Carrying Stages

tombiowami · Aug 21, 2002

When you guys do wreck dives and carry stages, do you generally carry the stage throughout the dive or drop it off at a convenient spot?

I am not planning to use the info in actual diving as I am not trained, blah blah blah.... just wondering.

Tommy

WreckWriter · Aug 21, 2002

tombiowami once bubbled...
When you guys do wreck dives and carry stages, do you generally carry the stage throughout the dive or drop it off at a convenient spot?

I am not planning to use the info in actual diving as I am not trained, blah blah blah.... just wondering.

Tommy

I generally carry mine throughout. The only exception would be if doing a tight penetration which will exit at the same point as entry, then I might drop them. If you choose to drop, be sure they're secured as current can and will move things around.

Tom

MikeFerrara · Aug 21, 2002

Yes, what WreckWriter said. In caves we usually drop them or, in the case of a traverse place them during a setup dive from that end. In caves we know where we are going to exit. In open water better think twice before dropping them. Boats can break lose from moorings, seas can change quickly without warning and you may ascend in a different place than where you descended. Sometimes in open water we have surface supplied O2 so I'll carry 50%. If all goes as planned I have both and if not I have the 50%. In most of these profiles doing without the O2 only adds a few minutes to the shallow stops so it's not worth it to have to carry the second bottle. On these dives, where I wouldn't mind using the O2 or the 50% or both I wouldn't hesitate to clip off the second bottle. In open water, though if I feel I will be real put out by losing a bottle I keep it with me.

tchil01 · Aug 21, 2002

On a dive earlier this month I was the only diver using a single and no stage bottles. Since my dive was going to be the shortest, I went in the water last. As I went down the line there was a semi-circle of stage bottles around where we were tied into the tank. It was actualy pretty cool looking as I went down the line.

Vis was pretty good so I guess everyone thought they would make it back to the line, but as you guys pointed out, I think I would feel a lot more secure taking the stages with me. This wreck was pretty much broken up so there wasn't any penetration, but maybe the other divers thought the tanks would get in the way of them hunting bugs.

Ty

techdiver2us · Aug 22, 2002

I usually carry stages through a dive. The incident on the U-869 sticks in my mind as a reminder of the hazards of lost deco gasses.

DocRCH · Aug 22, 2002

I always carry mine when diving in the ocean. As others had stated, you never know when the boat will break lose. You may also want to have a bottle of O2 on a hang line. This can be an 80 so you do not use up the O2 in your stage.

Robert:doctor:

DivingGal · Aug 22, 2002

I was told to keep it on me -- with exception of tight spots in caves.

The advice to keep it, just in case the dive boat goes one way and you another it marvelous!

cavediver · Aug 23, 2002

stage bottles are just that you stage them at different depths. but all have a point, in the ocean carry them. like one said boat can break lose or if you put them on the wreck can be blown off by current or taken by other idiot divers (hey look what I found). or even just cant find them-U-869. but in a cave "stage" them, at their right depth.

JamieZ · Sep 13, 2002

When entering a wreck for penetration I tie mine off at the begining of my first tie in point. Carrying a deco bottle inside a wreck is just looking for trouble. Creates another entanglement. The whole thing with the last dive with the divers not being able to find their deco bottles was because they were diving air at 240ft. Being that narced you more then likely couldnt find your nose. Just like the drunks on the road who get caught and put through the stand on one foot and touch your nose test. Majority of the time they cant do it.

Even if the dive boats line breaks off the wreck you'll still have your bottles, bag and reel.

diverberr · Sep 25, 2002

cavediver once bubbled...
stage bottles are just that you stage them at different depths. but all have a point, in the ocean carry them. like one said boat can break lose or if you put them on the wreck can be blown off by current or taken by other idiot divers (hey look what I found). or even just cant find them-U-869. but in a cave "stage" them, at their right depth.

I agree with your definition of stage bottles. That's why i prefer the term side mount or wing tank. I don't dive caves so I don't stage mine. I always carry mine throughout the dive. Not only is there a chance for them to be blown off the wreck when you get back, but you may have to shoot a bag elsewhere on the wreck, and not get back to where you left them.

The only time I tie my side mounts off is when doing a long penetration. Then I'll leave them tied off at my entry point into the wreck. In a badly deteriorated wreck, they're just one more thing to worry about tangling.

Carrying Stages

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