Things you learn from DM

[Diver0001]

LOL

Just for the record though I naturally have a snorkel when teaching recreational classes ans standards require it. I don't always wear it on my head but I can donate gas with a long hose without it getting in the way. I find that if you stay horizontal and just duck your head slightly (as you would normally do anyway) the snorkel doesn't really get in the way. Rather than flip the hose over my head, I pass my primary in a streight line from my to the OOA diver with the mouth piece pointing down to avoid free flows. At the same time I duck my head so the hose clears.

I still don't like to wear a snorkel unless I'm snorkeling.

Well... it was a new experience for me. She (the student) was following me with her buddy and swam up beside me and signed that something was wrong with her regulator. She then handed it to me (freeflowing) and I stopped and turned to her. At that point I was still horizontal and I could see that the reg was freeflowing and I had her reg in one hand and just grabbed my own reg and gave it a flip with the other hand (like I would usually do). My head was back and I forgot entirely about the snorkel until it was clear that the hose didn't clear it. I pulled it back down on my neck and tried again and it still didn't clear the snorkel. At that point the student was without her regulator for a good ... 5 count or so ... and I was starting to worry about how she was going to react to this. So I replaced her own reg, pulled my hose back down again, gave her the sign for "slow/calm" and then "removed" my snorkel. At that point she started ascending and I had one other diver with me at the time (her buddy) so I figured the dive had gone pear-shaped anyway if her reg wasn't going to stop freeflowing so I signed to abort and we just went up.

But ok. No excuses. I see this as a major f.u. on my part so I'm happy to have your advice. I guarantee you this will only happen to me once.

R..

 

[MikeFerrara]

But ok. No excuses. I see this as a major f.u. on my part so I'm happy to have your advice. I guarantee you this will only happen to me once.

R..

I didn't mean to criticize. I've done it that's how I know. LOL

I was lucky enough to have it happen during a demonstration though so I just looked a bit silly.

 

[Diver0001]

I didn't mean to criticize. I've done it that's how I know. LOL

I was lucky enough to have it happen during a demonstration though so I just looked a bit silly.

No problem. As I said, I'm happy to have your take. You're more of a mentor to me than you might realise.

R..

 

[IndigoBlue]

I think it would be beneficial to some not-so-newbies too. I question the validity of all of those points except the last, and would be very interested in hearing why you consider those things bad habits.

I'd absolutely love to see you do even a 15 foot dive in two layers of 7mm neoprene (a common exposure protection choice around here, and one I'm fond of even for deeper dives) using less than 10 lbs of weight. What's your secret?

I have to respect Massachusetts. Some of the brightest people on this earth live there. And there are more world class universities in Boston than in most other entire states.

Out of reverence for your home, Silvia, I will be glad to help you try to understand.

Do not scuba dive in a thick wetsuit. Eight little words. That should be crystal clear to anyone in Massachusetts.

And if you need more than 10 lbs of lead on you, do not put it onto your weight belt.

Is that better?

 

[diverbrian]

I have to respect Massachusetts. Some of the brightest people on this earth live there. And there are more world class universities in Boston than in most other entire states.

Out of reverence for your home, Silvia, I will be glad to help you try to understand.

Do not scuba dive in a thick wetsuit. Eight little words. That should be crystal clear to anyone in Massachusetts.

And if you need more than 10 lbs of lead on you, do not put it onto your weight belt.

Is that better?

That's crystal clear where I live as well. One comment, I understand that you are implying that the ditchable portion of the weight be ten pounds or less. I assure you that most people up here need more than ten pounds with an AL 80 and that is with a drysuit. And we would less than somebody from Mass. as we don't have salt water.

As to scuba diving in thick wetsuit, not all of us are made of money (I dive dry so I am defending my cold water cousins.) and want to spend a ton of money a low quality drysuit. I know of several divers that are saving money to buy a higher quality drysuit later and diving wet now.

 

[IndigoBlue]

Not to mention in the way. I recently left mine behind on a dive. The instructor insisted on me wearing it, despite the fact that I have a Holgarthian hose configuration, for OW 3,4. It's the first time an instructor insisted in my wearing it instead of just carrying it and (wouldn't you know it) during the dive the student's reg started to free-flow. I went to flip my longhose over my head to get it ready but instead it became entangled in my snorkel and made things worse. So I .... erm .... "removed" the snorkel (thankfully it was attached with the world's flimsiest snorkel keeper) and tossed it over my shoulder and cursed something that sounded like "Here Mr. Murphy it's yours now shove it up your ....bleep.... ". :475:

Needless to say it lead to a really embarrassing situation because the student ended up not needing to share air and I had to explain to them why I had thrown away my snorkel ...... I found it back on the next dive again but since then it's been turned in to a children's bathtub toy..... I was pretty P.O.'d after the dive, actually, but most at my myself for letting this stupid STUPID thing happen to me.

ooh. Still a little po'ed I guess....

In fact, the more experience I"m getting with a "normal" rec-rig the more I appreciate that just like anything else, all the bits fit together. You just can't mix and match configurations like long hoses with snorkels or canister lights with stab-jackets.....It just doesn't work.

so.... getting to the point.... from a certain perspective, I can see Indigo's point (yes, you read that right, I'm amazed too). A normal rec rig can take a snorkel..... It's not a problem. It becomes a problem when your config deviates from that norm.

R..

Diver0001, you can dive a "hogarthian" rig together with a snorkel simply by substituting one of your 40 inch deco reg hoses for your 7 ft cave hose. As long as you are not going into a cave, you do not need a hose longer than 40 inches.

And if you are not going into a cave, it is silly to wear a hose longer than 40 inches.

That way, with a 40 inch hose as your primary, you won't strip off your mask by entangling it on your snorkel when and if you need to donate your primary. And then you will be a safe diver, with a snorkel with you at all times, unless you are diving into a cave.

 

[IndigoBlue]

That's crystal clear where I live as well. One comment, I understand that you are implying that the ditchable portion of the weight be ten pounds or less. I assure you that most people up here need more than ten pounds with an AL 80 and that is with a drysuit. And we would less than somebody from Mass. as we don't have salt water.

As to scuba diving in thick wetsuit, not all of us are made of money (I dive dry so I am defending my cold water cousins.) and want to spend a ton of money a low quality drysuit. I know of several divers that are saving money to buy a higher quality drysuit later and diving wet now.

Michigan is actually better known for fantastic college football teams than academics. Although when I dream of Michigan, I am dreaming about all the Great Lakes shipwrecks that beckon. I envy you, a little. But not in winter, however.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Oh yeah, Michigan can blow the socks off ya in winter. Coldest place I've ever been to,
though, is Minnesota.

 

[diverbrian]

Michigan is actually better known for fantastic college football teams than academics. Although when I dream of Michigan, I am dreaming about all the Great Lakes shipwrecks that beckon. I envy you, a little. But not in winter, however.

The water's fine and the wrecks are sweet!

 

[FreeFloat]

You apparently don't dive a long hose.

You have no idea about its advantages.

Yes, even in open water.

I was diving recently with a familiar buddy on a "conventional" recreational reg setup, and when I passed him my primary, the pleasant surprised look on his face was a Kodak moment. On the boat he commented to me just how much better the 7' hose is, than his 36" Octopus. For one thing, he didn't need to practically climb all over me on the ascent, just to keep the reg in his mouth......

I do not wear a snorkel hanging off my mask.

I dive deeper than 50' in my wetsuit. I have no issues to speak of. I also spend my hard-earned cash actually going out and diving, rather than sitting at home for months to save up for a drysuit that I would, by the time I can afford one, be so out of diving practice that it would be a challenge to use.

However I wear only 6 lbs on my weight belt..... the rest is in my backplate/tank/canister light...........