Valve Drills

[TSandM]

I had a freeflow the other day . . . It wasn't a big one, but I couldn't get it to stop, so I signaled my husband for his long hose, and he shut off my valve. It was very annoying, because it was only about 7 minutes into the dive, so as we swam upslope, I waited a few minutes and reached back and turned the valve on again. (It immediately freeflowed again, so I shut it back off and we exited.)

It was very nice to be able to do this. It was also so much easier than I remember it having been, when I had to do it to pass Fundies, that I was dumfounded. I haven't done a valve drill in a single tank in about two years, so it wasn't practice. I'm quite convinced it is the different exposure protection I am now using.

 

[sambolino44]

I recently had an interesting conversation about this, and I mentioned that, in addition to the fact that I'm still experimenting with different setups to get the best trim (including how high I put the cylinder in relation to the BP/W), I can hardly ever reach my valve. I had been thinking about it like this: I would like to be able to reach my valve, but it's not essential. I was informed that, yes, it is essential to be able to reach your valve, even on a single cylinder, for all the reasons mentioned earlier.

To me, the reason that seems to be most likely to come into play is the possibility that somebody (buddy, DM, random passersby) may "try to help" me by making sure my valve is open and accidentally turn it off (minus 1/4 turn) when I'm not looking. Of course you try to catch this with your last check before descending, but to me, that's not a very strong argument against being able to reach your valve yourself.

So how do you do this? I was told that I should adjust my cylinder so that I can reach my valve first, and then adjust my weight to achieve proper trim. Makes sense.

I brought up the problem: but if I can reach my valve, then I bump my head on it. There was no clear solution for this, only the implication that it's a compromise situation, and ultimately, compromising safety is not the correct answer to a problem that can be characterized as discomfort or inconvenience. I have to say I agree.

Basically what I came away with is this: I will continue to experiment with my setup so that I can reach my valve. I think I'll be able to get it to a position where I can reach it, and it won't bump my head too much. If not, I'll continue to keep the valve within reach, and work on the head bump problem by working on my mobility, namely stretching exercises. And then I'll work on my trim by adjusting weight position after I've settled on a cylinder position.

I forgot to include that I will approach the changes to my setup in a methodical, organized way, and include that info in my log.

 

[Tortuga68]

I don't know about anyone else, but I find it literally impossible to reach the valve on my single tank rig. If I ever jumped in the water with my tank off, I'd better rely on my legs.

Aside from the obvious solution of moving your tank higher up in the cam bands, try getting head down in the water - that will shift the tank up so the valve's easier to reach, and you won't have to have the first stage banging you in the head when you're horizontal

 

[Peter Guy]

I have had the same thoughts as the OP -- why single tank valve drills? And the reason I reached is the same one as others have said -- to be able to turn your valve ON (at least a little). And the only time you need to turn your valve ON is at the surface -- right? So, at least for me, it doesn't need to be "pretty" -- great trim, etc. -- it just needs to be effective -- which is why the reach back with your left hand and pull the tank over so that your right hand can reach the valve.

I don't seen any (or at least any significant) benefit from being able to shut your valve down -- regardless of the situation (free flow, stuck inflator, whatever). THAT is what your buddy (teammate) is for -- give you gas and shut down your valve -- and in that order.

To the poster who said it was good to be able to do this to feather your free flow -- where is your buddy and his reg? Isn't that the solution?

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

Aside from the obvious solution of moving your tank higher up in the cam bands, try getting head down in the water

I agree on the slightly head down position, but not on adjusting the tank higher in the bands - that is not really the best solution to the problem. The "right" way to approach this is to learn (and use!) the proper technique to begin with.

There are two keys to reaching your valves. The first is (as you mentioned) to maintain a horizontal or slightly head-down position. Many people have a tendency to rear back when first trying a valve drill, which actually makes the problem worse. If you have air in your wing, then it will rise to the shoulders. This pushes the tank further away, actually making it more difficult to reach the valve.

The second thing is to make sure you are reaching straight back over your shoulder. Your elbow should literally brush the right side of your head as you go back. This gives you a much wider range of motion than reaching from the side, and you will find it much easier to get all the way back to the valve. With some regs and valves, you may have to grab some part of the first stage with your fingers, and "walk" to the valve to reach it. In most cases you can go straight to the valve, though.

And whatever you have to do, it obviously has to be practiced often enough that you can do it comfortably and reliably. Otherwise it will not serve you well when you need to do it.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Two other solutions are to use one hand to push up on the bottom of the tank, or to reach back as far as you can, then use your other hand to push your elbow back. You'll be amazed how much more reach you get.

 

[rjack321]

I have had the same thoughts as the OP -- why single tank valve drills? And the reason I reached is the same one as others have said -- to be able to turn your valve ON (at least a little). And the only time you need to turn your valve ON is at the surface -- right? So, at least for me, it doesn't need to be "pretty" -- great trim, etc. -- it just needs to be effective -- which is why the reach back with your left hand and pull the tank over so that your right hand can reach the valve.

Not quite right...
You need to be able to turn a single tank on when you giant stride off the boat without enough gas in your wing and the DM or other diver has oh so helpfully turned your tank off. As you sink into the abyss, getting to that valve is pretty much priority #1. Otherwise I agree, being able to turn the valve both ways is just good practice.