Where was the instructor?

[alcina]

and BCs have power inflators.

The air loss from a power inflator is insignificant and manual inflation is an added risk. Sounds like a pretty easy decision to me.

Terry

...and power inflators fail - creating a potential big problem when they auto-inflate.

Amazing how many divers don't remember they can simply unplug the stupid thing and get along just fine with manual inflation. Definitely a must do and get comfy doing it skill IMHO.

Imagine a diver having to sit on the boat coz their inflator is acting up - what a waste...

 

[Scuba_Steve]

Imagine a diver having to sit on the boat coz their inflator is acting up - what a waste...

If any certified diver couldn't figure that out even without instruction on it, that's where they deserve to sit. Fortunately they've been shown several times during their course.

This should be a non issue. Besides, you don't dive with faulty gear, even if it's an inflator, IMO. YMMV however.

That's about the time when that Coz diver gets caught in a down-swell and he finds himself 30ft deeper than he planned, and dropping fast. Sure he's got other options, but his best controllable one is now gone and he's instantly tasked to the bone....<bangs head, now wishes he'd just sat it out and sun-tanned and waited for the rest of his family from the safety of the boat>

It unfortunate we spend so much time on CESA's and virtually nothing on how to sensibly dive so one is never needed. It's basically putting a bright light on the skill and telling people that you will need it so you'd better get demonstration quality good at it! LOL. <shakes head>

I've done manual inflation on purpose with doubles and stages, and I can tell you it's a bi-otch when you're descending at the beginning of a dive. There's necessarily a ton of negative buoyancy there.

 

[StSomewhere]

Nice editing job. My point is that the fin pivot is a standard PADI skill but hovering isn't. You claim its a gateway skill, I'm telling you whatever its supposed to be a gateway to isn't a standard PADI skill. Students have to do a fin pivot at the bottom of the pool and on the platform in one of the OW dives. But there is no standard that takes this "skill" to have descent trim or demonstrate neutral buoyancy or anything else. Again, argue all you want but its not in the standards.

 

[Web Monkey]

...and power inflators fail

So do manual inflators.

. creating a potential big problem when they auto-inflate.

Amazing how many divers don't remember they can simply unplug the stupid thing and get along just fine with manual inflation.

Most divers would start dumping air until they figured out what was going on. Any decent BC will dump air much faster than the inflator can supply it.

Definitely a must do and get comfy doing it skill IMHO.

Imagine a diver having to sit on the boat coz their inflator is acting up - what a waste...

I'd sit out any dive where a major piece of equipment failed.

There's always tomorrow unless you do something really dumb today.

Terry

 

[WileEDiver]

Nice editing job. My point is that the fin pivot is a standard PADI skill but hovering isn't. You claim its a gateway skill, I'm telling you whatever its supposed to be a gateway to isn't a standard PADI skill. Students have to do a fin pivot at the bottom of the pool and on the platform in one of the OW dives. But there is no standard that takes this "skill" to have descent trim or demonstrate neutral buoyancy or anything else. Again, argue all you want but its not in the standards.

Excuse me, but hovering is a PADI required skill, both in confined water and in open water.

To what editing job are you referring? Are you saying something was taken out of context?

 

[AXL72]

OK...I just had a kinda sorta need to manually inflate a BCD....and I stress "ALMOST"

My BCD leaked bubbles out of the power inflator button, so I disconnnected the air hose from the tank after achieving neutral buoyancy on the bottom.

However, not seeing the urgent need to take a perfectly good reg out of my mouth, I hooked up the hose again, when I needed to inflate the BCD (aka going deeper or at the surface), only to quickly disconnect the air hose after it did it's job.

 

[wreckchick]

It's midway through a dive and I'm assisting an instructor with a couple AOW students and a couple guides. My BC is acting funny and I realize it's auto-inflating. What do I do? Calmly disconnect the LP hose and use oral inflation as needed for the remainder of the dive and surface like nothing happened.

The "achieve neutral buoyancy, blah, blah, blah" that is often interpreted as a fin pivot actually needs to have a a point of contact "such as the fin tips" but can be a fingertip. And, yes, you have to hover to pass PADI OW.

Rachel

P.S. Glad the student is fine and kudos to the instructors and divemasters that executed a successful rescue and left this woman with no permanent injury.

Rachel

 

[Rambo13]

Padi this Padi that...blah blah blah, sorry folks but teaching over 20 years now (yes, including Padi) and to date I have never issued a C-card to anyone that couldn't use "ALL" features/functions of standard Dive Equipment. In one way or another each skill revolves around learning and knowing your equipment. (Manual or Otherwise) I think the key here is everyone did make it back OK. Even if the "whole" story isn't there.

 

[Gregz]

I did manual BC inflation at depth on my PADI OW cert... only for the fin pivot exercise, and yes, the instructor was right there watching every second of it. I can easily see manually inflate my BCD just in order to conserve air... otherwise, there's a reason everyone has the power inflators. They're easier.

 

[oly5050user]

It's midway through a dive and I'm assisting an instructor with a couple AOW students and a couple guides. My BC is acting funny and I realize it's auto-inflating. What do I do? Calmly disconnect the LP hose and use oral inflation as needed for the remainder of the dive and surface like nothing happened.

The "achieve neutral buoyancy, blah, blah, blah" that is often interpreted as a fin pivot actually needs to have a a point of contact "such as the fin tips" but can be a fingertip. And, yes, you have to hover to pass PADI OW.

Rachel

P.S. Glad the student is fine and kudos to the instructors and divemasters that executed a successful rescue and left this woman with no permanent injury.

Rachel

cannot be a finger tip--must be fin tip or knees for a pivot..cannot demonstrate a pivot on your fingers,especially when your feet may be over your head with poor buoyancy control..