Valve Drills?

[MonkSeal]

Not even close. Keep in mind your other hand is checking your SPG, while your other hand is tweaking your buoyancy. And the remaining hand is holding your wetnotes on which your other hand is writing "Check out this CF in action!" All while scootering of course. :11:

Which means that you're spider or octopus

 

[radinator]

I think the earlier posts have it. Keep your elbow forward and up, not to the side. Your bicep should be touching your ear.

 

[mania]

The thing that really helped me was a simple one - keep your head up. My instinct was - everytime I tried to reach valves my head was going down - chin to chest. Once the head was up it all seemed really simple. Then I had some problem with reaching the isolating valve. My instructor showed me to move my hand from the middle of forehead back - and simply my hand landed on the isolator valve.
And one more thing beside the trim - are you trying to reach the valves in wet or dry suit? If the last then there is also a chance that the suit is too small.
I've realised not so long ago that standard sizes of dry suits in fact do not take into account neither valve drill or proper trim. So they turn out to be too small (or rather too short from waist up to arms).

Mania

 

[mer]

First having someone check out your flexibility in your wetsuit on dryland. This will give you an idea of it's the suit that's limiting you.

Also, make sure your tank is positioned correctly. It should probably be high enough that when you put your head back, you can touch your first stage with your head.

And of course, elbow in. Pretend like you are slicking back your hair when going for the valve.

 

[Jasonmh]

Thank you all for the great advice, I will try it out the next time I am in the water.
Thanks,
Jason

 

[Spectre]

I skimmed through but I don't actually see the answer in here anywhere. Have you -taken- DIR-F, or are you practicing for the class?

Find someone who knows what they are doing, and have them help you check your harness sizing. You may very quickly find the solution to your problem.

 

[Jasonmh]

I have not taken it yet, was just trying to find some tips cause when I did try it I was nowhere close.

 

[Spectre]

I have not taken it yet, was just trying to find some tips cause when I did try it I was nowhere close.

Perhaps you missed my point.

Many -many- divers that are practicing and preparing for a DIR-F class skip some of the steps that you will actually learn in the class. One of them... making sure your harness is fitted correctly. If your harness isn't fitted correctly, you can practice and stretch and crane your head and try and try and try, just to find after you step back and properly fit your harness and properly position your tank on that properly fitted harness.... you just wasted a ton of in-water time trying to fix something that isn't necessarily broken.

 

[Laser]

Perhaps you missed my point.

Many -many- divers that are practicing and preparing for a DIR-F class skip some of the steps that you will actually learn in the class. One of them... making sure your harness is fitted correctly. If your harness isn't fitted correctly, you can practice and stretch and crane your head and try and try and try, just to find after you step back and properly fit your harness and properly position your tank on that properly fitted harness.... you just wasted a ton of in-water time trying to fix something that isn't necessarily broken.

Solid advice I can personally attest to. My harness was shortened more than a bit! It also extends to other areas of diving.

DIRF isn't really something you can prepare for. The best preparation you can do is think of all the questions you have ever wanted to ask about diving and not forget to ask them. Nothing is too simple. Then judge the value of the response. I had so many questions the next day when I was removed from it a bit.

 

[Jasonmh]

Perhaps you missed my point.

Many -many- divers that are practicing and preparing for a DIR-F class skip some of the steps that you will actually learn in the class. One of them... making sure your harness is fitted correctly. If your harness isn't fitted correctly, you can practice and stretch and crane your head and try and try and try, just to find after you step back and properly fit your harness and properly position your tank on that properly fitted harness.... you just wasted a ton of in-water time trying to fix something that isn't necessarily broken.

Thanks for the advice, I don't think I missed your point. You asked "Have you -taken- DIR-F, or are you practicing for the class?". So my answer was no, I have not taken the class. I definitely understand that there are many, many things I will learn in the class, this being one of them. But I do appreciate getting some of the tips here. I don't think that learning what I can from the board is a bad idea. For example, if my shoulder range-of-motion can be increased by doing the exercises that some have recommended, why wait till after I take the class to start streching? I do fully understand that it is no substitute for the class and that I cannot learn all this from reading on the internet. Your point of the harness being sized correctly and how much one problem can create others is a well taken. Thanks