Bak
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DIR and the canister light: newbie questions
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WhiteSands
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The main reason you have to use a corded light for tech pass is because it readies you for tech & cave classes, where burn time is important. You need a bright light with long burn time plus you need backup battery time. Rule of thirds applies to both gas and your light, and I don't think many cordless lights out there today qualify. I am told by my instructor that you need a torch with 3.5hr burn times minimum and thats just for Cave 1. If you do 2 hour dives you can imagine the burn time you will need. Yes, using a corded can light is a requirement for tech pass.
I understand the rule of thirds for gas planning.. but why is it applicable for the light's burn time as well?
PfcAJ
Contributor
IMO having some reserve burn time is prudent but I'm not convinced it needs to be a "rule of thirds" type thing.
Cyprian
Contributor
A corded light is not required for a tech pass. I used (Fundies, C1, C2) and still use a corded light, but I know a guy that got a tech pass without a corded primary and I asked an instructor specifically about that at Extreme Exposure.
I also have not heard of any rule of thirds for a light - you just need to make sure your light is up to the requirements and has adequate burn time for the dive that you plan. We did 2 long cave dives per day during C2 and no one charged his light in between dives.
There were a lot of good questions in the original post.
I think AJ basically nailed it (as is not uncommon): What you can smoothly and easily do with the light in your left hand, you do. If what you need to do will result in erratic light signals or you not being able to see where you need to see, you transfer the light to the right hand. You can do that any number of ways, including using a thumb loop, as scooter divers do, or putting a bungee over the top of the light to substitute for a thumb loop, as I do. I will warn you that one GUE instructor I have worked with had a very specific way the transfer had to be done, and the light had to be held in the right hand, which I found incredibly uncomfortable but he insisted upon. No other instructor has felt there was a prescribed way to hold the light in the right hand.
If you need to use both hands for a task (eg. Stage drops and pickups) you put the light in a temporary clip-off. If you are completely through with it, you put it in a permanent stow.
I could never remember the "Drill Underwater, drill Over" mnemonic, so I use the term "duro" which is Spanish for "hard". After you have deployed your regulator to the OOA diver, you pass the light head UNDER the hose to clear it. When you are completing the drill, you pass it OVER to ensure it is on the outside when everything is done. And, most importantly, you trace the cord from the light to the canister with your hand, to ensure it is, in fact, clear.
Lights are to see. They are also to signal, and to locate teammates. How anal the people you are diving with are about your light is variable. The last class I took, the instructor did not want the lights to move from in front of the diver -- you could only look at what the spill illuminated, and you could not look behind you. My original Cave 1 instructor wanted us to look around a LOT, and behind us in particular, because the cave looks different going out than it does coming in. My personal take is that, as long as my buddy's light movements are smooth and regular, I'm unworried, even if the light disappears from my view for a few seconds. If the light is jerky or erratic, I'm concerned.
I think AJ basically nailed it (as is not uncommon): What you can smoothly and easily do with the light in your left hand, you do. If what you need to do will result in erratic light signals or you not being able to see where you need to see, you transfer the light to the right hand. You can do that any number of ways, including using a thumb loop, as scooter divers do, or putting a bungee over the top of the light to substitute for a thumb loop, as I do. I will warn you that one GUE instructor I have worked with had a very specific way the transfer had to be done, and the light had to be held in the right hand, which I found incredibly uncomfortable but he insisted upon. No other instructor has felt there was a prescribed way to hold the light in the right hand.
If you need to use both hands for a task (eg. Stage drops and pickups) you put the light in a temporary clip-off. If you are completely through with it, you put it in a permanent stow.
I could never remember the "Drill Underwater, drill Over" mnemonic, so I use the term "duro" which is Spanish for "hard". After you have deployed your regulator to the OOA diver, you pass the light head UNDER the hose to clear it. When you are completing the drill, you pass it OVER to ensure it is on the outside when everything is done. And, most importantly, you trace the cord from the light to the canister with your hand, to ensure it is, in fact, clear.
Lights are to see. They are also to signal, and to locate teammates. How anal the people you are diving with are about your light is variable. The last class I took, the instructor did not want the lights to move from in front of the diver -- you could only look at what the spill illuminated, and you could not look behind you. My original Cave 1 instructor wanted us to look around a LOT, and behind us in particular, because the cave looks different going out than it does coming in. My personal take is that, as long as my buddy's light movements are smooth and regular, I'm unworried, even if the light disappears from my view for a few seconds. If the light is jerky or erratic, I'm concerned.
OP
Great stuff, everyone. Thanks.
On the topic of my fixation with how to hold the U-shaped traditional hard Goodman handle, the videos seem to show the thumb outside the vertical ends of the U. In other words, you just grip the horizontal crossbar part of the handle with four fingers, so that one of the vertical ends of the U is between the index finger and the thumb. I admit I had been putting my whole hand inside, including the thumb, which is apparently not the normal way to hold it. Why is the U so wide then? If it's only intended to be grasped by four fingers, they should make the U adjustable in width so it could be held more securely. There is a lot of wobble or play. Maybe these things were designed with thick gloves in mind?
Lynne, the Mexicans might snicker at DURO, given its slang meaning.
I'm looking forward to practicing this stuff next weekend.
On the topic of my fixation with how to hold the U-shaped traditional hard Goodman handle, the videos seem to show the thumb outside the vertical ends of the U. In other words, you just grip the horizontal crossbar part of the handle with four fingers, so that one of the vertical ends of the U is between the index finger and the thumb. I admit I had been putting my whole hand inside, including the thumb, which is apparently not the normal way to hold it. Why is the U so wide then? If it's only intended to be grasped by four fingers, they should make the U adjustable in width so it could be held more securely. There is a lot of wobble or play. Maybe these things were designed with thick gloves in mind?
Lynne, the Mexicans might snicker at DURO, given its slang meaning.
I'm looking forward to practicing this stuff next weekend.
It should be easy to slip on and off your left hand to transition to your right (or park or stow). As long as it's not floppy and falling off it's the right size. You don't want to death grip the handle. You adjust the tension by moving the light tray up and down in the handle, using the vertical adjustment to size it correctly. My light stays on my hand while fully relaxed and not gripping it, but loose enough that I can easily transition to my right hand with ease.
If you notice in the video that Whitesands posted on page 1, the guy on the left that is donating has his hand fully relaxed around his light handle. It's not flat, but it is in a relaxed position where he's not really gripping his light.
If you notice in the video that Whitesands posted on page 1, the guy on the left that is donating has his hand fully relaxed around his light handle. It's not flat, but it is in a relaxed position where he's not really gripping his light.
OP
Can someone point me to a picture (or preferably video) that shows how to hold the Goodman handle AND a reel while laying line. I am getting frustrated trying to keep a grip on the reel while my fingers are extending through the Goodman handle. If I hold the Goodman handle in a way that's secure, I can't hold the reel. If I get my fingers around the reel, the light flops around and doesn't point in the direction I'm taking the reel.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vokTyHnHL5o
Bil Phillips channel has a bunch more.
https://www.youtube.com/user/bilphillips/videos
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