Virginian diver dead at 190 feet - Roaring River State Park, Missouri

[rjack321]

BTW @Tracy I'm not disagreeing with you on this as a training issue. Another way to simply articulate this on a CCR card would be, "You've been trained you to use no more than 1 QC6 on your unit-diluent"

 

[Tracy]

It's not just the QC6 by itself, its how it is used by the sidewinder and similar units as part of a system (or lack thereof).

1) You typically finish assembly of the sidewinder and plug in the dil in the water. There's no bench assembly check of the dil like on a typical backmount CCR
2) You can't trace the hose from tip to 1st stage if its short and buried in your armpit. Heck some people don't even use gauges on their cave BOs.
3) The left/right side SM tanks are "backgas" and rarely even labelled with a MOD.
4) On CCR especially there are all sorts of different definitions of MOD for BO (or BO/dil), eg some treat 21/35 as a 150ft gas, to some its 190ft, to some its 218ft. It's hard to know how the EAN24/26 was even being treated MOD-wise.

Once you start adding additional BO or deco tanks with a variety of gases and MODs it's a problem on units like this if those tanks also have QC6s on them "just in case" you want to plug them into your CCR. If they don't have QC6s the only way to accidentally breath them is through the 2nd stage which people naturally understand as a risk. There are legions of threads here on how people add gear like QC6s "just in case". They are not viewed as a hazard. In this case they were a big hazard because the rest of the sidewinder system and related training isn't set up to address having 2+ QC6s on you. Unlike the RB80 folks starting off from day1 with qc6s as unit gas switches drilled into them.

I am well aware how offboard diluent works, I dive and teach with it. Again, Gas switches are gas switches. It doesn't matter if you are plugging it into the loop, or plugging it directly into your mouth, it is still a gas switch.
You whole argument seems to be that since they either didn't pay attention in training or their instructor didn't teach it, it shouldn't be used. That is akin to some people stuff their long hose in bungees on their backmount tanks, should we no longer use a long hose because some people don't use it correctly?
1. You still verify the gas before you breathe it, I don't care where you start breathing it. In the water or on the surface, you still verify what gas you are breathing before you breathe it.
2. You can still purge it and watch a gauge drop to verify what hose you are plugging in. As to the some people don't use gauges on their bailout, some people smoke crack as well. Do we really want to emulate what some people are doing?
3. All tanks should be analyzed and labeled before entering the water. It really isn't a difficult rule to follow.
4. I don't really care how you determine your MOD, but there are standards in place, they were based from best practice. Choosing to ignore every training agency in existence best practice probably isn't a great way to make that choice, but we all make choices. You live and die based on them. It would seem he chose the latter option.

 

[Tracy]

BTW @Tracy I'm not disagreeing with you on this as a training issue. Another way to simply articulate this on a CCR card would be, "You've been trained you to use no more than 1 QC6 on your unit-diluent"

I just don't see it. I can't imagine someone getting to trimix cave level and not being taught how to do a gas switch.
Unfortunately I believe you are correct in saying it isn't being conveyed in training.

 

[rjack321]

My point is that QC6s are not always viewed as gas switches (or potential gas switches) outside of the rB80 community in particular. Twice in 6months people plugged in the wrong diluent gas on a sidewinder.

They create a unique opportunity to screw up on units which rely on QC6s for diluent and CCR courses aren't instilling respect for having 2+ QC6 on your person - especially if they were added after the fact onto BO cylinders. There are more units than ever that rely on off-board diluent and people add QC6s because they can without appreciating the potential to plug in the wrong one. Courses would be wise to emphasize that at the MOD1 level you should limit yourself to 1 QC6. Down the road in MOD2 and 3 people need to either rely on conventional 2nd stages for their BO minus QC6s on those bottles. Or be taught and adopt dil switch protocols similar to OC switches into their QC6 usage.

 

[formernuke]

@Tracy

What is the common pratice for labeling said quick connects?

I'm new to CCR and don't use one such so I'm curious.

 

[Tracy]

@Tracy

What is the common pratice for labeling said quick connects?

I'm new to CCR and don't use one such so I'm curious.

They are the same a second stage. They don't get labeled. Labeling them would make it possible to be installed on a different bottle and assumed incorrectly.
The tanks get analyzed and labeled. A gas switch procedure is used to verify the fitting is attached to the tank you think it is. MOD is on the tank for you and your team to read.

 

[DOBY]

@Tracy

What is the common pratice for labeling said quick connects?

I'm new to CCR and don't use one such so I'm curious.

I believe labeling is a bad idea. It’s best to treat QC6 gas exchanges just like a second stage gas switch. Trace the hose back to the regulator and check the MOD on the tank it’s connected too. Purge the QC6 with the tank valve closed to verify the SPG drops.

But I am not a CCR Instructor so my recommendation is worth exactly what you paid for it…..nothing. And I only run one with an in-line shut off from my right BO tank to my ADV on a sidewinder.

 

[formernuke]

So labeling is labeling the tanks and tracing the hose. Still labeling.

 

[lostsheep]

Stop using different gasses in your SM dilout and use poka-yoke in your connections.

 

[inquis]

So labeling is labeling the tanks and tracing the hose. Still labeling.

But only once and everything references back to that defining info. Avoids the telephone game.