Stages: 1/2+200 or 1/3rds

[SuPrBuGmAn]

cry, because I'm having a terrible terrible day.

but when I stopped I'd borrow aj's wrench and switch it out. it can be done pretty quickly. don't ask how I know

I gotta couple buddies who carry a wrench in their pockets as well, I haven't started doing that myself, but I'm considering it...

 

[ucfdiver]

Do you keep your regs loose enough to take them off that easily?

Yes. I keep the 2nd stages finger tight so I can easily swap them. It's saved me on a deco bottle that some dickhead shoved in the sand (I left it clipped off to gold line) once. Not critical, but it beats doing extra deco unnecessarily.

Isn't that exactly what you asked me? Why is it more hypothetical in BM, than SM?

I didn't ask you what you'd do if you lost 2 regs on one dive, I asked you why on earth anyone would swap regs in a cave (not realizing you meant second stages and not first). To answer your question tho, I'd just get on my buddies long hose and exit the cave.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Do you keep your regs loose enough to take them off that easily?

No, why would I need to swap second stages? My point is... I'd just use the other one, which is on a completely independant tank.

To answer your question tho, I'd just get on my buddies long hose and exit the cave.

Same

 

[PfcAJ]

I'm probably just being dense, but I keep coming back to these two statements and wondering what I'm missing.

Why are you running out of gas on stages that should be 1/2+ to 2/3's full and why would you prefer handing off a long hose vs. handing off a stage and letting them get sorted out on their own gas supply?

A real OOG diver on a half a stage will breath it down before the next stage cache', so they'll be OOG again. Its slow and raises stress levels.

An OOG diver with a 2/3 stage will probably make it to the next stage cache, but will end up with leftover gas in the bottle, which is now worthless. To make it of any use, you have to take it with you, and more stages=more drag=slower exit.

 

[rjack321]

I'm probably just being dense, but I keep coming back to these two statements and wondering what I'm missing.

Why are you running out of gas on stages that should be 1/2+ to 2/3's full and why would you prefer handing off a long hose vs. handing off a stage and letting them get sorted out on their own gas supply?

I hand off stages when the cave is wide open. KMD and I did this in class when I lost all backgas at max penetration IIRC. Put the OOG diver on the long hose for tight areas where you aren't swimming efficiently/free anyway. Swim faster/seperately when you can.

Even tho we were diving 1/2+200 I got to our O2 with plenty of gas left in the stage, 700psi I think. We make a concious effort to enter slow so we can exit fast(er). Those diving in flow don't have to think about how to pace their entry so the exit is expeditious, it just happens. In no flow caves, we take our time going in to leave a fair amount of umph for the exit.

 

[LiteHedded]

I gotta couple buddies who carry a wrench in their pockets as well, I haven't started doing that myself, but I'm considering it...

we had to swap a second stage out on a 70' bottle at orange grove once. I used to make fun of him for carrying that silly wrench. I don't anymore

 

[ucfdiver]

we had to swap a second stage out on a 70' bottle at orange grove once. I used to make fun of him for carrying that silly wrench. I don't anymore

Yours aren't finger tight? I figured they would be.

 

[rjack321]

A real OOG diver on a half a stage will breath it down before the next stage cache', so they'll be OOG again. Its slow and raises stress levels.

Slow down on the entry so this isn't a problem. Between going slower in no flow caves and the flow in flowing caves, if you can't make it from stage to stage (or stage to O2) you're diving too aggressive IMHO.

I can think of one situation I would consider diving 1/3rds in stages - siphons. I would probably won't be touching backgas for one of these either. I have yet to dive a substantive siphon tho.

 

[PfcAJ]

Def not. Too easy to extrude or slice an oring. Just take a wrench.

 

[PfcAJ]

Slow down on the entry so this isn't a problem. Between going slower in no flow caves and the flow in flowing caves, if you can't make it from stage to stage (or stage to O2) you're diving too aggressive IMHO.

I can think of one situation I would consider diving 1/3rds in stages - siphons. I would probably won't be touching backgas for one of these either. I have yet to dive a substantive siphon tho.

I can. But if your sac rate is up and your exit speed is slow, something has to give. In an emergency, I don't want to mess with the possibility of that happening. Even in open cave, having to stop, turn, and donate takes time. It would SUCK to be the OOG diver and have that happen yet AGAIN.