Understanding GUE diving method

[bridgediver]

amobeus once bubbled...
I think if we really sit back and calculate all the many possibilities and malfunctions that could occur with diving gear it would seem radical to want to dive deep.

It IS radical, don't kid yourself

 

[Uncle Pug]

Hallmac once bubbled...
Hey UP did you have both inflators active at one time? or did you switch bc hose for primary and redundant?

I only had one bladder and one inflator and one hose to the inflator... so it was very easy to figure out which hose/inflator/bladder was causing the problem.

 

[Hallmac]

for a minute there I thought you said you tried a dual bladder and had one creep on you. Threw me off balance.

Hall

 

[Uncle Pug]

Hallmac once bubbled...
dual bladder and had one creep on you

How would you know which one was creeping?

 

[Hallmac]

Just like Hank Williams Jr. Playing the "Devil Lives in Georgia"

Hall

 

[pipedope]

plans of what to do in any case that might come up might be called a job hazard analysis (JHA) and is just another part of the job for a commercial dive team.

Heck, in most of my diving I don't use a BC at all.
I still have several bailout options.

A failed BC is annoying but not all that bad. Try having a hard failure of the second stage in a helmet. Just too damn much fun.

Of course there is always the cockroach in the helmet dance.ut:

 

[Hallmac]

Hall

 

[MikeFerrara]

amobeus once bubbled...
Thanks Guys, your all giving me more brain blowing methods and questions to ask regarding bladders and ideas to consider. One question thou! would a diver not find it difficult to install his whip at depth while trying not to freak out in a critical life situation and what about sever panic regardless of experience. I find it hard enough on the surface to install my whip and trying it in dark cold water with gloves on seem like a vital time waster. I've never heard any diver ever talk about there inflator activating unless there finger was on it, or is this just an assumption.

Thanks

Amobeus

Stuck inflators have been the single most common equipment failure that I've seen while I've only seen one wing fail in such a way that it wouldn't hol any air. BTW, that one bc failure was a shoulder dump valve that came apart.

 

[amobeus]

Blame it on the zebra muscle that was stuck in your dump valve and sent you flowing to depth.Check your gear befor you jump.

 

[mddolson]

Ok , I'll jump in just for sake of discussion.

I have a dual bladder wing.
I got a good price on it used from a buddy in Australia. Less then new for a single bladder wing.

I rig it as follows.
My WIP (LP hose) is connected to the primary bladder on my left shoulder inflator.
The 2nd (right side) inflator is not connected to a LP hose. It is stuck down by my right elbow by velcro.
If there the primary leaks I know which hose it is. I can disconnect it and connect to the 2nd inflator if need be, or
run manual (oral inflator) if it's the LP hose that's the problemn.

As Mike Ferrara pointed out inflator sticking is one of the most common malfunctions, and it's not limited to BC's , dry suit inflators have the same problem. I suspect it's more prevelant in salt water (ocean) diving than in fresh water due to salt crystals developing. (just my opinion, I have no stats to support this)

It is a simple task to disconnect the wip and reconnect it , I ve done it on my own and on student's gear, with 7 mm wet and dry gloves.

The exercises in our last confined water sessions ( I call this glove night), include the students doing all the skills they've learned to date with 7 mm wetsuit gloves on. Including disconnecting and reconnecting the power inlfator hose on their BD. The gloves go on when the students enter the water and don't come off until they are done for the night.

Mike D