Meng_Tze:
For once not even trying to be a smartass, do people really pre rig the smb/spool? Why??? It saves what, a whole second??? I guess I've never seen the need and to be honest if a student did, I would have them de rig and then rig....
Tech diving, equipment, awareness and too much too soon
- Thread starter GDI
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For once not even trying to be a smartass, do people really pre rig the smb/spool? Why??? It saves what, a whole second??? I guess I've never seen the need and to be honest if a student did, I would have them de rig and then rig....
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cerich:
Yes, many people I know pre-rig. Its one less double ender to muck about with cold fingers at the end of a dive (yes I already have dry gloves). I don't have to, but its more convenient in 50F water.
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cerich:
For a tech dive yes, one rigged and one not - in different pockets. Recreationally is hit or miss, depending on the site.
I used a spool yesterday to mark or return spot on a wall relative to the anchor (a 50ft dive)
even on what may be a recreational dive keep in ind you may ned a spool to do a lost buddy or other emergency need for a spool may arrive, the time spent de rigging in an emergency is much more important than the extra time to rig a smb in order to shoot a bag.
My 2 cents...
My 2 cents...
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True, but I've also dropped a couple of double enders in my time. Those suckers add up!
Hi All:
I've read this thread a number of times and GDI certainly offers GREAT advice that many new divers need to take to heart. But I'd also like to suggest something else.
TRAINING is a great thing. It allows you to learn new stuff, practice new skills, create "equipment memory," routinize procedures, etc., etc. But Id suggest that unless you are willing to UTILIZE the skills you learned in the diving environments they were meant to be used in, you are REALLY missing out on the big picture. On top of that, I think some divers feel that because they train hard it means they are "better prepared" for certain types of environments and can potentially handle any problems they may encounter. I would respectfully disagree with that notion and say that although training can prepare you for something, until you actually do it or experience it, you cant understand it. I'll use what happened to me on one occasion as an example.
When I decided to get into cave diving, I had more than 10 years experience as a diver, had dived in all type of environments, was an instructor and had the "indestructible" attitude of a 20 some year old. Cave training went great, did all the drills, really learned a LOT and then started diving caves in northern Florida. To that point in my diving experience I had never been fearful underwater, had a problem," close call, etc. Most importantly, I believed that NOTHING bad could happen to me that I wasn't prepared to handle or solve. After all, I was an "instructor."
So, one day a group of buddies and I were diving a system near Branford, FL (I'm pretty sure it was "Little River") where we had done a number of training certification dives. Everything was going great, smooth dive, etc. We reached a room with a low ceiling and "bedding plane" which my buddies successfully negotiated. Instead of paying attention to how they did it, I was looking at other stuff. I went last and when I was halfway through the restriction, I got stuck. "No big deal," I thought. I'll work my way out. I moved slightly in each direction, backed up, etc. Couldn't get free. I looked for my buddies and realized I couldn't see them because visibility had dropped to almost zero. I also lost sight of the permanent line. THAT bothered me and the situation suddenly "closed in." The overhead rock felt like it was crushing me and I began to hyperventilate. I started struggling with my gear. I realized at that point I was panicking and needed to stop the "panic" sequence. I grabbed my pressure gauge, stared at the reading and began to slow my breathing to regain my "focus." Although I was "worried," I calmed considerably. A few seconds later a hand grabbed my arm and gave a squeeze. I squeezed back and felt a TON better. That "bad" feeling just drained right out of me.
One of my buddies came back when he saw me stop. While the other buddy stayed on the line, he came in and helped me get "unstuck." It took the next five minutes and eventually involved removing my tanks and sliding out from under them. We then waited for the viz to clear, followed by moving through the restriction and re-donning. Since we were 300 PSI from turning, we decided to exit. This time, I paid attention to my position and successfully went through the restriction. On the way out I started to think about what happened, how I began to "panic," and how dumb I felt. It was a humbling experience.
It was during that dive that I came to realize something important. TRAINING prepares you to handle environments and problems, but EXPERIENCE is the only true teacher. I also realized that I needed a LOT more cave experience to do it right and my buddies and I committed to more dives each time we came to Florida. We also hooked up with more experienced cavers that were GREAT mentors for this process. It was then that I really started to enjoy cave diving and it amazed me how much more confident I became on each trip and how quickly my skills improved. Did my training prepare me for what happened? Undoubtedly. BUT, that 10 minute experience taught me more about how to handle myself in a bad situation than anything I had ever learned before.
More recently, I did some training certification dives in a quarry followed by doing a little hiking in the Appalachians. At the quarry, I saw divers with thousands of dollars in gear practicing line drills, shooting bags, doing OOA "long hose" drills on lines, etc. Many of them looked uncomfortable with the equipment, had less than 50 dives (almost all in the SAME place) and when I asked one why he was there he said, "to do training for advanced classes." Up on the Appalachian Trail, I saw teens with WalMart packs and tents wearing t-shirts and shorts. They didn't have gear made to ascend K-2 or Everest, oxygen bottles, climbing equipment, etc. They DID appear to know what they were doing and were obviously having FUN. We camped near a group of them one night and I asked them if they liked hiking. All said they loved it and one in particular said "I'd sure like to try the Rockies after I get more experience." Go figure.
And, that's my point to this post. Go diving. Sure, learn some basic skills and go to a local lake or quarry and work on them. Improve yourself. But, "invest" in diving by finding buddies who want to dive, sign up for trips and get OUT THERE. The experience obtained on only a few REAL dives will amaze you. Instead of investing thousands of dollars in gear and MORE training, put the money into dive trips. Don't make the mistake of "over-preparing" for everything. Instead, identify what you CAN do at your present level, "practice" if needed and DO the DIVE. Then, expand your skills and start looking at the "next level," including more training and equipment, if that's what you want.
I'll never understand the philosophy of a diver that has everything but does nothing.
Just my thoughts. Thanks for reading
Peace...
I've read this thread a number of times and GDI certainly offers GREAT advice that many new divers need to take to heart. But I'd also like to suggest something else.
TRAINING is a great thing. It allows you to learn new stuff, practice new skills, create "equipment memory," routinize procedures, etc., etc. But Id suggest that unless you are willing to UTILIZE the skills you learned in the diving environments they were meant to be used in, you are REALLY missing out on the big picture. On top of that, I think some divers feel that because they train hard it means they are "better prepared" for certain types of environments and can potentially handle any problems they may encounter. I would respectfully disagree with that notion and say that although training can prepare you for something, until you actually do it or experience it, you cant understand it. I'll use what happened to me on one occasion as an example.
When I decided to get into cave diving, I had more than 10 years experience as a diver, had dived in all type of environments, was an instructor and had the "indestructible" attitude of a 20 some year old. Cave training went great, did all the drills, really learned a LOT and then started diving caves in northern Florida. To that point in my diving experience I had never been fearful underwater, had a problem," close call, etc. Most importantly, I believed that NOTHING bad could happen to me that I wasn't prepared to handle or solve. After all, I was an "instructor."
So, one day a group of buddies and I were diving a system near Branford, FL (I'm pretty sure it was "Little River") where we had done a number of training certification dives. Everything was going great, smooth dive, etc. We reached a room with a low ceiling and "bedding plane" which my buddies successfully negotiated. Instead of paying attention to how they did it, I was looking at other stuff. I went last and when I was halfway through the restriction, I got stuck. "No big deal," I thought. I'll work my way out. I moved slightly in each direction, backed up, etc. Couldn't get free. I looked for my buddies and realized I couldn't see them because visibility had dropped to almost zero. I also lost sight of the permanent line. THAT bothered me and the situation suddenly "closed in." The overhead rock felt like it was crushing me and I began to hyperventilate. I started struggling with my gear. I realized at that point I was panicking and needed to stop the "panic" sequence. I grabbed my pressure gauge, stared at the reading and began to slow my breathing to regain my "focus." Although I was "worried," I calmed considerably. A few seconds later a hand grabbed my arm and gave a squeeze. I squeezed back and felt a TON better. That "bad" feeling just drained right out of me.
One of my buddies came back when he saw me stop. While the other buddy stayed on the line, he came in and helped me get "unstuck." It took the next five minutes and eventually involved removing my tanks and sliding out from under them. We then waited for the viz to clear, followed by moving through the restriction and re-donning. Since we were 300 PSI from turning, we decided to exit. This time, I paid attention to my position and successfully went through the restriction. On the way out I started to think about what happened, how I began to "panic," and how dumb I felt. It was a humbling experience.
It was during that dive that I came to realize something important. TRAINING prepares you to handle environments and problems, but EXPERIENCE is the only true teacher. I also realized that I needed a LOT more cave experience to do it right and my buddies and I committed to more dives each time we came to Florida. We also hooked up with more experienced cavers that were GREAT mentors for this process. It was then that I really started to enjoy cave diving and it amazed me how much more confident I became on each trip and how quickly my skills improved. Did my training prepare me for what happened? Undoubtedly. BUT, that 10 minute experience taught me more about how to handle myself in a bad situation than anything I had ever learned before.
More recently, I did some training certification dives in a quarry followed by doing a little hiking in the Appalachians. At the quarry, I saw divers with thousands of dollars in gear practicing line drills, shooting bags, doing OOA "long hose" drills on lines, etc. Many of them looked uncomfortable with the equipment, had less than 50 dives (almost all in the SAME place) and when I asked one why he was there he said, "to do training for advanced classes." Up on the Appalachian Trail, I saw teens with WalMart packs and tents wearing t-shirts and shorts. They didn't have gear made to ascend K-2 or Everest, oxygen bottles, climbing equipment, etc. They DID appear to know what they were doing and were obviously having FUN. We camped near a group of them one night and I asked them if they liked hiking. All said they loved it and one in particular said "I'd sure like to try the Rockies after I get more experience." Go figure.
And, that's my point to this post. Go diving. Sure, learn some basic skills and go to a local lake or quarry and work on them. Improve yourself. But, "invest" in diving by finding buddies who want to dive, sign up for trips and get OUT THERE. The experience obtained on only a few REAL dives will amaze you. Instead of investing thousands of dollars in gear and MORE training, put the money into dive trips. Don't make the mistake of "over-preparing" for everything. Instead, identify what you CAN do at your present level, "practice" if needed and DO the DIVE. Then, expand your skills and start looking at the "next level," including more training and equipment, if that's what you want.
I'll never understand the philosophy of a diver that has everything but does nothing.
Just my thoughts. Thanks for reading
Peace...
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Well, it depends on circumstances.cerich:
Yesterday we were diving Four Mile Shoal in Sechelt Inlet ... a pinnacle out in the shipping lane. I carried a pre-rigged spool and bag which I planned to shoot before beginning our ascent. We had 6 dive teams in the water, and a live boat to fend off any shipping traffic that might be coming through as we were ascending.
In a case like this, I have no need of an unrigged spool ... and in 46 degree water with dry gloves, why go through the extra step of rigging the bag when I don't need to?
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Drewski, beautiful post, and a lovely complement to GDI's original one.
Navigating with a compass, maintaining depth, and keeping in contact with the buddy. They'll signal OK and then swim off and never even look if the buddy is there or not. Or they will ascend as they swim and end up at the surface.Ice9:
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