George, I agree with your comments completely, and as I have stated use a hip
mounted 
canister light with my personal gear, when I am not subject to CCG rules and
regs.  My comments 
regarding these lights were associated with working dives only, and
unfortunately I can not use my 
own gear.  CCG makes the guidelines which we have to follow.  I think that
there are also 
logistical concerns as well.  It would be great if CCG would provide complete
Hogarthian twin 
setups, but SAR diving is only a small part of the CCG SAR mandate, and the
program is subject to 
budget restraints.  Due to the nature of these dives, the equipment is abused
and needs frequent 
repair or replacement.  Cost becomes an issue.  It shouldn't be, in the
interest of safety and 
efficiency, but then, we are talking about an organization funded by the same
government who just 
bought the same badly needed SAR choppers that they scrapped four years ago.

-Sean



On Wed, 07 Jan 1998 19:36:18 -0500, G. Irvine wrote:

>Sean, this is bullshit - use the right equipment properly, don't
>compromise every thing so you can "think" your hands are free. Clip the
>light head off when using both hands, or leave it in your hand with the
>goodman handle. This is the kind of personal preference excuse ridden
>non-logical hoseshit we hear to explain everything the strokes down here
>do, until you end up with the picture of the poster boy usdct stroke
>look alike contest winner. 
>
>Thgis kind of logic is like watching a mongoloid pick up gravel: he
>picks a few up, then drops that to pick up more. 
>
>
>Sean T. Stevenson wrote:
>> 
>> On the question of helmets, Jesse is correct in pointing out that there is
not logical reason to
>> wear them, unless they are required for safety reasons (ie. working dive,
obstructed area, 
impact
>> hazard(s)), in which case you should be wearing a Superlite or other helmet
with surface 
supplied
>> gas, electronic communications, surface support team, etc., and steel toed
boots.
>> 
>> As for helmet mounted lights, there are circumstances where these are the
most appropriate tool,
>> such as working dives with commercial equipment as mentioned above, or for
search and rescue.
>> Canadian Coast Guard SAR divers use a light mounted on the frame of an AGA
full face mask (no
>> helmets).  We frequently dive in zero visibility environments or in
overturned vessels for the
>> purpose of recovering survivors.  Stabilizing these vessels and aircraft to
prevent them from
>> sinking or changing attitude requires the strategic placement of lift bags
or preventer lines 
which
>> must be placed by divers, a task which is complicated by the use of hand
held lighting.  As 
well,
>> searches, both in open water and inside vessels and vehicles, necessitate
the use of both hands 
for
>> an effective reconnaisance by touch, especially in zero vis, and for using
extrication and other
>> tools.  The mask mounted light is the best option for these working dives
when the visibility
>> conditions are not known before the dive.
>> 
>> For non working dives, including wreck penetrations or ice dives, I use a
hip mounted canister
>> light, no exceptions.  This whole helmet thing was created by people looking
for a way to use 
their
>> cheap dive lights by mounting more of them, because they are not using the
right equipment in 
the
>> first place.  Golf anyone?
>> 
>> -Sean
>> 
>> On Wed, 7 Jan 1998 05:39:17 -0600, Jesse Armantrout wrote:
>> 
>> >There just is no good reason to have them.  Scooters, thought they may seem
>> >fast, are traveling at around 150 feet per minute, or 1.75 miles per hour.
>> >That is the speed of a SLOW walk.  Now if I bang my head while moving at
>> >that speed on land, I may let out a few choice words, but I doubt I will do
>> >any real damage.  In fact, if I walked around on land with a wetsuit hood
>> >on and banged my head, I might only say "darn!"  If you are only swimming,
>> >and not even scootering, well, you get the idea.
>> >
>> >The bad point is that if your long hose is where it should be, (behind your
>> >neck) the helmet is a snagging point as you go to give it up.  Same with a
>> >proper light.  When surveying or writing notes, the light cord goes behind
>> >the neck.
>> >
>> >As for helmet mounted lights, well, that just shows a complete lack of
>> >thought about ones gear.  How do you signal "OK" with a helmet mounted
>> >light?   Or distress? Everytime you look at something, your buddy is going
>> >to think you are signalling and everytime you look at your buudy you will
>> >blind him.
>> >
>> >In short, it may seem to some that helmets look "tech chic" but there
>> >really just is no reason to have them in a wet filled cave.
>> >
>> >Trout
>> >----------
>> >> From: Pete Young <youngpk@in*.bt*.co*.uk*>
>> >> To: gmirvine@sa*.ne*
>> >> Cc: techdiver@aquanaut.com
>> >> Subject: Re: Scuba World Interview with George Irvine
>> >> Date: Wednesday, January 07, 1998 3:19 AM
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Incidentally George, what is it that you don't like about helmets?
>> >> Streamlining, or is there something else?
>> >>
>> >> Regards
>> >>
>> >> Pete
>> >>
>> >>   ____________________________________________________________________
>> >>   Pete Young     pete.young@bt*.bt*.co*.uk*      Phone +44 1473 605525
>> >>       "Just another crouton, floating on the bouillabaisse of life"
>> >> --
>> >> Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
>> >> Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
>> >--
>> >Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
>> >Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
>> >
>


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