Mailing List Archive

Mailing List: techdiver

Message Display

Carlos, my point is this. I consider independents as the ONLY safe way to
dive. Think about it like this. Just consider independents as one main
tank and one pony bottle.  Mount the main tank on your back in the
standard manner as a single tank and mount the second tank to the first in
a plane perpendicular to the plane of your back so that the result looks
like a large dorsal fin. You get increased cornering ability. Put a back
pack on the outboard tank and you can tandem with another diver on the
outboard tank. This is not the safest thing to do because you can't
directly reach each other in an emergency and tandem divers are reluctant
to detach themselves from their tank since it violates the most basic rule
of tech diving- never leave your tank on someone else's back. 



 On Tue, 31 Dec 1996, Carlos Arruda Accioly wrote: 

> 
> Rod,
> 
> Of course it is possible to do all switches correctly, or we'd have to do 
> a body recovery every time someone got in the water wearing independents. 
> But it still increases task loading, and if the diver forgets to do the
> switch, which is quite possible, he could be in a dangerous situation.
> 
> As for the boat thing, I don't care. At the time of writing they were
> friends. Maybe they still are, maybe they aren't, who cares? We're here to
> discuss diving, not gossip.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Carlos
> 
> 
> 
> >Sounds like he is saying that what divers do with the independents in that
> >situation is unsafe, not that the prcatice of independents per se is
> >unsafe. As for the boat thing ask Steve. 
> >
> >On Mon, 30 Dec 1996, Carlos Arruda Accioly wrote:
> >
> >> 
> >> >Where do you read in that passage you quoted that the writer feels it is
> >> >unsafe to dive independents but he does it anyway? The book is about how
> >> >to do it, isn't it. Since when will Belinda let him on board the boat?
> >> 
> >> Where does it say it is unsafe? Here:
> >> 
> >> >However, the disadvantage is that the diver must
> >> >anticipate switching regulators during the dive. Ideally, he should keep
> >> >a constant check on his gauges and make the switchover before completely
> >> >draining one tank, not just so water does not get sucked into the empty
> >> >bottle, but so it can still be used as a backup. Invariably, the diver
> >> >fails to make the changeover until breathing becomes difficult, putting
> >> >him in the precarious position of *having* to switch regulators,
regardless
> >> >of circumstances, on every dive, usually when he least expects it.
> >> 
> >> I didn't say that he still dives independents. Maybe he does, maybe he
doesn't;
> >> it doesn't matter. The point is that he *has* experience with this kind of
> >> setup.
> >> 
> >> As for your last remark, about Steve Bielenda not letting him on board the
> >> boat, what do you mean? Really, I don't get it.
> >> 
> >> Cheers,
> >> 
> >> Carlos
> >> 
> >
> >
> >
> 

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]