Tech diving, equipment, awareness and too much too soon

[wallacm]

great post, I have seen many people that talk a lot of smack and can't live true to their word u/w, jsut as you mentioned

[douglasville diver]

Thank you for the words of wisdom, they were well taken !

[Fort Collins Bob]

Very well thought out and written... thank you.

I would hope that Instructors that read this will also take away a
little thought about the ethics of teaching.

It is so easy just to hand a student a card .... and not care.

bob

[dschulte]

I catch a good deal of sneers and general flack from other divers when they see me diving local sites with redundant dive computers and 19s pony bottle setup. I have also recently pulled out my new set of independent twins using the Ultimate Products setup and a 7’ regulator hose. My next new item will be a sling tank. Granted that none of this, with the exception of the pony bottle, are required for the areas I dive, but each dive gives me the opportunity to work on the management of the equipment. A few divers, the ones I call mentors, understand and provided feedback whenever they can. My next round of courses will be the Cavern and an Advanced Nitrox/Deco procedures course. I am doing exactly what you suggested, getting to know the equipment.

The one challenge I have is developing a working setup when I first add a new piece of equipment. For instance, the sling tank setup. There are dozens of opinions out there and most people you just have to play with it until you get comfortable. That can be an expensive approach in many situations. For my first sling tank purchase, I opted for a Luxfer NB80/DIN with an OMS 2” neck ring and swivel eye, Stainless Steel Stage Bottle Band and a Dive Rite Stage Bottle Strap. For hose lengths, I went with a 6” for the pressure gauge and a 40” for the regulator. Is this the best choice? I do not know. From opinions and logic it seems to be. If you have some more words of advice, what reference materials, sites, writings, etc. can you recommend for setup configurations?

[GDI]

For hose lengths, I went with a 6” for the pressure gauge and a 40” for the regulator. Is this the best choice? I do not know. From opinions and logic it seems to be. If you have some more words of advice, what reference materials, sites, writings, etc. can you recommend for setup configurations?

dschulte sounds like you are on the right track. Do you have a picture of the set you are describing? The 6 inch Hp Hose for the Spg is very common. Most divers will bend it back up to the first stage into a position that they can read it with no difficulty. I have long hoses like the 40 inch for my stage regs. This way the reg can come around my neck and into my mouth directly as normal and it keeps the front of me clear for dealing with BCD or drysuit or other equipment. There are many books out there that have different configurations. TDI's Adva Nitrox and deco procedures manual come to mind. And I think Dive Rite has some illustartions on their web site. maybe I'll take some pic and start putting things like this on my web site.

[Chuffy]

I catch a good deal of sneers and general flack from other divers when they see me diving local sites with redundant dive computers and 19s pony bottle setup.

I would suggest that it is those that sneer that are lacking in awareness. How else are you supposed to 'train' be it officially or informally.

I know of a tech instructor that used to use our boat in the afternoons when it was going to the shallow bays. The same bays that we used for OW training. Why did he go into 10m deep bays with twin sets and undersling tanks? To train of course. You learn and practise drills and tasks in a safe familiar environment. When they become second nature, then you go deep and in poor vis etc.

In my humble opinion only a fool would do it any other way.

[Ice9]

Can someone give a quick example of a task-loading situation where it is common to see new divers making mistakes?

[Drewski]

Can someone give a quick example of a task-loading situation where it is common to see new divers making mistakes?

Hey Ice:

Wetsuit + Hood + Cold Water + New Dive Site + Problems Equalizing + Water in Mask = STRESS.

Add any type of "minor problems" to this and it becomes a VERY difficult dive for a new diver.

See ya...

[Bob_B]

Great Post..

Can someone give a quick example of a task-loading situation where it is common to see new divers making mistakes?

OOG drills are a great example. If you and you buddy tend to move up or down while passing the reg / sharing air, then you are "Task Loaded". Keep working at it until you can do both at the same time.

For a simple example, get a cheap disposable, underwater camera ($10) and take it with you on your next dive. Make sure to stay neutral (don't move up and down in the water column) then take a few close up pictures. Then get out your light and try to shine the light on the subject of the picture while keeping the object in the frame and staying neutral in the water... You'll see the task loading effect.

[Meng_Tze]

Can someone give a quick example of a task-loading situation where it is common to see new divers making mistakes?

Oh task loading....

You shoot a bag. And none of this pre-rigged SMB/spool stuff. No, you have a separate spool and SMB and are rigging it, shooting it. Then your buddy comes and gives OOG sign, you go into gas sharing. All the time you maintain buoyancy and trim while staying on schedule.

What does this do?

Load tasks: SMB, OOG, buoyancy/trim and watch your time schedule (ascent), stress of sharing gas, recalculating gas consumption and profile if needed. Do this in a current with limited vis and you have a party!


A lot of people start to make mistakes. Not only new divers.