Tired of naysayers

[Van Isle]

Hi folks,
I've been reading and taking courses and learning a lot lately about SCUBA gear. Combined with a sound idea of calculated risk management, I've really been finding the DIY naysayers to be ignorant and unhelpful when I ask questions in the more general fora.

How do you deal with the "it'll kill you; it's life support gear; buy new; throw it out" crowd while still trying to glean intelligent information from someone who might know something? How do you separate the guy who won't have anyone but a certified "reg tech" change his hoses from a real source who knows what she's talking about?

Any stories to share?

Thanks in advance,
VI

 

[Underwater Ogre]

I ignore them.
That said...I am not a reg service tech and therefore wouldn't try servicing my regs...do people do it? of course.
As far as fooling around with DIY lights, pockets, suit repairs, harnesses and such, there's no harm in it. If you are confident enough to design it, build it and dive it, its your responsibility. If someone doesn't want to dive with you because of it...so be it. Their probably not a compatible dive buddy anyways.
Everyone has different ideas on land...why cant we have different ideas underwater?

Keep on Trucking...

 

[Van Isle]

It's the old tautology of "you don't know what you don't know" that can have me concerned. When I TRY to learn it can be hard to get trustworthy sources. But I guess at some point you build, test, and test again.

 

[Underwater Ogre]

But I guess at some point you build, test, and test again.

A few good ideas and some suggestions help...but in the end it does come down to test and test again.

If we all listened to the naysayers....we wouldnt have this forum.

 

[timegan]

I guess ya just do, (deal with it).. You will get some positive to mix with the snarls. When faced with the "life support/ could kill yourself"... I just tell them, That is precisely why I have learned to check/repair all my own gear. My gear..My life! If one day sky-diving was in my interest...No way I'd jump till I learned to, and did, pack my own shoot. Thank you... Same with scuba...So stay at it Van Isle. DIY

 

[tkdgodess]

Get to know your gear whatever you have. I recently had my primary second stage full of sand because a student stepped on it. My dmc was shocked to see me unscrew the lid and rinse it out in the ocean, replace the diaphram and screw the lid back on and dive. Not a big deal, better than getting everything off and replacing my whole reg with the spare before I even tried to clean it out. If you are curious take it apart. Changing hoses? That's easy. I'm not particularly mechanically inclined, but some of us are just willing to at least try. Sounds like you are one of them. Go for it.

 

[Cave Diver]

Hi folks,
I've been reading and taking courses and learning a lot lately about SCUBA gear. Combined with a sound idea of calculated risk management, I've really been finding the DIY naysayers to be ignorant and unhelpful when I ask questions in the more general fora.

How do you deal with the "it'll kill you; it's life support gear; buy new; throw it out" crowd while still trying to glean intelligent information from someone who might know something? How do you separate the guy who won't have anyone but a certified "reg tech" change his hoses from a real source who knows what she's talking about?

Any stories to share?

Thanks in advance,
VI

First off, the only thing that is probably truly life support is your regs. Regs are also most likely to fail just after servicing, mainly because something was done incorrectly.

My suggestion is that if you want to build/service your own gear, go for it. Just understand the consequences of a failure and have a plan for how you'll deal with it. i.e. you build a wing, it fails, how will you surface? dump weights, swim up, lift bag, etc. I'd also recommend that the gear get tested in a pool or other confined water first instead of testing it on an Andrea Doria dive.

Finally, if you're testing gear that may kill you (like you've built your own ccr unit) make sure at the very least you have someone watching out for you from the surface, if not actually in the pool with you.

If you covered all those bases and someone says "you're gonna die!" just smile and say "it's ok, I have life insurance."

 

[Teamcasa]

Most DIY people are just wired differently. We not only want to figure out how something was made and how it works but we also have the desire to try and improve it. Sure, sometimes we know we can build it for less cash and that motivates us but more often it's the desire to build it better and put our personal touch on it.

People who simply buy want they need simply do not get it.

(Our secret reason for building stuff? We get to buy expensive and play more tools!)

 

[haibeis]

Van isle - it is of course your life to toy with -

In terms of building ones' own safety gear it is definitely a case of "you don't know what you don't know". Presumably a bought reg or BC has undergone rigourous design and testing using tens or hundreds of units that expose where the weaknesses are....something out of the scope or budget of the DIY'er. This is ok for things like torches - the worst that can happen is a flood...

the only other comment -

it is not just your life or your carefree buddies you put at risk - what about the poor sods that have to try and rescue you, or retrieve your body?

 

[Van Isle]

For the record: I'm not building anything, I'm just bench testing some ideas. And certainly nothing as awesome as a rebreather or a hand made first stage. But after you visit a few factories, warehouses, or back-of-shops in the SCUBA industry and you see the "techs" who repair drysuits, rebuild reg sets, blend mixes...DIY confidence grows. It's just trying to manage that confidence that I am finding challenging while not coming off as "arrogant" or "know-it-all" when in fact I may know more than self-proclaimed internet experts. Or I could be incredibly dangerous!



VI