UTD's New Sidemount Configuration

[TheCatFish]

It shouldn't be - the second stage is generally only reacting to the pressure in the hose. Its not talking to the first stage.

My guess for freeflow would be more of a second stage issue than a 1st stage. Blocking the mouthpiece generally works to stem a flow. I would check the breaking effort and see if there is anything funky going on there, and what your lever action is looking like.

Lever arm is another good thought. If the second stage diaphragm was the culprit I feel like Wibble's tinkering would have pretty quickly seated it. Cracking pressure would have had to slip really low to allow the described violent flow which wouldn't resolve, plus, seemed to resume after repressurizing.

 

[L13]

Was hoping @berndo would have some suggestions.

That would be atypically constructive. Anyway, I don't think either ScubaPro or Apex has started interplanetary shipping, so he may not have relevant experience.

 

[Bald Wookie]

Lever arm is another good thought. If the second stage diaphragm was the culprit I feel like Wibble's tinkering would have pretty quickly seated it. Cracking pressure would have had to slip really low to allow the described violent flow which wouldn't resolve, plus, seemed to resume after repressurizing.

Might not even be the cracking pressure, perhaps there was something with the LP seat and the cold, allowing flow by and causing free flow.

We tuned stuff to break around 1.4 when we were in really cold water and that negated most free flows. Most people couldn't tell a difference between 1.1 - 1.4.

But who knows - difficult to replicate those conditions even in the coldest of dive shops

 

[J-Vo]

Please do elaborate.

Let's see.

RD seems great for planning and estimation, but depending on my memory to calc my deco profile is a bad idea.

All the "advantages" they tout of RD, I can do with my Shearwaters. It's not like using a PDC means I don't understand decompression science.

"If you do your dive properly, you come out 'clean', and after one hour surface interval you don't need to adjust for the previous dives gas loading". WTF? I just heard this on their podcast.

I don't have any recent confirmation of this, but the above makes me think it still holds. UTD RD apparently does not need altitude compensation. Tell that to the (three?) UTD divers that have been air lifted from out local training site.

So as much as I can get behind some of their program, other parts are so f'ed up I don't want anything to do with them.

 

[Wibble]

Benefits of using a slide rule instead of a calculator...

• You become very competent at estimating as you need to know the approximate result for magnitude
• You have to think about the calculation as you work through the algorithm
• Fewer mis-interpretation errors by blindly copying the numbers.

Drawbacks of using a slide rule

• Difficult to perform
• Limited accuracy
• Transcription errors for complex calculations
• Requires skill to learn and use the tools
• Must do approximation for magnitude

Benefits of using a calculator

• Quick, accurate, reliable, easy

Does anyone use slide rules these days, or just a calculator or spreadsheet?

Ditto Ratio Deco rather than a computer

 

[ginti]

"If you do your dive properly, you come out 'clean', and after one hour surface interval you don't need to adjust for the previous dives gas loading". WTF? I just heard this on their podcast.

I don't have any recent confirmation of this, but the above makes me think it still holds. UTD RD apparently does not need altitude compensation. Tell that to the (three?) UTD divers that have been air lifted from out local training site.

Could you send a link t the podcast where they say these things? Thanks!

 

[berndo]

It certainly can. Anything to disrupt a runaway venturi effect can calm a reg down in a hurry. I've seen a bad first stage empty that much gas before and I've had a "bit" of training.

I call BS. Freeflow at the surface you can stop like that. Trying to stop a freeflow on a dive like that makes no sense as you lose a ton of gas if it doesn't work... which it likely wont. Telling people that this is a safe way or in anyway sensible way to deal with this is asinine.

Freeflows during the dive aren't due to a light tap of the purge buttom. I dive cold water and had a number of free flows on SP as well as Apeks regs and free flow do NOT stop unless you shut down the tank.

Could be? I've seen Wibble around, plus he's got over 4k posts, I assume he can't be too big of a joker... but maybe I've got too much faith in the internet

I disagree, his posts are mostly nonsense. The is either trolling or really incompetent. In another thread he didn't know how to figure out how to verify his cell on his ccr and that a neopren drysuit is hard to vent gas from, etc. it goes on and on like that.

 

[J-Vo]

Could you send a link t the podcast where they say these things? Thanks!

Search "UTD Scuba Diving Podcast" on your favorite app.

 

[Wibble]

Of course @berndo is so perfect and clever. He never gets anything wrong nor asks anyone for ideas as he's so perfect in every way. Obviously he never talks about his diving, just implies how great his knowledge is whilst never revealing any details of what he does. Are you a DiveMASTER for example? BWRAF and all that? Do you actually dive below 18m outside of a quarry?

On the other hand, some of us use ScubaBoard as a way of learning and passing on information to others, maybe even working through problems with other more experienced people. It can be quite cathartic to share a cock-up here as, just maybe, someone else would learn from one's mistakes.

Please attack the ball, not the man.

 

[J-Vo]

Just remembered another one.

I believe they have refered to using He rather than O2 to displace nitrogen and reduce decompression load. So 21/11 has the same NDL as 32%.