"S" Drills

[paddler3d]

What are 'S' Drills?

I've often heard folks at the Quarry and here on the Boards talking about doing 'S' Drills. I've assumed this is some type of shut down drill when diving doubles.

Just curious.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[Gombessa]

You know, I don't actually know what the "S" stands for - safety? Or something along the lines of "share gas?"

Essentially, it's a drill you perform with your dive buddy that simulates one diver going OOG and sharing gas with a buddy. Having a long hose means there are a few extra steps it takes to complete the gas sharing process and get into position to end the dive, and the S-drill runs through all of that. In a nutshell:

1. Diver A signals out of gas.
2. Diver B donates primary reg.
3. Diver B switches to backup reg.
4. Team OKs.
5. Diver A stows primary reg.
6. Diver B fully deploys long hose from behind can light and wing.
7. Team determines direction of exit and positions OOG diver to effect the exit.
8. Cut the drill and stow deployed regs, continue with dive.

I probably left out a step or two here.

 

[b1gcountry]

Gombessa gave the long answer. The short answer is it's an air share.

Tom

 

[Gombessa]

Gombessa gave the long answer. The short answer is it's an air share.

Tom

Would you believe that the whole verbal diarrhea above stemmed from the fact that I didn't want to say "air" share, for obviously pedantic reasons?

 

[nadwidny]

You know, I don't actually know what the "S" stands for - safety? Or something along the lines of "share gas?"

Essentially, it's a drill you perform with your dive buddy that simulates one diver going OOG and sharing gas with a buddy. Having a long hose means there are a few extra steps it takes to complete the gas sharing process and get into position to end the dive, and the S-drill runs through all of that. In a nutshell:

1. Diver A signals out of gas.
2. Diver B donates primary reg.
3. Diver B switches to backup reg.
4. Team OKs.
5. Diver A stows primary reg.
6. Diver B fully deploys long hose from behind can light and wing.
7. Team determines direction of exit and positions OOG diver to effect the exit.
8. Cut the drill and stow deployed regs, continue with dive.

I probably left out a step or two here.

Just to clarify...The term "S- drill" predates GUE and its' conventions. So there are a few different ways to perform an S-drill, some of which are definitely not DIR (I'm thinking about the ones involving stuffed hoses, primary not on a long hose- that kind of stupid crap). And while air sharing is a big part of an S-drill, with some it isn't the only part.

 

[SparticleBrane]

A few important things about the S-drill:

1: It shows both you and your partner that you are physically able to share air, meaning your long-hose isn't trapped by anything, you can hold your buoyancy, and you won't silt everything up.

2: It is a mental reinforcement as well, to prove to your dive buddies that they are diving with someone competent enough to share air should the need arise. I feel that the s-drill also helps me get my head in the game, but perhaps that's just me.


My teammates and I usually do a full S-drill at the start of each cave trip (or if we haven't been in the water in awhile). After that first dive, we generally do a "modified S-drill" while floating at the surface -- meaning we show each other that our long hose isn't trapped by anything and can be fully deployed, but we don't do the full drill.

 

[ivobj]

You know, I don't actually know what the "S" stands for - safety? Or something along the lines of "share gas?"

Essentially, it's a drill you perform with your dive buddy that simulates one diver going OOG and sharing gas with a buddy. Having a long hose means there are a few extra steps it takes to complete the gas sharing process and get into position to end the dive, and the S-drill runs through all of that. In a nutshell:

1. Diver A signals out of gas.
2. Diver B donates primary reg.
3. Diver B switches to backup reg.
4. Team OKs.
5. Diver A stows primary reg.
6. Diver B fully deploys long hose from behind can light and wing.
7. Team determines direction of exit and positions OOG diver to effect the exit.
8. Cut the drill and stow deployed regs, continue with dive.

I probably left out a step or two here.

When I practice the drill, right after fully deploying the long hose, between 6 and 7, I add one step, which is showing my buddy the SPG so he is aware of how much air we have to bail out.

 

[PfcAJ]

That added step really doesn't matter at all. There are 2 possibilities: You either have enough or you don't. Period.

Showing the gauge will probably increase your already high stress level as you have now actually SEEN that you have a real, definite limit. By bringing this already implicit thought to an explicit reality, your stress level will actually rise. That's NOT what you need at that moment.

 

[Dtaine]

For a visual see the link below. The video shows essentially what the donating diver does during an air share. You'll note how even though the diver doesn't have a can light or pocket he still simulates running the long hose back around one.

YouTube - Safety Drill (S-Drill) - Scuba

An s-drill isn't hard.

 

[H2Andy]

as far as i can tell, the "s" in "s-drill" stands for "safety"

basically at the beginning of each dive, you practice what to do when your buddy is out of gas and signals you for your backup regulator

then you reverse roles and do it again

the idea is to have this procedure down cold and for it to become automatic in case it's ever really needed