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Jason Weisacosky wrote: > > Thomas A. Easop wrote: > > > Jason: > > > > I get around these problems of malfunction-uncontrolled inflation by not connecting > > the inflator to the hose. The right side inflator is always stowed under a tire tube > > strap on the right tank, behind the wing. The lp hose is tied to it with cave line > > when I use a suit inflation system (argon tank and reg). > > Tom, to me, the above is unnecessary and adds to an already gear intensive sport. I > believe in getting the job done safely with only the necessary items. I accomplish this > with a wing and a dry suit. I've done the suit only bailout, and like I said it's uncomfortable, my RMV goes way up and I do not trust the neck seal. For me, the added inflator hose is not bothersome. <snip> > > Using a dry suit to abort in an emergency is very acceptable to me. I rely on this > system while doing mile cave penetrations at 240'. If it works here, and it does, why do > I need to add more gear? If that's good for you great. I'm certainly not telling you how to dive. I'm only providing my reasoning for how I dive. > > > Later in dive, > > after breathing some of the gas out of your tanks, I may be able to get away with > > using just the drysiut for bouyancy. > > > > With full Steel PST 120's, a back plate (no v-weight), and a tls drysuit with 400g > type B underwear, I can get out of any inflation related failure quite comfortably. I am > not too heavy to overcome the early weight of a bc failure and full tanks. I *know* I can't. > > > When I dive wet, no matter what tanks used, I need a second bladder / inflator / on a > > different reg. Steel tanks that are nuetrally bouyant empty are essentially the same > > thing as aluminum tanks with a v wieght so they are nuetrally bouyant empty. > > I am not suggesting the use of a v-weight with aluminum tanks in open water. Use a > small weight belt to obtain the weight needed (diving wet of course) and a crotch strap. > With the crotch strap, you can mitigate the accidental disconnecting of a weight belt by > keeping the weight, yet in a weight ditching scenerio, you can totally ditch the weight > should your bc fail. With no weight, you should be able to do a 20' stop to survive. I'm not so sure that after ditching my wieght becuase I am too heavey at depth (in my compressed wet suit) that I could then become nuetrally bouyant at 20' to pull any kind of stop. > Take note, I do not perform many open water dives (nearly all cave), so someone may have > a better method here. In cave, it's steel tanks, wing, and drysuit. Simple, quick, and > effective. I'm not saying that your way is not without merit. > > > I think > > the real advantage with aluminum tanks is that they are more corrosion resistant to > > salt water, and are less expensive. Any other advantage is lost on me. > > > > Aluminum tanks are absolutely necessary for stage diving caves. It is really the only > way to go for that. Deco bottles (mainly O2) should be steel, though. This gives you > additional weight during shallow deco. I can see the virtue in this. > > And using a lift bag for emergency bouyancy does not demonstrate thinking it through > > planning. I doubt you will be able to hit your stops right using a lift bag, not to > > mention avoid task saturation. And if you are using a low 02 high He mix (which is the > > smart gas to breathe) hitting your stops right is even more important. > > Hittiing your stops at any point is important. I use a lift bag for a deco platform. > If diving deep trimix in open water, I don't use the aluminum set, it's back to steel, > wing, and drysuit. Shallower o/w is best for the AL set. How do you do this? Do you mean you shoot the bag and then reel up as you deco? That is what I have done as a routine on occasion. It was also part of my mix training. > > > The lift bag > > idea will get you to the surface. But basically, I have been told on good authority > > that if you spend more than 20 minutes past 200 ft and omitt your stops the DCI will > > not be survived. > > I never had a lift bag idea. I will say that I don't rely on it for a backup bc. I sometimes get that idea from posts on this list. > 200' for 20min is not survivable on a blow up regardless. Fact is, it should not happen > and by adding 2 sets of wings, I believe you are perpetuating just that; an uncontrolled > inflation type failure. Tom, I have done it your way. Will you try it my way?(not just > my way, but the other way) I am asking as I really believe you should give it a try. I > can speak objectively on this because if there was ever a way to do it wrong, I've done > it.------Jason Believe me, ask some of my dive buddies - I have had more than my share of things going wrong.[Free Willie] But I have tried the suit only bouyancy. for shallow ocean beach dives, less than 30', thats all I use. No BC on the dive. But for deeper dives with deco and heavy loads, like I said been there, done that and it was no good for me. I simply now have another bladder inside my wing (don't even know its there) and another inflator hose tucked neatly where I can and do get to it when I need or want to practice. Tom -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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