First time in doubles at Haigh this last weekend

[kawasakign]

So had my first dives on doubles this weekend under the great instruction of Duane J. of Precision Diving. Wow was it fun and humbling at the same time.

Thoughts before the class were mostly concerned with turtle-ing upside-down on my back, piss poor buoyancy, and general complexity of doubles. (see afterthoughts for what really happened)
Duane first made sure I was comfortable with all the gas management, planning, and what I will refer to as the "books" end of diving. After a thorough review of planning, and some extra (and new to me ) instruction on Rock Bottom, and different philosophies (of which were information and educational without pressuring into one way of thinking) we reviewed equipment. On dry land we made sure my BP&W was set up right, my regs were set up right and general tidiness. We switched around some things on the regulators to make hose routing easier and then started suiting up.
First thought...DAMN THESE THINGS ARE HEAVY...I was diving steel 95s and a steel backplate no extra weight. So first dive was good, Duane did a general check to make sure I wasn't too green and all the standard rec tests...regulator recovery, mask removal, etc....then came S drills and kick techniques.
I'd say my frog kick was pretty good for the first time trying on doubles...but I believe the words used to describe what it actually looked like was "humping the dog"....which in retrospect...probably pretty accurate But definitely a new feeling, and wow did keeping level enter a whole new level of difficulty. This was the humbling part...I'd say my single tank buoyancy is pretty darn good. But I felt like an OW student as far as my hover goes. Just a way different animal with doubles (at least to me). So second dive goes ok...started doing a valve drill, purge backup make sure it’s on, ok check...turn off right post...check... switch to backup....check...promptly suck in a gulp of water in the meantime...uh...no check... stay calm and not panic...check...give out of air signal while I cough underwater...check...Duane reacts like a pro and demonstrates firsthand how and OOA response is handled, I cough a little nothing in the lungs, we thumb it and get to surface..everything is all good, sure thing backup reg was avail and had air on...just breathed in wet on that transition. Although I had air and probably could have just "tongued" the regulator if I really needed to get a breath (which I did), I gave the no air signal and it was handled. Dive with people you trust!!!!
So after some time we decide to go at it again and sure thing next time I did it no prob (well little bit of prob reaching the valves but I got those suckers). All set everything back on and we travel a little and I get more use to the frog and general feeling of doubles.
We then grabbed lunch, then afterward 3rd dive. This time to a little deeper and actually much more comfortable. Threw a bag, did accent and decent drills and realize that I prob was weighted correctly for these dives, my buoyancy really just did suck and I couldn't blame it on a weighting issue. Just as you know it, when I finally start getting the hang of it and I’m getting more horizontal and neutral....air is getting low and time to go up and finish the third dive.
Great class and a great idea from TDI to offer it. I got the instruction and familiarity I was looking for. I got some first rate education and critiques. Plus I got this in a structured environment with a qualified and great instructor.
My afterthoughts....no issue at all with turtleing...never ever had an issue in the slightest..in fact I had more of an issue just submerging...almost like I didn't have enough weight, but my hover at 10ft at the end of the dives with less air confirmed I was weighted correctly.
Yes, my buoyancy did suck...but hey I already figured this wasn't going to be the normal and well it was the first time so overall I was happy with what I got out of it
Doubles are more complex, but as long as you have the right instruction and a clear head they have a lot to offer with only a moderate complexity jump.
I highly recommend Duane, and the TDI Intro to Tech class.

[TSandM]

Sounds like a great way to get into doubles!

One tip I can offer, from struggling with trim and stability, is that posture becomes WAY more important with doubles. Getting that back arched and the knees UP really helps with the head-down tendency that messes up your hover. (Getting your equipment balanced helps, too, but I've found you can compensate for fairly large equipment imbalances if your posture is impeccable.)

[jepuskar]

I decided to forget doubles and just dive with a 200cu ft tank.

[JBRES1]

Glad to see you had a good time with the doubles.

OK , now tell the truth. At some point during the dives didn't you just want to knee cap Duane. He is able to just float there flat as could be. He makes it look so easy to keep in trim. I enjoy diving with him, but damn he makes it look easy.
Jim Breslin

[jepuskar]

Practice lad, practice.

[Ber Rabbit]

Sounds like a great class! Checked the website and their "Intro to Tech" sounds "un-techy" enough that I'm tempted to give it a try. Tech scares me, this sounds more like the "baby steps" sort of class I would like to take to get some skills with the doubles.

Thanks for posting!
Ber

[robzr]

I took a doubles workshop from Duane, and I did my first doubles dives with him at Haigh (as well as Wreck, Drysuit, DPV, Rescue) He's a great instructor, especially if you have an interest in hog/DIR diving. The quality of training to price ratio is excellent. Don't take his classes if you are just looking for an easy c-card however.

I dive doubles almost every dive that I can now, it's a little bit more of a hassle out of the water, except when you go on a charter you don't have to change tanks out, and you get more usable air. kawasakign if you are looking to get some more practice with s drills and v drills, theres a few of us at CSM (The Chicago Scuba Meetup Group (Chicago, IL) - Meetup.com) who routinely go to haigh and enjoy working on drills. Glad to hear your overall experience was so positive!

Rob

[kawasakign]

Glad to see you had a good time with the doubles.

OK , now tell the truth. At some point during the dives didn't you just want to knee cap Duane. He is able to just float there flat as could be. He makes it look so easy to keep in trim. I enjoy diving with him, but damn he makes it look easy.
Jim Breslin

Ha I wouldn't say kneecap him...but he did make it look too easy.

[crpntr133]

Sounds like a great class! Checked the website and their "Intro to Tech" sounds "un-techy" enough that I'm tempted to give it a try. Tech scares me, this sounds more like the "baby steps" sort of class I would like to take to get some skills with the doubles.

Thanks for posting!
Ber

Intro to tech can be what you need it to be from what I understand. I took mine with Rick Kruzel. You can take it in singles or doubles. Since you are an instructor Ber I would think that you would get a taste of tech.

We worked on frog kick, team work, OOA while maintaining position and valve drill on the first dive. Second we did OOA, valve drills and shot a bag. Third we took along our deco bottles and "switched gas" after shooting a bag. We also worked on planning a dive and diving our plan.

[Ber Rabbit]

crpntr thanks for the rundown on what you did with your class Now I just need a couple people to join me and make a class of it!
Ber