annie once bubbled...
Also as in "Get your kit off" . . . I believe that's a UK thing?
Indeed but that term when applied to Scuba is far less dodgy than saying it to someone in a bar
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annie once bubbled...
Also as in "Get your kit off" . . . I believe that's a UK thing?
John C. Ratliff once bubbled...
I appreciate the clarification on the word, "kit." I simply had not heard it before.
I have another question for those in favor of keeping the weight belt on the diver--have you ever performed in-water mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration. If you have not, try it sometime with the weights, and see what happens.
Tried it and cant quite see what you're getting at. Whe have to train mouth>mouth and mouth>nose AV with a diver in the water and this is always trained with the belt still on.
Chatterton was stunned when Chris went limp in the water. He instinctively jumped into the water, followed immediately by Richie Kohler. Both men wore only street clothes. The cold water shocked their systems, but the adrenaline surged through them, combating the cold and galvanizing their actions. Chatterton immediately lifted Chris's head out of the water...Chatterton and Kohler knew they had to get Chris out of his heavy diving equipment, but were bewildered by the array of hoses, lights, battery pack, the cave-diving harness, and all of the other equipment, including tanks and reels, bobing up and down with the water's motion. Spotting one of several knives that Chris wore. Chatterton grabbed the shoulder knife and tore it from its holder. THe waves kept pushing the two men toward the stern of the boat. Kohler grabbed Chris's tank valve, helding both Chris and Chatterton away from the boat. THe large steel ladder swung dangerously toward the three men. They were being carried up and down the waves as if on a roller coaster. ...Chatterton sawed away at Chris Rouse's shoulder harness. THe knife was sharp and cut through the thick nylon strap quickly. Chatterton ducked his head below the water and grabbed Chris's waist belt. With one smooth pull, Chatterton disconnected the quick-release buckle. He then yanked on the crotch strap that was attached to the bottom of Chris's harness in back and to the waist strap in front. After a few pulls, Chatterton managed to undo the buckle that held both the crotch strap and the harness in place on Chris's body. He worked Chris's left arm froo of the other shoulder strap and then pushed the harness with its attached tanks and equipment away so that it would not hit Chris. The tanks floated on the surface, supported by the air in the buoyancy compensator. Gatto tied off the rope in his hand to the ladder so that the tanks would not float away. Chatterton threw Chris Rouse's limp body over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and struggled up the ladder. Kohler stepped onto the ladder's bottom rung, which was beneath the water, nad braced himself so that he could give Chatterton a boost with one arm. Gatto grabbed Chatterton and helped him up the ladder. When Chatterton made it to the top of the ladder, he got purchase on the railing, then stood upright on tthe swim platform and dumped Chris's body into the boat.. It landed with a dull thud...(Pg 283-4, paperback edition; if you want to know the outcome, read the book)
John C. Ratliff once bubbled...
String said:
Doing in-water mouth-to-mouth requires as much buoyance as possible, to keep the victims mouth above the surface. This is especially true in any wave situation. I am trying to imagine a situation where I would want to keep my weights and recover a victim, but short of coming through very large breakers with a non-viable body, I cannot. Having the weights off would help in getting the victim onto a boat, into a helicopter rescue basket, or even over the side of an inflatable boat/raft.
Now, think again about whether you would really want to keep the weights, and perhaps the "kit" too, in a rescue situation.
SeaRat