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Manual inflation is always an option and should probably be performed first to control your descent. However, if your gear is configured properly, (inflator hose bungeed to harness strap), reattaching hose should be a simple matter. And the blind over the shoulder technique looking for an inflator hose is a hell of a lot easier than looking for a desperately need back up 2nd stage (which BTW, should be bungeed loosely around your neck). If losing your inflator hose is your biggest fear, I think you have bigger things to worry about. Like reaching your isolator valve in the event of sudden air loss. PS Try using a back up set of wings if that helps you sleep better at night. Remember, the name of the game is to plan for every contingency. ---------- > From: Drew Mooney <dmooney@cy*.ne*> > To: techdiver@aquanaut.com > Subject: What would YOU do? > Date: Sunday, June 22, 1997 8:15 PM > > You're on a wall dive shooting video anywhere in the Caribbean. You're > in a wetsuit at let's say 130' (40m) you're wearing double steel > tanks and breathing air. You reach for your inflator hose to make an > adjustment and feel a sickening WHOOSH of air as the hose separates > from the elbow where it joins your BCD. You are now VERY negative and > out of reach of your buddy. The wall in your vicinity is on an inverse > incline, so there's not even a convenient projection of coral - and > even if there were, it's all fire coral of a variety that would cause > a few moments of excrutiating pain followed by local paralysis of > whatever extremity of yours comes in contact with it. (willing > suspension of disbelief be damned!) and you're not wearing gloves > anyway. > > So. Do you nosedive to save the remaining air in your BC even though > this posture is almost certainly going to accelerate your descent? > > Do you flare and angle your right side up to keep a little air in your > BC and try to re-attach the hose using the difficult, > over-the-shoulder-blind technique? > > Do you go head up and kick like crazy to maintain your depth, or at > least slow your descent a bit? Knowing that doing so is certain to > release the last bit of air in your BC bladder. > > Damn your ears hurt! > > Do you try the much touted, but seldom practiced skill of inflating > your wetsuit sleeves / legs with one of your second stages? Are you > wearing a long hose? Are you breathing it? Or is it stuffed behind you > where you can't reach it for some reason? If you haven't practiced > this skill, is it likely that it'll occur to you to try it considering > the amount of fecal matter flitting off of the rotating blades at this > point? > > Do you take a mighty breath, grab your Spare Air, doff your kit and > kick for the surface like there's no tomorrow? > > The deeper you allow yourself to fall, the stupider you're gonna get. > As your stupidity increases, so does the likelihood you'll panic > increase, and at that point, kiss your ass goodbye. > > So. What would YOU do? > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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