" for your alternate, why do manufacturers sell these products and instructors teach their classes with a totally different setup...where the alternate has the longer hose.

Tradition? Ignorance? If you change over to a Hog rig, you'll probably run into someone warning you about the danger of "wrapping that hose around your neck".

 

[scuba_frog]

True...but in all the recreational diving I have done, limited I know, I have never noticed a setup like that. I will be keeping an eye out though.

 

[gcbryan]

I'm surprised by this, every aviator I've ever met (I was an aircrewmember in the army) was pretty quick to declare an emergency. The thought process being that there are only standard procedures or emergency procedures, anything not normal is an emergency. Emergencies, however, don't necessarily have to be difficult or scarey

Different context. This was in a recreational setting and it was a training scenario. I was taught not to think of things I could control as being an emergency.

In an operational setting with others involved that may well be different where "declaring an emergency" has a meaning. If you are only declaring it to yourself the standard or mindset would be different.

 

[shark_tamer]

Hi everyone. A couple weeks ago a group of us completed our Rescue cert. There was a scenario I would like some feedback.

Because this is not a stretch from reality

Thanks for your comments.

So scuba_frog,

You have just learned that when thing go wrong underwater, they go wrong very fast.

When performing an actual rescue, rescue teams have to be very alert and ready to face potential extreme situation ....

 

[simmonsjr]

Thanks for everyone's input on this. You guys have a lot more experience an insight than I do.

Jason...I understand you setup completely and makes sense. I'm actually heading out to get tanks filled, so I will be looking into different hose lengths while I'm at the LDS.

But I have one more question, if a 5' primary hose is recommended for OW and a 22" for your alternate, why do manufacturers sell these products and instructors teach their classes with a totally different setup...where the alternate has the longer hose.

Here's my list of likely candidates:

1. The long hose/bungeed backup rig seems counter-intuitive at first glance. It looks much more difficult to use than it really is. There is also the question of what do I do with all of that hose?

2. Misinformation. Common sense dictates that one should never completely wrap anything around one's neck while diving, and that is precisely what a good number of divers who don't know any better think is the case with this rig.

3. Safety. This one is related to the previous, but in this case the diver knows that the hose does not wrap completely around the neck but has strangulation concerns none the less. While it is possible to die because of this set-up, there is only one scenario that would accomplish this: your dive buddy must swim in front of you, grab both sides of the hose with a cross-over grip, and pull the hose together in order to shut off the flow of blood through your carotid arteries to your brain. Short of homicide it's a safe way to rig your gear.

4. The set-up looks like it is specifically for technical diving which may intimidate some recreational divers. This would be a possible explanation for why the certifying agencies don't teach it: if you want to stay in business you don't want to frighten off your customer base.

5. Changing over to this setup would cost money for the certifying agencies, who would have to update their procedures, train their instructors, and amend their training materials. It would also require that dive shops change out their rental equipment in order to come into compliance with the new standards. Very few people want to spend money when they don't have to.

6. There is a mind-set that says that if it isn't broken, then leave it alone. While it is true that the standard regulator setup can do the job, the question is one of efficiency as well, and in my opinion this is by far the more efficient way of rigging your gear.

There are a great many pluses to this setup and, once you become proficient with it, no discernible minuses. That makes it a winner in my book.

Jason