Possible new one-handed diver needs guidance!

[Akimbo]

… As for the lever: it's not a gimmick. It's a different "adaptation" and quite often that gets a bad rap from those who have probably NEVER EVEN TRIED IT. I have tried it and it works just fine. Really. If it makes your diving simpler, easier or even possible then just embrace it...

If by lever, are you referring to the Aqualung Dimension i3? I think it is fair to say that the ergonomics are generally desirable. Unfortunately, IMHO the design of the mechanism needs a lot of work for reliability and durability. I can see why those shortcomings might lead some divers to use a derogatory word like "gimmick".

I brought up my observations with an owner of a dive shop and he had to admit they require a lot more maintenance.

… Who cares what others think about it if it works for you…

I concur, as long the product’s trade-offs are understood and it solves a real problem. A number of points regarding disabled divers were pointed out to me by MBV’s training director, who has a lot of experience with a variety of disabilities. One I found enlightening is that “most” divers with physical limitations are very hesitant to be “different” than other divers any more than necessary. It seems obvious but it never occurred to me. Another is that the training director tries to avoid using equipment-specific solutions whenever possible. The reason is that he wants “his” divers to be able to travel and rent gear like everyone else.

 

[Doppler]

If the OP cares to send me a PM with an email, I will connect them with a buddy who has a similar body configuration and is a kick-ass technical diver... who might also be an a unique postion to offer advice.

 

[SKMoss]

Nina,

If I understand the early part of the post, you're considering diving. #1 Make sure who every your instructor is, that they are familiar with the adaptations needed and he/she should cover everything you need to know to be a safe diver.

Weight belt is 100% fine in conjunction with a BCD. Most of the old heads here (me included) dove that configuration long before the advent of the weight integrated systems. I'm considering going back. Not real happy with the way the BC pockets and weight pockets work.

If you have other concerns, I'll put you in touch with the lead instructor for the WAVES Project (WAVES project). I'm sure he'd be more than delighted to answer any questions. He's PADI and HSA instructor.

 

[rx7diver]

No beating around the bush, though, I'm missing most of my left arm below my elbow...

ninadeer,

One of my former dive buddies is without fingers on her left hand, and her left forearm and left hand are diminutive. (Since birth.)

She is every bit as competent a recreational scuba diver as any of our group who took the same demanding university PE scuba course we all did! She actually certified as a dive master after passing a rigorous NAUI dive master course (ca. 1988).

She dove in a Scubapro Stab Jacket with an attached AIR 2, a rubber weightbelt with wire buckle using a standard right-hand release, her analog gauges in a console coming off of her right side, and her dive knife attached to her BC.

We actually did quite a bit of diving together, including a lot of local Missouri/Arkansas diving, a diving+sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands, and several trips to the weather side of Grand Cayman Island.

Her only "issue" is that her left arm and hand tend to get colder sooner than the rest of her--though this probably had more to do with the fact that she was wearing (only) a full farmer Jane wetsuit when the rest of us were wearing drysuits during our inaugural recreational wreck diving trip to Isle Royale in Lake Superior. A chemical hand warmer pad placed between her woolen mitten and her neoprene mitt solved that particular problem for the subsequent dives during that week-long trip, though.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[Robert Gillcash]

All of the above posts are pretty well right on. Can't go wrong with a bit of self help.

In regards to the I3 setup, I see it as counter-intiuitive. You lift the lever to inflate the BC and press it down to deflate. This, to me, is the opposite of the way it should be.
If it was the other way around...
As you descend, you add air to your BC, pressing the lever as you descend.
As you ascend, you would lift the lever.
AquaLung has it the other way around, you lift to descend and press down to ascend.
Seems like a built in way to an uncontrolled ascent!

 

[GrandpaScuba]

Most Scubapro BCD's have fittings that allow the end-user to move the inflator from the left to the right. Normally, the right-hand fitting looks like a dump valve. But if you unscrew it, you can unscrew the inflator and move it to the right side. The dump valve then goes to the left. Your Scubapro dealer should be able to help you with it, if you need help.

Also Zeagle can be ordered with right-hand inflator. As well as other brands.

Zeagle integrated weight BCD's are available with a "ripcord" system that releases the integrated weights with a single pull from the right hand.

 

[GDI]

ninadeer, Not sure what the problem is here other than some mis-information. You will be expected to complete all the diving standards same as anyone else. You "Arm" situation really doesn't sound like it hinders you any so go try and see how you like it. Get a patient creative instructor to work with you.

Now this comment here:

I tried on a BCD the other day with the buoyancy lever on the bottom left side of the vest (not sure how standard that is). I could operate it with no issues. What did get brought up was the integrated weight system - one on each side that would need to be pulled simultaneously in an emergency. I could pull them in quick succession, but not simultaneously.

This is the least concern. You can do a weight integrated system there are many BCD's that need only a single pull to ditch the weight (Zeagle) and it is not such a bad thing to only ditch part of the weight, this is all about displacement. You can also get a BCD bladder that favors either side for inflation (right or Left) This was already mentioned. Just use practicality to your situation in selecting equipment.

Have at it

 

[g1138]

Guys, she has NO LEFT HAND. How is she going to reach her LEFT MOUNTED butt dump STANDARD on MAJORITY of Wings, when she's inverted!?!? Really? Get a Bp/W? At least mention Zeagle, DiveRite, or OMS who have Right mounted Butt dumps on some wings.

Next thing you're going to say is "donate your primary" so she can wait OOA until the panic diver she's rescuing has air. THEN she can find her secondary.
Or she can just toss her primary off and hope the OOA diver catches it, while she get's her secondary.

Does that seem like a good technique for a new diver? I know there are some instructors on here.
And I know WE know how majority of scuba instructors turn out divers. Let's think about this for a second and turn Copy & Paste OFF.

ninadeer, I would look for an instructor who has been trained in disabled diving. They will have the knowledge and techniques to teach you to overcome issues that might arise by not having 2 hands to manipulate controls.
Scuba dive training priority is to teach you to prevent problems and then solve problems should the first step fail.
Going with any instructor who hasn't experienced or trained with this mindset might overlook certain situations and not train your for them.

I'll second HSA: https://www.hsascuba.com/

Any BC you get, should have dump valves you can manipulate on your right side for both the top and bottom.
You will need to dump air in your BC as you ascend from your dive, and in some cases you may flip feet up either on purpose or accident and have to dump air from the "bottom" of your BC.
So having dump valves on the right side would make safety a bit more convenient for you.

Some Bp/W (Backplate/Wing) have that, but not all. Most have Left mounted Butt Dumps, which would do you no good.
Though I'm sure you could jury rig a pull string to trace along the bottom of the wing to your right side.


Weightbelt VS integrated comes down to technique and then personal preference.
Replacing a weightbelt underwater with only one hand will take some technique and this is where an HSA instructor will come in real handy.
I would not know how to roll one onto me using only one hand. They might.

I use both, and I would always dump one at a time.
Dumping all at once means you're rocketing to the surface, which is the last thing you want to do even in an emergency. Remember how I said training to prevent a problem? Prevent a situation where you feel that is your only logical option to approach an emergency ascent. Pull weights one at a time and as needed.
So weightbelt and Integrated pockets are all good for you, replacing them underwater is where I can't comment because I don't know how you'll fair with this. That will be something to practice in your pool sessions.


I would go with a standard BC setup (can be Bp/w; can be stock; they both have their limitations), which is to say it has a left mounted inflator hose, not a lever. Those you can manipulate inflation buttons with your right hand, and even possibly dump. For dumping air there are dump valves mounted on the right side of most stock BC's and some backplate Wings.
A Conventional inflator hose looks like this:



I'll leave the rest to your instructor.

 

[rx7diver]

Guys, she has NO LEFT HAND. How is she going to ...

g1138,

My former dive buddy (see post #24 in this thread) had/has absolutely no problem recovering her regulator and mask, buddy breathing, deflating her BC (at that time Scubapro Stab Jackets didn't have a dump valve on the bottom), doffing and donning her equipment (including rolling into and out of her weight belt) either U/W or on the surface, completing surface and underwater bailouts, effecting U/W and surface rescues, etc., etc., etc. And her instructor didn't have any special skill-set for training divers with physical disabilities. Sometimes things aren't as difficult/impossible for others as we, ourselves, imagine they ought to be.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[g1138]

g1138,

My former dive buddy (see post #24 in this thread) had/has absolutely no problem recovering her regulator and mask, buddy breathing, deflating her BC (at that time Scubapro Stab Jackets didn't have a dump valve on the bottom), doffing and donning her equipment (including rolling into and out of her weight belt) either U/W or on the surface, completing surface and underwater bailouts, effecting U/W and surface rescues, etc., etc., etc. And her instructor didn't have any special skill-set for training divers with physical disabilities. Sometimes things aren't as difficult/impossible for others as we, ourselves, imagine they ought to be.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

Can she pull a rear dump set on her left side using only her right hand? My point wasn't that the OPs incapable of becoming a diver. That's for her instructor to decide. My point was that the ScubaBoard Kool-Aid reply of BC & Reg style is not setting up for a conservative, and in my opinion, safe start for this particular case.

Yes, point taken with the Scubapro Stab Jacket. So what you're suggesting is the OP should go a step back with equipment and neglect to look for a BC that gives her the ability to dump air when inverted? That requires a different diving style and precaution to avoid ending up in that situation. Are all instructors going to see that and address it?

At the very least I think if we're going to give advice we should address issues transparently and not say everything is going to peachy when:
1) We have not evaluated a new diver
2) We are not experienced in training a new diver with missing hand

If everything goes perfect, our OP will pass her class with any instructor and be a great diver.
Other hand maybe she has problems and her instructor can't address it. Worst case, we set her up with the wrong gear suggestions and make life a living hell for a fellow instructor in our dive community. We then contribute to a bad experience for a new diver excited to start what is suppose to be fun and rewarding hobby.

With this example I'm simply addressing an issue I see coming up, the same as we address safety issues for something more glaring like solo diving to 130ft down an endless canyon when you only have 12 dives and a recreational gear setup. (Direct Example from the NorCal board a few years back).
I may be a bit more harsh sounding because I've seen what happens when you stick Bp/Ws on an entire class of students and set them off on an instructor.
Instructor was familiar with Bp/Ws, all student were not.
Imagine an instructor who has to spend class time teaching a student to dive a BC rather than Rescues, Search & Salvage, the basis of what the class curriculum is. I know some of you will say that's the instructors job and he'll be a bad instructor if he didn't work with them. But lets look at this at the OW level, where your job is to teach diving and not basic swimming or floating.

Bp/W take a technique to dive effectively, just like Air 2s do for air sharing.
Essentially what Scubaboard has become is analogous to a Dive Shop that pushes an Air 2 onto customers without telling them, "hey there's a different technique to air shares when you use this". This is not being a responsible part of the dive community in my mind.

Apologies for the hijack, but I think this issue needs to be addressed.