Which hand for the HID light?
- Thread starter Viscya
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The DIRF book is old and was published years ago. The system evolves. I can't see the picture in question so can't really comment on it, but just because you see this gizmo in this position on a diver in the book doesn't mean a *whole* lot.
Soggy
Contributor
My light goes in my left hand with the cord routed underneath (i.e. closer to my body) the long hose for easy deployment of the long hose. The reasons for this are:
If I need to do something with my left hand like dumping gas where I cannot reach over and fix the problem with my right hand, I move the lighthead into a temporary hold in my right hand where only my thumb is in the goodman or I'm just holding the ballast of the light. This means that I can very quickly switch back to the left hand should I need to donate gas.
Because the light cord is run under the long hose, whenever the light is clipped off to the right D-ring, it has to be run back underneath the long hose so as to not trap it. It gets to be habit eventually, but is easy to forget when first learning to dive with a can light.
- I don't blind my already freaked out buddy when I give him gas. He ends up able to *see* the regulator coming at him this way and can reach to help put it in his own mouth.
- Reel goes in left hand, wound by right hand. Were the light in the right hand, light signals would get all sorts of confused.
- For future development, should I ever get a scooter, the scooter is run by the right hand, so the light needs to go in the left hand anyhow.
If I need to do something with my left hand like dumping gas where I cannot reach over and fix the problem with my right hand, I move the lighthead into a temporary hold in my right hand where only my thumb is in the goodman or I'm just holding the ballast of the light. This means that I can very quickly switch back to the left hand should I need to donate gas.
Because the light cord is run under the long hose, whenever the light is clipped off to the right D-ring, it has to be run back underneath the long hose so as to not trap it. It gets to be habit eventually, but is easy to forget when first learning to dive with a can light.
Soggy
Contributor
evad:
It means that there is an editorial error. The DIR/GUE way to use the light is in the left hand, plain and simple.
I have the lighthead in the right hand with the cannister either on the backplate or right hip depending on cannister size. the cable is routed out down (canister is switch down) then up under the chest strap to take up any slack.
In the event that I need extra dexterity or things to do with the hands such as tying off a line or reeling in one, I hook the light head around the neck in the same direction as the long hose and find that it hangs just below my shoulder pointing down , illuminating whatever I am working on.
After many years of using various designs of goodman handles (soft, hard, open and closed), I have now found them unnessicary and eliminated them..
In the event that I need extra dexterity or things to do with the hands such as tying off a line or reeling in one, I hook the light head around the neck in the same direction as the long hose and find that it hangs just below my shoulder pointing down , illuminating whatever I am working on.
After many years of using various designs of goodman handles (soft, hard, open and closed), I have now found them unnessicary and eliminated them..
Soggy
Contributor
evad:
I'll take a look, but I can assure you that GUE insists on left hand light.
There are also several pictures that have had the negatives reversed in them.
OP
If we look at the gue web site, there are three pictures of divers shown on this page, two use the left hand, and one is using the right hand.
http://www.gue.com/equipment/index.shtml
One additional question: If you carry the light in the left hand, and have the canister on the right, how long should the cord be? I'm 6'6", and my arm span is about the same. Do different divers use different cord length? I know that would not be interchangeable, so maybe not acceptable, but lights I've been trying out have very short cords in my opinion. They are too short to reach my left hand without restricting arm motion.
http://www.gue.com/equipment/index.shtml
One additional question: If you carry the light in the left hand, and have the canister on the right, how long should the cord be? I'm 6'6", and my arm span is about the same. Do different divers use different cord length? I know that would not be interchangeable, so maybe not acceptable, but lights I've been trying out have very short cords in my opinion. They are too short to reach my left hand without restricting arm motion.
Soggy
Contributor
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