Safety Question

[MXGratefulDiver]

Some of the best learning is through situations that didn't end up in accidents or near-accidents, but brought the proximity of a bad outcome home.

... otherwise known in scuba parlance as "Well, I'll never do THAT again" moments ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[captain]

What was the failure mode? Did the rubber hose rupture or did the metal end where it is screwed into the regulator break. How old was the hose, was the regulator serviced recently? The fact that apparently it failed at a low pressure after the dive is interesting.
Part of dealing with the event is finding the cause not just dealing with the aftermath of the event itself. Hoses rarely fail so there is an underlying cause that needs to be resolved to prevent a reoccurrance.

 

[captndale]

Good hoses do not just blow. Perhaps, it might be a good idea to give your equipment a visual check before relying on it for life support.

 

[penguinpete]

There is a threaded metal piece that screws into the larger metal piece that attaches to the tank (sorry I rent equipment so I don't know the terminology). The hose broke where the rubber hose is attached to the threaded metal piece. Since we always rent BCs and regs we rely on the dive shop to maintain the equipment. A sign that they may not have been doing proper maintenance is the regulators were leaking, we were regularly sucking in water.

This dive shop was in San Pedro Belize. I was not impressed with them. During a week of diving the dive master never asked anyone how much air they had.

I have another stupid question. When renting equipment the psi of a new tank has alway been from 2800 to 3300 tops but in Belize it was consistently 3600 to 3900. Were they over pressurizing the tanks? Is that why the hose blew?

 

[stakanak]

In a worst case scenario I really like the idea of turning the 1st stage on and off. This is the 1st time I have ever heard of it. Is it really that bad of an idea?
It seems to make more sense than just hoping you have enough air with full freeflow on your ascent.
I do understand that removing your BC/BPW is not a great idea, yet many on this board believe that you should learn to dive w/out a BC anyways.
Any comments on this a siding the stay by your buddy reactions?
NWGrateful and TSandM, Lapenta I'm looking at you!
Get Wet!

 

[Crush]

When renting equipment the psi of a new tank has alway been from 2800 to 3300 tops but in Belize it was consistently 3600 to 3900. Were they over pressurizing the tanks? Is that why the hose blew?

Assuming they were AL tanks, way too much pressure. The hose between the first and second stages would not likely have blown from this at it would have been stepped down to about 140-110 psi. In the case of such an over-pressure the most likely point of failure would have been the burst disk, which would have emptied your tank in record time.

 

[Crush]

I do understand that removing your BC/BPW is not a great idea, yet many on this board believe that you should learn to dive w/out a BC anyways.

??

I fail to see how a BP/w would have helped out over a BC?!

 

[Togalive]

Don't rely on gear to solve skills issues ... you dive with a buddy for a reason ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Couldnt agree more, gear is manufactured to fail at a point. I thought it would also be important to mention that people should not rely too much on their buddy either, Self Reliance/Rescue is your best resource when all else fails in any situation.

 

[TSandM]

I think I understand your question, stakanak. You have two options for being able to turn off the valve -- reach behind you, or take the tank off. I'm pretty sure that, by the time I got my gear off in midwater, the tank would be empty if it was blowing out of an LP orifice or hose. But I know I CAN shut off my tank before it's empty if I just reach back and do it, because I have done it before.

As far as feathering the valve to continue to breathe from the tank as you are ascending, in a single tank, I think that's awfully hard. I'd much rather just go on my buddy's gas and ascend comfortably. The main reason for turning the tank off is to get rid of the unholy noise, and to prevent the tank from emptying and allowing water into the first stage or tank.

 

[drdaddy]

There is a threaded metal piece that screws into the larger metal piece that attaches to the tank (sorry I rent equipment so I don't know the terminology). The hose broke where the rubber hose is attached to the threaded metal piece. Since we always rent BCs and regs we rely on the dive shop to maintain the equipment. A sign that they may not have been doing proper maintenance is the regulators were leaking, we were regularly sucking in water.

This dive shop was in San Pedro Belize. I was not impressed with them. During a week of diving the dive master never asked anyone how much air they had.

I have another stupid question. When renting equipment the psi of a new tank has alway been from 2800 to 3300 tops but in Belize it was consistently 3600 to 3900. Were they over pressurizing the tanks? Is that why the hose blew?

I am in Japan on a 2 week visit that includes a 2 tank boat dive. I brought my own equipment - BC, Reg, mask, wetsuit, fins - the works. Thank you for reminding me why. DrDaddy