WhiteSands
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A dive buddy just got SM certification recently. Before we dove together we agreed to practice S-drills before a dive to get familiar with each other's protocols just to be safe.
She briefed me on her setup and how it worked. During the S drill she donated the longhose to me after I signalled OOA. All went according to plan, except we discovered the regulator was presented to me upside down because she was taught to pass it in her left hand, while I was trained to always pass it with the right.
I spent a few seconds with my reg out of my mouth trying to figure it out the first time it happened, good thing we practiced before going diving. It wasn't ideal, but I could live with it. Good thing her reg breathes ok upside down, I've had some that won't breathe properly or will have water in it if turned upside down.
She explained to me she had to pass it to me with her left hand beccause of the way the hose was routed in SM, but I can't remember the details of it now. I just thought this was a potential for a clusterfart if the receiver was under duress during a real OOA situation and still had to mess with the reg handed to him upside down.
I then asked her what happens if you were breathing down the tank on the necklace and your longhose was clipped off, what happens if I go OOA? She told me she will unclip the longhose and pass it to me.
We agreed to give that a try and what happened next was not confidence inspiring. I signalled OOA while she was breathing on the reg on a necklace, and she spent a good few seconds fumbling with the bolt snap trying to undo it from the shoulder D-ring. I was thinking if this was a real emergency I'd be screwed.
Did my friend just learn some "not so good" protocols, was she mistaken, or are there better solutions to the problems pointed out? I don't dive SM and am not familiar with the setup other than the quick overview I was given.
Thanks for any clarifications on this.
---------- Post added April 13th, 2014 at 12:08 AM ----------
One more question for SM divers - do you turn off the valve on the tank you're not breathing on to prevent free flow?
She briefed me on her setup and how it worked. During the S drill she donated the longhose to me after I signalled OOA. All went according to plan, except we discovered the regulator was presented to me upside down because she was taught to pass it in her left hand, while I was trained to always pass it with the right.
I spent a few seconds with my reg out of my mouth trying to figure it out the first time it happened, good thing we practiced before going diving. It wasn't ideal, but I could live with it. Good thing her reg breathes ok upside down, I've had some that won't breathe properly or will have water in it if turned upside down.
She explained to me she had to pass it to me with her left hand beccause of the way the hose was routed in SM, but I can't remember the details of it now. I just thought this was a potential for a clusterfart if the receiver was under duress during a real OOA situation and still had to mess with the reg handed to him upside down.
I then asked her what happens if you were breathing down the tank on the necklace and your longhose was clipped off, what happens if I go OOA? She told me she will unclip the longhose and pass it to me.
We agreed to give that a try and what happened next was not confidence inspiring. I signalled OOA while she was breathing on the reg on a necklace, and she spent a good few seconds fumbling with the bolt snap trying to undo it from the shoulder D-ring. I was thinking if this was a real emergency I'd be screwed.
Did my friend just learn some "not so good" protocols, was she mistaken, or are there better solutions to the problems pointed out? I don't dive SM and am not familiar with the setup other than the quick overview I was given.
Thanks for any clarifications on this.
---------- Post added April 13th, 2014 at 12:08 AM ----------
One more question for SM divers - do you turn off the valve on the tank you're not breathing on to prevent free flow?