Stage Dropping

[rjack321]

How would you verify depth on 1/3in letters from the dive computer if you can't verify 3in letters on the deco bottle?

Bazinga!

People need to stop worrying about the conditions they "might, someday" have to do a switch in and instead worry about the day to day switches with which they have become complacent. Look at Exley's little blueprint again. Since that was published nobody has died switching to the wrong gas in a silt out. MANY have died switching to the wrong gas in clear water under "easy" conditions. So where's the real risk?

 

[Dive-aholic]

I'm not sure if you're talking about me or not (I zero'ed a cave, and broke the line while grabbing it) during a 2nd stage failure. If it is, anyone here is more than welcome to discuss it-- I'd rather have someone think I'm an idiot than hear someone died that could have made better decisions after considering my mistakes. Never the less, I exited under my own power and sharing gas was never even a consideration, even with the 5 minute delay looking for the lost line. I could still see 2-3 inches, I just couldn't find a line that had been blown away by the flow and landed in poofy silt. Had we been stage diving, the extra gas in my remaining tank would have gotten me to the point where viz cleared up. The real issue here was that I was diving side mount, which is a dangerous gear configuration from a gas management standpoint, but required for that dive.

Also IMO getting a OOA diver with elevated SAC onto a stage bottle is *not* the right answer unless the cave is shallow and a stage lasts quite a long time. Give the smaller bottle to the diver without a failure, because with the elevated SAC, the OOA diver is going to be OOA again shortly. Putting him on back gas is best, and allow the diver without a failure to manage the stages.

I'm not referring to anyone. I'm responding why I have incorporated this skill into some of my classes. Let's not get into the sidemount/backmount debate here.

How would you verify depth on 1/3in letters from the dive computer if you can't verify 3in letters on the deco bottle?

What letters do I need to verify on my dive computer?? As I've stated, I try to always make my secondary tie off at 20'. In Twin, all I have to do is rise to the ceiling and then switch to my deco cylinder. I can then start counting or just hang out until visibility clears enough.

Its a good thing OOG situations don't happen very often. The IUCRR would be very very busy.

True, they don't, but we still train and plan to deal with them. I know how you feel about dive planning. I prefer to plan for issues that may come up, even if they aren't that common.

People need to stop worrying about the conditions they "might, someday" have to do a switch in and instead worry about the day to day switches with which they have become complacent.

I've done switches in silt outs. I think you're missing my point. Just because I have incorporated tactile cues to let me know I'm on the right mix doesn't mean I'm complacent about a gas switch on a day to day dive. I'm not sure why or how you have come to that conclusion??

 

[ucfdiver]

What letters do I need to verify on my dive computer?? As I've stated, I try to always make my secondary tie off at 20'. In Twin, all I have to do is rise to the ceiling and then switch to my deco cylinder. I can then start counting or just hang out until visibility clears enough.

I believe you've posted in the past that you don't run a reel at JB when diving for fun. How does that work?

fwiw I don't run one there either, or frankly most other places I dive (most places the line is within 5-10ft of OW-- a few exceptions). I drop mine at gold line start so I can secure it.

 

[PfcAJ]

Rob, I'm always ready for an OOG incident, and I always have the resources to get me and my buddy out of the cave up to about 3 or 4 major failures. But I also see the value of standardized equipment, procedures, and methods that work very well across a wide range of possibilities, both in cave and OW, and I don't muddle those procedures for (imo) far fetched LHOP situations that simply don't happen.

Btw, I've swapped bottles on the line in effectively zero vis on more than one occasion in more than one cave, some of them rather complex multi stage trimix dives.

In all my cave dives, I can only recall a handful of times where vis was so bad that I couldn't see a MOD sticker if I wanted to. And each time, that period of truly zero vis passed quite quickly.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I believe you've posted in the past that you don't run a reel at JB when diving for fun. How does that work?

With as many dives as I've been in that cave, I could braille my way out of it and know exactly where 20' is without seeing the cavern or my depth gauge.

In all my cave dives, I can only recall a handful of times where vis was so bad that I couldn't see a MOD sticker if I wanted to. And each time, that period of truly zero vis passed quite quickly.

Difference of experience, then. Every time I've encountered truly zero visibility, it did not pass quickly. A few times, that truly zero visibility has gone one for several hundred feet.

 

[PfcAJ]

U should pick your knees up It'll make it better on exit.

 

[Dive-aholic]

If the ceiling wasn't right above them I would.

 

[ucfdiver]

If the ceiling wasn't right above them I would.

Sounds like you can't scooter there. **** that.

 

[cavemn]

Even with lights out my shearwater gives me more than enough light to read an MOD label...if silt is the problem I'll just wait.

Ahhhh yes, the green glow is comforting even in Travis where vis is usually <1 foot for me

 

[Dive-aholic]

Sounds like you can't scooter there. **** that.

Sure you can! Why do you think the vis gets so bad??