Yoke vs. DIN for stage bottles

[Flightlead]

hmmmm.....well, I'm going to keep my DIN valves and regs. Though, I have the yoke conversion kits if I ever needed them. The argument about traveling seemed fallacious to me anyway, if you're traveling (always to the east, I'm a traveling man..|) what are you doing for doubles? If you're crating and shipping your doubles and all your other tech equipment, what difference is a couple extra al 80s? If you aren't shipping them you must be expecting to rent them at the destination, in which case why wouldn't other tech gear be rentable too. If I ever need to travel like that, I'll take a couple of din/k tank valves with me too.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

DIN...Why is he recommending yolk valves?

I would never use yolk valves ... I'd be too afraid they might get fertilized ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[PerroneFord]

I've spoken to one highly accomplished cave explorer who uses yokes on his stages. He's had to swap underwater, and prefers yoke for this purpose. We were sitting at a table discussing it one morning over breakfast. Fascinating story.

Personally, all my stuff is DIN. Either can be swapped underwater. Yoke is certainly easier. And in his case, he's dealing with a LOT of redundant bottles.

 

[Flightlead]

I would never use yolk valves ... I'd be too afraid they might get fertilized ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

ROFL....I think someones been at the xmas egg nogg a little early

 

[Flightlead]

I've spoken to one highly accomplished cave explorer who uses yokes on his stages. He's had to swap underwater, and prefers yoke for this purpose. We were sitting at a table discussing it one morning over breakfast. Fascinating story.

Personally, all my stuff is DIN. Either can be swapped underwater. Yoke is certainly easier. And in his case, he's dealing with a LOT of redundant bottles.

my instructor is pretty accomplished too and yes, there is a war story that goes along with it. I will point out that he "recommends" not demands yoke, and is perfectly happy with me using DIN. The key is not so much the minute details in the equipment but that 1) I know how to use it and, 2) it is agreed on by the team. He and I would rather be in a situation where everyone has DIN on their stages, than where it is mixed DIN/Yoke (the unfertilized kind).

Given that I'll be diving with two AL 80s under my arm, I thought that my DIN stuff would also be a little less likely to get snagged than the yoke would.

 

[daniel f aleman]

Many tech divers have never used DIN valves, and won't.

And, yoke valves are used extensively by tech divers on their stages - any real tech diver should know how to use, and have used, DIN and Yoke during technical dives.

 

[Rick Inman]

Many tech divers have never used DIN valves, and won't.

Maybe so, but I'm headed to another state next week to do some dives with a bunch of divers I've never met before in person, and they are supplying me with doubles and deco bottles, and I won't even ask them what kind of valves the tanks will have. Don't need to. I know without a doubt without asking.

But if you travel somewhere, and you borrow or rent an actual stage/deco bottle, or a set of doubles, you'd better be prepared with din regs. You can always toss on a yoke adapter if you need to, but it's not easy to go the other way (especially with 300 bar valves).

 

[bubbleblowindude]

To introduce a failure point with the rationale that "WHEN it fails I can more easily change it", seems a little backwards to me. Part of a good pre-dive check includes the stage / deco gas regulator and once charged (and shut off) in the water, it is very unlikely that it will fail. If it does, you have the rest of your back gas which should be sufficient to complete your required deco in this case. You also have (dare I say it) 1/2 of your buddies deco gas to share (unless you subscribe to "solo-tech" diving) in which case may god be with you. If you have 2 deco bottles, the gas in your doubles will suffice for the interim regulator switch from one bottle to the other. Two-stage deco dive huh? You should be light years past the question of yoke vs. DIN at that point.

 

[Meng_Tze]

....
3. you can fly anywhere in the world and everywhere you go you can get an AL 80 with a yoke valve and turn it into a stage just by carrying a couple of clips, some line, and a hose clamp

He must not be flying far then...............difficult to find yoke in some pretty well traveled places.

I have DIN all around but do have DIN to yoke converters in case I fly all around the world where your instructor goes.

 

[PerroneFord]

Two-stage deco dive huh? You should be light years past the question of yoke vs. DIN at that point.

Says who? The diver I was speaking of was going through at least 4 bottles for deco. And he is not an idiot.