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In a message dated 8/3/00 11:36:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time, donburke56@ne*.ne* writes: > This brings up two questions: > > 1. Is filling a lift bag from a second stage only bad in very cold water? > > 2. What is a better way to fill a lift bag? > > Don Burke > ============================================= I have lost the original post on this but here are a couple of thoughts: If hanging in mid water fill your lift bag from your BC and your buoyancy won't change till you let it go - pump your BC up again as you release the bag. This separates the two tasks of getting the bag filled and keeping the reel in order - a juggling act that often seems to result in tangles and getting pulled up. You have more time to make sure everything is in order before the release. Use a tall lift bag with enough capacity that it does not have to be full to provide enough buoyancy when it reaches the surface. A ball of air at the top of the bag with a length of empty bag hanging below it is less likely to be dumped than a full bag of any shape. Closed bags are a good idea in many applications but I would have a standard open bag on board as well. An open bag can be refilled. It is not likely to bust a seam. It provides adjustable customized buoyancy. It is quicker and easier to dump if necessary. . . . . There is much to be said for simplicity! TIP : If diving in the afternoon have a secure attachment on your bag for a small strobe light. Much easier to find in the dark if a boat with an emergency has to return for you after dark, etc., etc. I have seen several divers pulled up by tangled reels and though I will use one sometimes I don't like them. I like a tube with line faked down inside like a throw rope and the bag on top of the line - all inside a compact clean lined tube. Open the top, pull the bag out, drop the tube and line, fill the bag from the BC, stand back and watch it go as you shoot some more gas into your BC. Make sure the line is straight and clean before filling the bag - never had a problem with a tangled line. If something goes wrong with refilling your BC just grab the line. I have some special thoughts on lift bags deployed from wreck railings too but I don't have time for a fight right now so I will refrain. Chuck Boone -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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