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Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 11:59:37 -0700
From: iantdhq@ix*.ne*.co* (IANTD )
Subject: Re: WKPP Video Availability
To: cgh@ma*.ai*.mi*.ed*
Cc: cavers@ge*.co*
Cc: techdiver@terra.net
Carl
Not only is this included in the new text we are publishing(IANTD) it 
is also in our new IANTD equipment configuration video. This video 
includes a lecture overview of configuration and then examples of 
configuration by Billy Deans, Tom Mount, Jarrod Jablonski,Larry Green 
and Lamar Hires. The video sells for $35.00 and can be purchased at 
IANTD facilities
Tom Mount
You wrote: 
>
>Michael,
>
>Here's an article written by Jarrod Jablonski (jjcave@ao*.co*), typed 
in
>by me (please excuse any typos), posted here with his permission.  He
>also said "there's more to come" and to email him in case people have
>questions...  Enjoy..
>
>I realize that your question was posted to techdiver but I'm also 
cc'ing
>cavers since this is of direct relevance to them as well...
>
>-Carl-
>
>***********************************************************************

>
>The Hogarthian Gear Configuration
>
>by Jarrod Jablonski
>
>Cave diving has undergone some significant changes during the last
>roughly 50 years of its evolution, yet few aspects of the sport remain
>more hotly contested than gear configuration.  Dozens of styles have
>been marched out to center stage and purported to be the most
>effective, the safest, the easiest, the cheapest, or lately, even the
>most "technical".  Some people have casually recommended one style
>over another, other have adamantly insisted upon their configuration,
>while still others advocate that one just do what feels good.  How can
>one sport support such a variety of opinions and, perhaps more
>importantly, how is a diver to dim the clamor of opinions in order to
>make a sound and reasonable decision?
>
>The most sensible way to make any educated decision is to gather
>information and evaluate which of the available options best satisfies
>your particular needs.  Nearly all styles of gear configuration allow
>the average diver to access a cave.  Even many an open water diver has
>returned unscathed from a poorly chosen venture into the depths of our
>cave systems, yet despite their safe return, consensus opinion holds
>that a certain minimum of equipment is necessary to safely penetrate
>into the overhead environment.  It is how one should configure that
>equipment and what equipment to use that garnishes the lion's share of
>the sometimes bitter debate over equipment configuration.
>
>*Different Styles*
>
>The vast majority of equipment styles are most easily discussed in
>relation to one's placement of the long hose.  Many different styles
>of equipment configuration exist and the proponents of each variation
>differ in their specific solution to the many details of equipment
>placement.  The following two styles are the most popular divisions of
>hose placement.  While many differences may exist within each group,
>the separation of the two primary groups largely pertains to one's
>belief as to whether the regulator donated to an out of air diver
>should come from one's mouth or from one's retaining device.
>
>*The Bungie Sylte - donating from one's retaining device*
>
>The most common style places the long hose in some type of surgical
>tubing or restrictive band.  This band may be placed on the side of
>the tanks, near the manifold, on the back plate or nearly anywhere
>that suits one's fancy.  Proponents of this style vary in their
>dedication to the refinement of their equipment placement, with many
>divers generally lacking a focus on reduction and cleanliness.
>However, a few divers practicing this style do begin to appropach the
>Minimalism concept so obvious in the Hogarthian style.
>
>*The Hogarthian Style - donating your own regulator*
>
>The Hogarthian Style has many minor variations, yet its focus asserts
>a policy of minimalism.  In other words, if it is not needed, it is a
>potential liability.  The Hogarthian style strives to eliminate the
>unnecessary while configuring the necessary in the most streamlined
>manner possible.  Named for it's founding father, William Hogarth
>Main, the Hogarthian style is constantly being improved and refined.
>Bill Main himself, despite nearly 25 years of cave diving, is
>invariably showing up at local dive sites with modifications and much
>can be learned from his dedication.
>
>Despite the minor variation that exist within the Hogarthian diving
>community, one will find the strictest of its practitioners to be
>remarkably similar in their configuration.  Perhaps the most extreme
>group of Hogarthian divers remains the Woodville Karst Plain Divers
>(WKPP), a group that has received considerable press (good and bad)
>for their dedication to the Hogarthian style.  While the trademark of
>a Hogarthian diver is that they breathe the long hose and donate this
>hose to an out of air diver the style is really about much more.
>Regardless of anindividual's preference for which hose to donate, much
>can be learned from the adherence to minimalism so central to the
>Hogarthian configuration.
>
>Many divers appreciate that certain extraordinary dives may require a
>degree of refinement simply unnecessary for the average diver.  Yet in
>much the save way space travel is merely a distant dream for the
>majority, the advances gained from this pursuit are abundant.  How
>much of this refinement is reasonable or more importantly helpful?
>One's attention to detail should at least be proportional to the type
>of dives done, but that strict attention to detail couldn't hurt.  If
>all your dives focus on the main line and your penetrations are
>modest, perhaps your idea of strict attention would be different.  If
>your dives begin to incorporate stage diving and longer penetration
>then undoubtedly you should exercise a complimentary form of
>attention.  In general, always be aware that you should look at the
>entire package as it functions together.  Your equipment should be a
>cohesive unit that facilitates your dives and not a haphazard
>collection of available items.
>
>*Breathing The Long Hose*
>
>Despite its growing popularity, many divers remain opposed to donating
>the regulator from their mouth.  The following discussion reviews the
>most common resistance to donating the long hose from the mouth.
>
>1) The last thing I want to do in an out of air situation is give up
>my primary regulator.
>
>- This does not really seem to be a rational fear.  It is likely that
>a diver incapable of removing the regulator from his or her mouth for
>five to ten seconds is not skilled or practiced enough to be in an
>overhead environment.  One may question this divers ability to handle
>an out of air situaion in which the out of air diver chooses the
>regulator in their mouth.  A diver with this degree of concern over
>the regulator in their mouth may find it quite a challenge to even
>deal with the very real possibility of an accidentally dislodged
>regulator.
>
>By donating the long hose regulator from the mouth in an out of air
>situation one guarantees that the person most in need of a clean fully
>functioning regulator is going to get it.  If you pass any other
>regulator to an out of air diver it is quite possible that the
>regulator received may contain contaminants that will be impossible
>for the stressed diver to manage.  In essence, what you will have done
>is to place the last straw on the camel's back, creating the last
>problem your dive buddy can manage.  The advantage of donating your
>long hose primary is that you are always ready for this very real
>possibility.  You are, in essence, alway sprepared for any eventuality
>rather than maintaining a fixed picture of how things should operate.
>Emergencies have an annoying habit of not going as planned and the
>Hogarthian diver is more prepared to manage a variety of out of air
>scenarios.
>
>2) I don't want to breath my long hose, I want to have the best 
performance
>regulator in my mouth and the long hose decreases performance.
>
>- With literally thousands of deep exploration dives accomplished by
>divers breathing the long hose, the performance argument seems rather
>a moot point.  Yet, if one were to insist that the reduction of
>performance is unmanageable, it seems like a poor solution to leave
>the stressed, out of air diver gasping for air on this lower
>performance regulator so you can have a more relaxed dive.  Your best
>performance regulator must be on your long hose and if its performance
>is unacceptable in a relaxed situation then it is certainly
>inappropriate to suggest that your stressed dive buddy is better
>prepared for this increased resistance.  The one thing to be clear on
>is that if the regulator you try to provide to an out of air diver is
>in *any* way substandard, you will be giving up the regulator in you
>mouth and your ability to handle that situation may make all the
>difference.
>
>3)  I just don't want to deal with that hose around my  neck.
>
>- Any skill worth learning usually takes refinement.  The long hose
>may at times seem uncomfortable to some people, but regardless of your
>storage location, you have to deal with that hose.  When you tuck a
>long hose into some surgical tubing you feel that it is forgotten and
>indeed for some it is, but what happens when it pulls free or is not
>set just right?  If you rely on your buddy to arrange this hose for
>you, what guarantee do you have that it is to your liking?  In a sport
>that preaches self-sufficiency, does it not seem illogical to
>configure you equipment in a way that forces your dependance on a dive
>buddy?
>
>4) You can't stage dive and breathe the longhose.
>
>- I would never have imagined that people thought this to be true, yet
>exposure to cave instructors whose abilities I otherwise respect has
>proven me wrong.  Stage diving Hogarthian style is in no way more
>difficult than for any other style.  In fact, the majority of cave
>exploration currently being conducted is by divers breathing the long
>hose, despite the fact that they are a minority in the cave community.
>
>*The System Approach*
>
>No review of the Hogarthian style is complete without a discussion of
>the system itself.  It is not merely the streamlined nature of their
>equipment nor the use of the long hose that sets the Hogarthian diver
>apart, it is the way new pieces are carefully arranged to create a
>harmonious system.  Your equipment must function cohesively and be
>configured so as to provide you with the greatest support - it is
>after all life support equipment. For example, let's assume that you
>have made the commitment to breathing the long hose.  That decision,
>in and of itself must not be the end to your deliberation.  In fact,
>it is really only the beginning.  Where and how you store the balance
>of this length of hose and indeed how long it is are at least as
>crucial as your decision to use it as a primary.  Most divers
>following this style have opted for the 7' length (nine is ridiculous
>and dangerous in most situations and 5' is precariously short in
>restrictive passages) and then run it under a hip mounted light
>canister across the chest and one half a loop around the neck into the
>mouth.  This system is ideal in that it allows nearly five feet of
>hose to instantly be available and the remaining two to be deployed
>with a quick flick of the hand.
>
>Do not try and wrap this hose around your neck multiple times (this
>may be quite dangerous) as its deployment will be time consuming and
>awkward.  But why a hip mounted canister?  This hip mounted canister
>allows for easy removal in the event of entanglement, visual
>verification (I prefer clear housings) to assure it is not a water
>cooled version, a shorter cord to deal with, and assurance of general
>stability.  IN addition, the lack of a light swinging from the bottom
>of your tanks provides ample room to store reels and extra scooters
>and even provides an ideal place to tow a stranded diver during an
>aborted scooter dive. The hip mounted version is much easier to remove
>and replace and it reduces the number of times you set your 100+ pound
>tanks on top of it.  Regardless of your chosen system, here are some
>general issues you need to consider.
>
>*Reduce, Reduce, and Reduce*
>
>Too many divers today seem under the impression that more is always
>better.  In cave diving what isneeded is better; what is not needed is
>a detriment.  Equipment choice like most things is a cost vs. benefit
>analysis in which one must weigh the potential risk against the
>perceived benefit.  The dificult part and in fact the thing that
>really defines a safe and effective diver is their ability to
>accurately evaluate the benefit while candidly weighing the acceptable
>risk.
>
>- Lights are an essnetial portion of your equipment yet more is again
>not always better.  One primary and two backup lights should be fine
>for most situations.  Unless you intentionally dive faulty equipment
>or ignore common maintenance the likelihood of a triple light failure
>is statistically insignificant.  Yet if you carry six lights you are
>likely to encounter many other unnecessary problems.  Not only are you
>less likely to care for thoselights but they will cause you numberous
>entanglement hazards that will far outweigh the perceived benefit.
>Three good lights - one strong dependable primary with two small
>back-up lights is more than sufficient for most dives.  If light
>failures are common on your dives you should reevaluate your equipment
>and/or your technique.
>
>I have disucssed the placement of the primary light canister and the
>advantages ofhip mounted operation but how about one's reserve lights.
>These lights could be stored in several places and many people find on
>the tank to be favorable.  This system can appear fairly clean
>depending on the users dedication, but the lights may pull free in
>smaller caves and tangle in the line.  When placed on one's harness
>below the arms they tuck neatly out of the way and are essentially
>snag free.
>
>The primary light is an integral part of any divers equipment.  Your
>light must provide ample illumination, be reliable, and allow flexible
>use.  The test tube style light satisfies all these requirements and
>more.  The light beam has excellent illumination properties, is simple
>to operate, has tremendous flexibility and when connected to a
>canister style light will provide stalwart reliability.  The Goodman
>style that rests atop your hand allows for further flexibility as it
>provides the unencumbered use of both hands.  A Goodman style handle
>allows just as much flexibility as the helmet mounted light yet does
>not blind your dive buddies and allows the diver to be more aware of
>their surroundings as the light is easily directed around the cave.
>
>- Cages tend to be somewhat controversial topics.  First, let me say
>that I dislike cages.  I am not against the thing they purport to
>accomplish but I am against their apparent success.  First let us look
>at your propensity for contacting the ceiling.  If you hit the ceiling
>on a regular basis and conclude that a cage is the correct solution I
>would argue your logic is flawed or at least questionable.  If you hit
>the ceiling a lot don't look for substitutions to becoming a better
>cave diver, just work on your technique.  Ok, so everyone hits the
>ceiling on occasion but how hard?  If you are swimming I think you are
>being a bit reactionary and should really reconsider you risk.
>
>If you are scootering then you have a somewhat legitimate concern.
>You may choose one of the large dome style cages that appear to be
>solid protection but also have an annoying habit of wedging their
>owner in small places.  Give the likelihood of a manifold failure I
>would much rather go cageless and remain flexible in smaller areas.
>If you use the smaller more streamlined version of the cage which
>substitutes curved metal guards above your regulators then I think you
>are fooling yourself.  I have witnessed two people break their din
>regulators off at the manifold despite the presence of these
>protective devices.  If, in fact, these devices are limited in their
>ability to accomplish what they were designed for than their large
>line catching profile is far more a risk than a benefit.
>
>- Manifolds are, in general, the best method to manage your air
>supply.  The only exceptions are in my opinion solo diving and side
>mount.  If you are not pursuing either of these options then you
>should not configure as if you are.  I caution you to be wary both
>about using independent valves and about diving with those that dive
>independent.  It requires great care and superior gas management
>capabilities to effectively monitor independent cylinders and
>experience has shown that most people are not capable of proper
>management.  Given the likelihood of a manifold failure I will remain
>an ardent supporter of manifolds for nearly all diving environments.
>
>- Isolators are nifty little inventions that responded to our desire
>for the cake after it was eaten.  They are in theory excellent ideas
>and in practice probably fairly decent.  As long as one maintains an
>awareness of their strengths and weaknesses they may remain effective
>pieces of equiiment.  They are, however, not necessarily the saving
>grace everyone has you believe.  First, while they may provide a
>redundant option to isolate your cylinders, they are also another
>valve and just as likely to fail as the one you are circumventing.  Be
>aware that due to the nature of their construction failure of your
>isolator will only allow one cylinder to be isolated thes protecting
>only a finite amount of your available gas.  Furthermore, one must
>always guard against the common occurances of valves that are
>inadvertently turned off during filling or safety drills.
>
>- Knobs on your valves should consume at least some of your thought
>process.  Rubber knobs are my personal favorite.  They are durable,
>shock absorbent, shatter proof, and easy to turn.  Their only downfall
>is that if you have a manifold that has one post shut down upon
>contact with the ceiling then you must be concerned with the ease with
>which these valves turn.  Personally, were I diving a manifold where
>this was a problem I would probably still use rubber knobs and just be
>more cautions.  Plastic knobs are dangerous because they can shatter,
>leaving you with nothing to turn on or off.  The metal knobs attempt
>to solve this and the auto shut off problem yet fall a little short
>because they can bend upon impact and be rendered useless.
>
>- Tanks come in a variety of flavors and I will spend very little time
>on them.  My preference is for the larger volume lower pressure steel
>cylinders.  Tank size should depend on your size, your needs and your
>available funds.  Do the cave and yourself a favor and really evaluate
>your needs.  Don't buy the most expensive tanks your wallet can
>handle.  95's seem to be the best overall buy but you should evaluate
>your needs.
>
>- Gauges are necessary pieces of equipment but people often succumb to
>the more is better philosophy.  Two timing devices should be more than
>sufficient for any body'sneeds.  The gauges should be wrist mounted so
>as to avoid bulky consoles and the resulting dredging effect they
>create.  One's pressure gauge should be free from a bulky console and
>mounted in a clean area.  A pressure gauge that is clipped to one's
>belt keeps the chest free from clutter and limits the items you will
>potentially drag in the mud.  The advent of hoseless gauges promises
>to solve all these problems yet like most cure-alls I remain patiently
>optimistic but as yet remain unwilling to bestow all my air management
>faith in their reliability.
>
>- The body is the central component to any effective diving locker and
>no discussion of equipment would be complete without giving it a
>mention.  Many debates have revolved around the necessity of fitness
>in diving and no doubt these debates will continue for years to come.
>It seems that the most reasonable course would gbe to evaluate the
>type of diving to be done and adjust your level of fitness
>accordingly.  The average diving should be seeking good cardiovascular
>fitness with aerobic activity - at least three days a week for a
>minimum of 20 minutes.  However, good fitness can serve you in life as
>well as diving and a thorough fitness routine will leave you more
>prepared for the rigors diving can produce.
>
>A person winded by a flight of stairs can certainly dive but their
>ability to manage stressful, air critical situations is limited by
>their physical response to elevated exertion.  This may seem
>inconsequential in a leisurely dive but in an emergency it can make
>all the difference.  Certainly excessive exercise could be a potential
>liability as scar tissue accumulation at the joints could reduce
>circulation.  However, too much exercise is indeed a rare commodity.
>
>*Conclusion*
>
>The next decade of diving will undoubtedly be full of excitement and
>prodigious change.  Undoubtedly equipment advancements will continue
>and many exciting advancements are bound to grace the diving world.
>Yet, regardless of the level of changed beyond the year 2000, two
>things will undoubtedly remain constant.  There will always be new
>equipment for people to obsess over and there will always be people
>arguing over how that equipment should be configured.
>
>The preceding discussion attempted to shed light upon some of the
>basic tenants within the Hogarthian equipment configuration.  As
>pertains to equipment more is rarely better and the Hogarthian diver
>grudgingly makes additions to this minimalist attire. One should not
>take from this discussion the impression that safety equipment is
>dispensable and that the Hogarthian diver intentionally accepts
>additional risk.  Quite the contrary, the Hogarthian diver attempts to
>remove all possible risks by designing a holistic life support system
>that facilitates every dive.  The risk should after all be a function
>of the environment and not the divers state of preparedness.
>
>
>
>
>

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