Yelled at for MOF

[Steve_C]

This is actually my wife in the pic.

Where you had the camera focused on is duly noted.

 

[CuzzA]

Saw this today. Somebody save that soldier!!!

Navy Federal Credit Union TV Commercial, 'Unfamiliar Waters'

 

[Bob DBF]

Instructors in OW class at the surface who take out their regulator and/or lift their mask are teaching bad habits

I agree that if an instructor take their reg out and and lifting the mask without discussing the decision making process, they are short changing their students. I believe an instructors job should give a diver enough knowledge an experience to make good diving decisions.

I'm not an instructor so I'm not teaching anyone anything, and I know better than to hold myself up as a good example. I shift to a snorkel from my reg when I surface, and the snorkel and mask stay in place unless I have a reason to vary from that procedure. A number of times the gas left in the tank came in handy.


Bob

 

[TMHeimer]

I grant that there are some occassions but even then it is done too much. Students copy instructors. If every time they come up the instructor has the reg out to ask questions or comment, then they are teaching that the correct thing to do when you come up is take your reg out. I see divers do it all the time coming up to the boat and I see them drinking some sea water too. If drill is done, then usually no reason not to just point toward shore/boat and debrief there.

I really can't recall how long/often the instructors I assisted had the reg out to give instructions. Perhaps the best thing would be to keep the reg close to the mouth when doing that. I do know that if you are doing 3-4 skills at the training buoy, detailed instructions are pretty necessary, particularly if the skills are back to back at depth without surfacing. I vaguely recall from taking OW that in the pool one of my only problems was remembering what the order of the 4 skills was after we descended. I even had to really think about that as a DM when it meant I would do "this" on that skill and be "there" on this one. I would think the main concern with taking the reg out at the surface (for any diver, not just class situation) is that you don't just discard it and let it float down. I think keeping it in your mouth is probably most important when climbing up a ladder, particularly in rough water.

 

[Bierstadt]

Reg in mouth, not really... gas is a precious commodity, and I am not going to waste it if I don't have to. For me, any wave action I would dive in is not going to stress my comfort in the water sans reg. Especially in a wetsuit and a bcd. That being said, I always control my reg, normally by snapping it to my chest d-ring. Muscle memory matters, and I can get it off the d-ring and into my mouth very quickly. If someone doesn't have a control option other than having the reg in the mouth, I can understand it needs to be in the mouth. Control is critical. I also have it in the mouth for getting on the boat, which is another reason to not have wasted gas. And of course, OW students need to be kept from killing themselves as they develop their skills and diving judgement.

Does anyone else with a necklaced alt ever put their mask around the side of their neck or is it just me?

 

[Steve_C]

Typically I approach the boat first, pass up my camera, and then board. So there is a period where I am holding camera in one hand, the guide rope on the other. Even when approaching without camera there is the rope, there is watching for the bouncing ladder.

To each their own but little gas breathed with reg in mouth. Plus it is very easy for me to breath around the reg without ever taking it out of your mouth. I have a seacure and a couple missing teeth so reg secrure with mouth relaxed. I can relax the mouth and breath around the reg without any problem.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Reg in mouth, not really... gas is a precious commodity, and I am not going to waste it if I don't have to. For me, any wave action I would dive in is not going to stress my comfort in the water sans reg. Especially in a wetsuit and a bcd. . . .

That was my thinking for a long time, and while it still makes sense, I have softened on it, in favor of taking what gas I might need on the surface into account in gas planning. I would like to think I plan to surface with enough gas to inflate my BC (though that could be done orally) and keep the reg in my mouth for the whole surface swim back to the boat should I decide to do so, and while awaiting my turn for the ladder. If the conservative advice is to be back on the boat with 500 psi, then maybe surfacing with 600 or 700 psi is a good idea.

 

[Dan]

Typically I approach the boat first, pass up my camera, and then board. So there is a period where I am holding camera in one hand, the guide rope on the other. Even when approaching without camera there is the rope, there is watching for the bouncing ladder.

To each their own but little gas breathed with reg in mouth. Plus it is very easy for me to breath around the reg without ever taking it out of your mouth. I have a seacure and a couple missing teeth so reg secrure with mouth relaxed. I can relax the mouth and breath around the reg without any problem.

I added caribiner onto my camera bracket so I can clip it onto the BCD chest D-ring to free both hands for removing & strapping the fins over my forearms, while holding on the guide rope & for pulling myself via the guide rope towards the boat during the rough sea with reg on the mouth & mask on.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Reg in mouth, not really... gas is a precious commodity, and I am not going to waste it if I don't have to. For me, any wave action I would dive in is not going to stress my comfort in the water sans reg. Especially in a wetsuit and a bcd. That being said, I always control my reg, normally by snapping it to my chest d-ring. Muscle memory matters, and I can get it off the d-ring and into my mouth very quickly. If someone doesn't have a control option other than having the reg in the mouth, I can understand it needs to be in the mouth. Control is critical. I also have it in the mouth for getting on the boat, which is another reason to not have wasted gas. And of course, OW students need to be kept from killing themselves as they develop their skills and diving judgement.

Does anyone else with a necklaced alt ever put their mask around the side of their neck or is it just me?

If your air supply is so precious that you'd miss the few breaths you'd be taking on the surface, then I'd contend you're not carrying an adequate air supply to begin with ... a consequence of diving with those oversize beer cans that seem to be so popular among tourist dive ops.

Whenever I'm in the water my mask is on my face, in the working position. But then, I wear a prescription mask so it's helpful if I want to see what I'm doing ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

That was my thinking for a long time, and while it still makes sense, I have softened on it, in favor of taking what gas I might need on the surface into account in gas planning. I would like to think I plan to surface with enough gas to inflate my BC (though that could be done orally) and keep the reg in my mouth for the whole surface swim back to the boat should I decide to do so, and while awaiting my turn for the ladder. If the conservative advice is to be back on the boat with 500 psi, then maybe surfacing with 600 or 700 psi is a good idea.

Being back on the surface with 500 psi should be adequate ... that's enough reserve to last you a long time on the surface. Who cares what you have back on the boat ... you are, after all, back on the boat. The whole point of surfacing with a reserve is to have adequate gas to deal with whatever conditions you might have to deal with to get yourself out of the water.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)