Mailing List Archive

Mailing List: techdiver

Message Display

> Jason Shepherd wrote:
> 
> >Arguments about equipment, personal preference, etc
> >all pale into insignificance beside the point that with a committed,
> >fit, well trained buddy team; you can do anything. Two strokes in
> >hogarthian gear are still going to screw up.
> 
> And good divers will usually overcome the perils of a bullshit rig if they
> work hard enough at it. 
> 
> That doesn't change the reality that it's a bullshit rig, and that there's a
> better way to do it.
> 
> Besides, a clean, well-conceived rig and clean, well-executed diving are not
> separate issues. Where you find the second you will almost always find the
> first. One reason good divers are good is that they don't waste effort
> trying to make bullshit work.
> 
> Which reminds me, Jason: are you still telling people on rec.scuba that the
> long hose ought to be clipped off at the chest, because that's the most
> likely place a panicky diver will reach for air?
> 
	That one hasn't been up for a while, Carl's been hitting spare
airs and Cochran more recently. For those that think this looks *real*
bad; it is - no long hoses even exist on most divers regs (those octopus
hoses don't really count) and most divers don't use more than one tank
(again, spare airs don't count).

	So in the recreational world, we have a slightly different ball
game. IME no-one goes for the reg in the mouth, but then I dive with
divers trained in the UK, under one agency on the whole. I didn't go for
the reg in the mouth on dive no.4 when my club reg. crapped out. The
couple of times people have come for me, they went for my octopus. I
have a list of reasons as long as my arm why they did so, all valid.

	The one against is - you don't know if any other reg is working.

	Well, that bollocks arises historically from the technical
divers who lugged many tanks of different mixes around, and turned them
off when not in use.

	If you grab any reg other than the one in the mouth you i) don't
know what the mix is, and ii) don't know if it's turned on. You take the
one you can guarantee, and leave the obviously highly trained (other
wise he wouldn't have all this junk) diver to find his safe supply.

	The same situation does not occur on single tank tank diving,
and given that 99% of divers will never use more than a pony as an extra
tank, why burden them with a problem that doesn't exist. I gather its
called an unseen demon here, or somesuch.

	The basic principle to apply in rec. diving though, is 'be better
than the other guy'. He can take any reg of mine he chooses, I can deal
with it. When I need his, I will take the right one, because *I* remain
cool and calm whilst shitting myself. Consider every other diver a
novice and dive defensively until you know what they're about.

	Finally, consider the use of a 7-foot hose where people have no
experience of it - we're back to proper buddy behaviour, which means
understanding each others kit. 

	Jason

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]