Her Air Stopped on 140 Foot Dive

[geraldp]

I rig my equipment up as soon as I'm on the boat, check PSI and then turn the air off and completely purge the regulator. Why? My wireless pressure transmitter falls asleep with inactivity and my computer shuts off and throws away the trasmit code by the time we've gotten to the dive site. So, just before I strap up to go in, I turn the valve FULL on (minus a half turn), wake up the transmitter, and resynch my computer, check the pressure, and then strap up.

That's a good idea. I always check the pressure as soon as I get on the boat, but then close the valve on the way out to the dive site just in case I have a leak. I haven't been purging the pressure because I didn't want to waste that little bit of air.

Shortly after I was OW certified a Dive Guide came up behind me and turned on my valve right before diving in and I realized that in my pre-dive state of mind I would have just jumped right in without reopening the valve. That experience gave me the willies, and I now always double and tripple check my air. As you say purging the air out of the reg after closing it would certainly give me immediate feedback if I had forgotten to turn the valve back on.

Jerry

 

[fins wake]

Nobody touches my gear unless I hand it to them. Once my reg is on my tank, it does not leave my sight. [...] I hate cattle boats.

Amen!

 

[Northeastwrecks]

Hey... he already said the advantages of being air integrated outweigh the disadvantages of not having a means of checking tank pressure that works properly and in real time. He didn't get into what those advantages are, but I guess we all have to make decisions about the gear that works best for the dives we do.

Aren't they obvious?

1. You get to show off a purportedly cool piece of gear before and after diving. You let the world know that you're a risk taker who won't let a few additional failure points come between you and a slick marketing campaign.

2. You eliminate a simple hose by replacing it with a complicated electronic transmitter/receiver combination that can fail if you take it someplace where there are large amounts of metal (gee, wonder what those wrecks are made from).

3. The decision to call the dive if the unit fails on a dive is so much less complicated, since you'll lose your timer, SPG, and depth gauge at the same time.

4. As I understand them, if the unit loses its sync on a dive, all you need to do is touch the computer on your wrist to the transmitter on your first stage. Since ALL divers regularly practice valve drills, and wouldn't even think of getting into the water if they can't reach their valves, this surely won't be an issue.

5. If the unit croaks on land, instead of buying a new SPG for less than $100.00 new, or a swivel pin for substantially less, and replacing it in 15 minutes, you can either (1) buy another; (2) wait for it to be repaired; or (3) dig out a tank with a J-valve that still works and go for it.

 

[geraldp]

Aren't they obvious?

You're kind of cranky aren't you? You forgot your smiley

1. You get to show off a purportedly cool piece of gear before and after diving.

This alone is worth owning one.

2.

3.

4. List of potential failure points on Remote AI computers

5.

I actually don't own a remote AI unit (and this is an old debate that shouldn't be vetted here), but the way I see it most of these concerns can be alleviated having a backup analog SPG and depth guage.

 

[eponym]

Thanks for the detailed picture, Ikura!

It gave me a number of good questions to ask when I get to the point of booking a dive vacation/operator. I've only been diving for two years and have had one trip which included diving as a bonus. It was like a Buddhist retreat compared to what you describe.

My wife and I spent a week aboard a large sailing vessel in the Seychelles in February. A young Frenchman, David Jotter, was the divemaster, and a model of relaxation and slowness in the water. He had a Zodiac RIB fitted out with a tank rack in the center, and we'd motor out to dive sites when the ship was at anchor. We were never more than five divers, and a couple of time it was just David and myself. There were usually no other boats visible - most times we were out of sight of the ship as well.

I could drone on about that trip, because I learned to dive in cold rivers and dark lakes, and this was my first warm-water diving. But I do want all my dive boat trips to match it, so I'm grateful to hear what they can be like . . .

-Bryan

PS Your profile's "location" sounds swell (pun intended). Thanks for the chuckle.

PPS Some words to convey the mood when everyone's hectic are commotion, chaos, and frenzy. I like "frenzy" because of the connotation involving sharks . . .

 

[Northeastwrecks]

You're kind of cranky aren't you? You forgot your smiley

This alone is worth owning one.

I actually don't own a remote AI unit (and this is an old debate that shouldn't be vetted here), but the way I see it most of these concerns can be alleviated having a backup analog SPG and depth guage.

Not cranky at all. Actually, I'm in a great mood. I just finished packing my rig and am looking forward to diving tomorrow. But you are correct about the smilie. I was joking a bit.

That said, if you're going to hook up a backup SPG, then you've eliminated the only possible benefit of a hoseless computer, the elimination of a hose.

As for the coolness factor, I've got my eye on a Gavin. That'll pacify the inner gadget freak for quite awhile.

I dove an AI computer (with hose) for quite a few dives. It drove me nuts because it kept trying to think for me by telling me remaining time based on SAC and nitrogen loading. Since I didn't agree with it, I found it frustrating. Now I dive a bottom timer with a Stinger in gauge mode as backup. We get along just fine.

I know my SAC reasonably well. I can usually come reasonably close without looking at my SPG, so I don't find it a problem to have one on my hip. In addition, if I'm not wearing a deco bottle, I can see it without unclipping.

And to follow your lead by trying to keep this somewhat on topic, all the cool toys in the world wouldn't have stopped the accident described in the first post because it was entirely due to poor execution of basic training, rather than an equipment malfunction.

 

[RichLockyer]

Hey... he already said the advantages of being air integrated outweigh the disadvantages of not having a means of checking tank pressure that works properly and in real time.

Gimme a "KEYBOARD" before you do that again

 

[RichLockyer]

debate that shouldn't be vetted here), but the way I see it most of these concerns can be alleviated having a backup analog SPG and depth guage.

In which case, why spend the extra $500 to have the hoseless AI and add another HP leakage point?
That $500 could buy a complete BP/Wing and a new backup 2nd stage, or cover the airfare to Coz.

Cheaper to go with a hosed AI computer, but now to add the backup SPG you have a CF with the hose routing to get both in a comfortable viewing location (unless you don't mind one on the left and one on the right like those cool tekky rebreather divers).

 

[tim]

How many times have you tried to turn on your vavle with quite a bit of force and a few naughty words only to find that the bugger was already fully open.

.

The end of the threads are what stops the valve from turning all the way out. The running up to the end of the treads and twisting it further will damage the threads over time(years). If you open it gently and then closed 1/8-1/2 turn and let it set, if some one(you) checks to see if its open of not, it turns and then stops it saves it from this damage.

A valve should move freely any where between open and closed.

Hope this makes sence if not ask away.

Tim