Deep South Divers
Contributor
Wow.
I see Thal's point and totally agree with him... Stopping at a given depth and switching out regulators is far from a "technical" concept, and shouldn't require an entire course to make that happen. I mean, really? A whole course? Another merit badge? Really?
Still, I mentioned training at the end of my original answer so as to avoid having the target painted on me.
Thal, I'm with you on this one. But don't tell anyone - I'm not interested in the heat.
Ulfhedinn, sling an AL40, marked appropriately, on your left side with a 50% blend. Use it above 70' only. Practice your stops. Do this with an experienced "technical" buddy or better yet, a "technical" dive instructor - you'll need to anyway, to have them show you how to set up and use that regulator concerning the hose routing. Get good at it. You'll notice that your dives get longer while your pressure groups get lesser.
This practice should INCREASE your margin of safety, not DECREASE it... But only if you use the gas appropriately - above 70' for a 50% O2 mix. Yes, it really is that easy.
Now, don't take our word for it - get trained properly. (<--CMA)
For what it's worth, you could easily practice this switch by slinging a bottle of the same gas on your back. For example, if you were on a single tank with air on a 35' reef dive, there's nothing that says that you can't sling an AL40 with air in it, too, just to have an additional 40 cuft of air and a completely redundant gas supply, "just in case." This would allow you to practice your "gas switches" without the "complexity" of different gasses.
Also, for what it's worth, that would qualify as a completely redundant gas supply, a requirement in some agency's solo diving courses. Not that I recommend diving solo, of course... I'm just sayin' that some agencies consider using this sling-bottle setup so much safer than NOT using one that they'll certify you for solo diving with it and won't without it. Just sayin. Training. (<--CMA)
Once you got the approval from your instructor (<--CMA), you could try different gas mixes in different bottles for different reasons. A common and useful one MIGHT BE (<--CMA) a 50% mix slung, and marked appropriately with a big "70" on the side to remind you not to use it below 70'. Have your "technical" instructor show you how to do this. (<--CMA) A combination of 32% (or 36% if you like) as back gas with a 50% sling bottle would keep your pressure groups very shallow.
I see Thal's point and totally agree with him... Stopping at a given depth and switching out regulators is far from a "technical" concept, and shouldn't require an entire course to make that happen. I mean, really? A whole course? Another merit badge? Really?
Still, I mentioned training at the end of my original answer so as to avoid having the target painted on me.
Thal, I'm with you on this one. But don't tell anyone - I'm not interested in the heat.
Ulfhedinn, sling an AL40, marked appropriately, on your left side with a 50% blend. Use it above 70' only. Practice your stops. Do this with an experienced "technical" buddy or better yet, a "technical" dive instructor - you'll need to anyway, to have them show you how to set up and use that regulator concerning the hose routing. Get good at it. You'll notice that your dives get longer while your pressure groups get lesser.
This practice should INCREASE your margin of safety, not DECREASE it... But only if you use the gas appropriately - above 70' for a 50% O2 mix. Yes, it really is that easy.
Now, don't take our word for it - get trained properly. (<--CMA)
For what it's worth, you could easily practice this switch by slinging a bottle of the same gas on your back. For example, if you were on a single tank with air on a 35' reef dive, there's nothing that says that you can't sling an AL40 with air in it, too, just to have an additional 40 cuft of air and a completely redundant gas supply, "just in case." This would allow you to practice your "gas switches" without the "complexity" of different gasses.
Also, for what it's worth, that would qualify as a completely redundant gas supply, a requirement in some agency's solo diving courses. Not that I recommend diving solo, of course... I'm just sayin' that some agencies consider using this sling-bottle setup so much safer than NOT using one that they'll certify you for solo diving with it and won't without it. Just sayin. Training. (<--CMA)
Once you got the approval from your instructor (<--CMA), you could try different gas mixes in different bottles for different reasons. A common and useful one MIGHT BE (<--CMA) a 50% mix slung, and marked appropriately with a big "70" on the side to remind you not to use it below 70'. Have your "technical" instructor show you how to do this. (<--CMA) A combination of 32% (or 36% if you like) as back gas with a 50% sling bottle would keep your pressure groups very shallow.