Tampering with other divers' gear

[letterboy]

agreed.

 

[jefffalcone]

Just a thought: What would you have done if she was heavily overweighted and sank like a rock in 400 feet of water?

She was obviously not heavily overweighted because she was finning like crazy to keep from floating up.

You question doesn't make any sense and it seems like you're just being arguementitive.

 

[Walter]

In the original post and the thread that he refers too, this is a rescue situation and not a tampering or even a "let me help you out" situation.

Exactly. I have no idea the number of times I've vented other divers' BCs in similar situations. Often they are not even aware it was done.

Just a thought: What would you have done if she was heavily overweighted and sank like a rock in 400 feet of water?

When it's done properly, it wouldn't matter if she were over weighted or not. You only release enough air to make the diver neutrally buoyant.

 

[IceBergSlim]

She was obviously not heavily overweighted because she was finning like crazy to keep from floating up.

You question doesn't make any sense and it seems like you're just being arguementitive.

It is possible to be overweighed and still positive with a full BC. Then, when you release the air you become negative. Sometimes very negative.

That is pretty basic physics.

It was a legitimate question. I'm sorry you did not understand it.

 

[Teamcasa]

Making any adjustments in my life support system without my permission is tampering!!!

"Sinister intent" is not required to kill me.
Even a well meaning adjustment by someone not familiar with your gear set up, that you are not aware of, could lead to disaster.

Fellow divers are welcome to question, observe or suggest, but no one is welcome alter gear on which my life depends, in any way, outside of a training situation, and then you have my full attention.

OK, fair enough, but for me I seperate this into different intents.
Tampering has a malicious connotation and is intended to cause me harm.
Unwanted helpfulness may indeed cause me some grief but it was not supposed to.
Some knuckelhead turning my air off thinking they were being helpful is unwanted helpfulness and I'll explain it to them in terms they will not soon forget.

I realize there are people who take the issue of touching or helping with other divers gear very seriously - as they should. However, a polite word to the habitual helper usually solves the problem.

 

[gypsyjim]

Agreed. I actually find a few words sufficient also, in most cases. But I am deadly serious in expecting my gear to remain mine solely to adjust or alter.

 

[rollerboi]

I think that the amount of air one releases from the kidney pull in a situation like that can most likely be compensated for by adding air to one's own BC if the person affected starts to fall, and if they're not already able to add air to their own. If one's close enough to purge the kidney, one's close enough to grab them if they sink.

In this situation, the greatest danger was that diver hitting the surface, rather than descending further. I think the call made was a good one, all internet arguments aside.

 

[boulderjohn]

Agreed. I actually find a few words sufficient also, in most cases. But I am deadly serious in expecting my gear to remain mine solely to adjust or alter.

So if you wre having some kind of equipment-related problem you could not correct that was putting you in danger, you would resent it if someone came over and helped?

 

[letterboy]

So if you wre having some kind of equipment-related problem you could not correct that was putting you in danger, you would resent it if someone came over and helped?

If I am not mistaken Jim is referring to someone arbitrarily adjusting his gear. . . .

 

[scarefaceDM]

That is by far not tampering. More of diver assistance in the situation the OP described.

I have assisted in many of these instances where air was partially turned on, or a venting issue happened and the most common..a lost weight belt and a loose tank strap and a tank about to take a dive...

Basic rule BWRAF...it does work.

If someone turned around to give me lip about assisting them underwater..I would refer them to the DARWIN Theory of stupidity and thank them for making me a better diver by being situationally more aware of my dive environment and to make sure I never dive around them again.