Not really. You can conduct surface supplied dives off scuba tanks and a suitcase size air control box. Video is nice but unnecessary and useless in black water.
KMACS-5 With Communications | Kirby Morgan
Tethering Policy?
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Not really. You can conduct surface supplied dives off scuba tanks and a suitcase size air control box. Video is nice but unnecessary and useless in black water.
KMACS-5 With Communications | Kirby Morgan
We almost always dive tethered. If a diver becomes unconscious, he will let go of the end of a tether, but it won't let go of him (or her) if it is hard attached. This is particularly important in current, where an unconscious diver could be carried off before a safety diver can respond. We also have a procedure in place (and we practice it) for what to do if the tether becomes so fouled it cannot be undone in a reasonable amount of time (safety diver, also tethered, is sent to retrieve the diver). I'd rather lose a rope than a diver. If the diver needs assistance for any reason, it's a lot easier for an assisting diver (or safety diver) to find him by following the tether.
Diving with a tether does have it's challenges, but it also makes running a search pattern much easier, particularly in low visibility. One of the things that we try to avoid is sending the diver straight down from the boat on a tether. Generally, our rule of thumb is that the diver should be a vertical distance from the line tender equal to or greater than the depth he is searching/working in. This provides a shallow enough tether angle that the diver can use the line as a directional reference and keep the line off to the side when running a search pattern or working on a vehicle or rigging an object for recovery.
Now full disclosure, we do not specifically state that all diving will be tethered in our SOP, and there are a few specific instances where we do not require tethers, but our diving is predominantly in poor visibility, sometimes in current and in the winter months, under the ice. In very few instances, we have gone without a tether when we had good visibility and the safety diver can easily see us (not just our bubbles).
Working tethered is one of the few practices that has NOT been questioned on our team.
Diving with a tether does have it's challenges, but it also makes running a search pattern much easier, particularly in low visibility. One of the things that we try to avoid is sending the diver straight down from the boat on a tether. Generally, our rule of thumb is that the diver should be a vertical distance from the line tender equal to or greater than the depth he is searching/working in. This provides a shallow enough tether angle that the diver can use the line as a directional reference and keep the line off to the side when running a search pattern or working on a vehicle or rigging an object for recovery.
Now full disclosure, we do not specifically state that all diving will be tethered in our SOP, and there are a few specific instances where we do not require tethers, but our diving is predominantly in poor visibility, sometimes in current and in the winter months, under the ice. In very few instances, we have gone without a tether when we had good visibility and the safety diver can easily see us (not just our bubbles).
Working tethered is one of the few practices that has NOT been questioned on our team.
Mphill9929
Registered
I was looking for something else and stumbled across this thread. I do not get to ScubaBoard as often as I should.
i will be as brief as I can and address the issues being discussed. The OSHA exemption does NOT include the word recovery..... According to the man who wrote the exemption, this is the test to see if your dive is exempt or not: If you have the ability to save life or limb, you are exempt. When you do not, you are not. I am not open to debate or differing opinions, I went to the source.
Tethered diving - we use this 100 percent of the time when diving in low and zero visibility water. With no ability to know if a path is clear to the surface the only known clear path is back the way you came. In order to run an effective and tight pattern consistently, it is my opinion that the diver needs to maintain a tensioned search line. I find the best and easiest way to do this is using a hand loop tied in the tethered search line.
if you can agree that surface supplied air is safer than diving scuba the the application of a 100 percent of the time tethered diver must be too. The deciding point however is clarity of the water. In zero visibility I want my divers tethered - period.
If you are looking for a class, i will be teaching the 5th annual Body and Weapon Recovery Specialty program at the University of Texas May 9-11 in Austin, Texas. Info is the second menu choice down at PSDiver.com.
Mark Phillips
Editor /Publisher
PSDiver Monthly
i will be as brief as I can and address the issues being discussed. The OSHA exemption does NOT include the word recovery..... According to the man who wrote the exemption, this is the test to see if your dive is exempt or not: If you have the ability to save life or limb, you are exempt. When you do not, you are not. I am not open to debate or differing opinions, I went to the source.
Tethered diving - we use this 100 percent of the time when diving in low and zero visibility water. With no ability to know if a path is clear to the surface the only known clear path is back the way you came. In order to run an effective and tight pattern consistently, it is my opinion that the diver needs to maintain a tensioned search line. I find the best and easiest way to do this is using a hand loop tied in the tethered search line.
if you can agree that surface supplied air is safer than diving scuba the the application of a 100 percent of the time tethered diver must be too. The deciding point however is clarity of the water. In zero visibility I want my divers tethered - period.
If you are looking for a class, i will be teaching the 5th annual Body and Weapon Recovery Specialty program at the University of Texas May 9-11 in Austin, Texas. Info is the second menu choice down at PSDiver.com.
Mark Phillips
Editor /Publisher
PSDiver Monthly
Becca_007
Contributor
I'm pretty late to this party but I'm all for tethering.
Ice Diving = Line attached to harness with locking carabiner.
River or Open Water (pendulum) = Line attached to harness with snap shackle.
In all situations we tie a hand loop to hang on to the line but if we need both hands, accidentally drop it, or go unconscious we are still attached to to our line. If entanglement becomes an issue, the snap shackle makes a very quick and simple release in all but the ice dive scenario. While some do open water pendulums without the harness and tether (only hold the line in their hand) I find it much more convenient to be connected.
Ice Diving = Line attached to harness with locking carabiner.
River or Open Water (pendulum) = Line attached to harness with snap shackle.
In all situations we tie a hand loop to hang on to the line but if we need both hands, accidentally drop it, or go unconscious we are still attached to to our line. If entanglement becomes an issue, the snap shackle makes a very quick and simple release in all but the ice dive scenario. While some do open water pendulums without the harness and tether (only hold the line in their hand) I find it much more convenient to be connected.
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This: http://teamlgs.com/why-wearing-a-harness-is-important-for-safety-and-search-effectiveness/ is a good reference for one agency's view on tethering.
I'm not a PSD, never was. I'll post here this one time to address your question, as I have taken several professional courses with police, fire, and EMS. Did so with an agency that only teaches tethered diving with a fixed attachment point using a simple harness. I don't think that you can find another agency that is as committed to tethered diving.
I was critical of being tethered at first. Especially when I was diving the river. After a few dives in black water and under the ice, my position changed drastically. I know I would have missed a few objects and victims if I was not tethered and doing sweeps. Also gives peace of mind under the ice.
robbf213
Registered
Our team dives tethered all the time on every dive, no matter what.
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OK, but it may not show what you want to see...
More detail:
Soft nylon, simple dual loop closure, velcro pad to keep it from coming undone. One D-ring at your solar plexus. And yes, that is the one and only right place to be pulled (in/out pattern) from. Another D-ring on your back. We don't want to have to use that one...
I know that I don't belong in this forum, I'm not a PSD, but I will offer insights as an attempt to help any Police/Fire/EMS that cares to listen.
The big deal with tethered diving has not been addressed. Solo searching means that absolutely EVERYTHING is on you, the diver. Tell you what, put a solo diver into true blackwater, tow a dive flag, and video record the pattern from shore.
Back on point. See those two little girls? They are also known as the brains of the operation. I'm the dope on the rope. However, I can do one killer 'routine pattern search' that covers a rectangular search area. Then I move exactly one arm's length, retighten the line, and repeat the search. That is about all I'm good for. That and knowing my line signals. The profiler keeps me moving at a pace that is appropriate for the size of the object of interest. Look closely at my tender. She was photographed while talking to me. Sharp flicks of her wrist are transmitted to my solar plexus. I only hold the rope when signalling back. Note the profiler. She works closely with the tender and maintains an overlapping search pattern. We were recovering carabiners in zero viz. Big bad if you lose one. I'm thinking that I could find a body...
More detail:
Soft nylon, simple dual loop closure, velcro pad to keep it from coming undone. One D-ring at your solar plexus. And yes, that is the one and only right place to be pulled (in/out pattern) from. Another D-ring on your back. We don't want to have to use that one...
I know that I don't belong in this forum, I'm not a PSD, but I will offer insights as an attempt to help any Police/Fire/EMS that cares to listen.
The big deal with tethered diving has not been addressed. Solo searching means that absolutely EVERYTHING is on you, the diver. Tell you what, put a solo diver into true blackwater, tow a dive flag, and video record the pattern from shore.
Back on point. See those two little girls? They are also known as the brains of the operation. I'm the dope on the rope. However, I can do one killer 'routine pattern search' that covers a rectangular search area. Then I move exactly one arm's length, retighten the line, and repeat the search. That is about all I'm good for. That and knowing my line signals. The profiler keeps me moving at a pace that is appropriate for the size of the object of interest. Look closely at my tender. She was photographed while talking to me. Sharp flicks of her wrist are transmitted to my solar plexus. I only hold the rope when signalling back. Note the profiler. She works closely with the tender and maintains an overlapping search pattern. We were recovering carabiners in zero viz. Big bad if you lose one. I'm thinking that I could find a body...
I'm really late to this thread to, but our Dive Team always dives tethered. We are in mostly black water rivers and it is so easy to get turned around not being tethered not to mention how could do a close search without it. When you alternate and the tender lets out 2 foot of line and if you keep that line tight you would have a hard time missing anything on the bottom. We just D-ring a “tender” line to our BC and the tender starts you in a pattern giving hand signals by tugging on the line we use the pneumonic OATS .
(diver to tender) Ok, Allow (slack), Target, Send help
(tender to diver) Ok, Alternate, Take up slack, Surface
Just curious dose any one use any other kind of different pneumonic?
(diver to tender) Ok, Allow (slack), Target, Send help
(tender to diver) Ok, Alternate, Take up slack, Surface
Just curious dose any one use any other kind of different pneumonic?
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