Yet another beginning tech diver

[boulderjohn]

First thanks Lynne for the link to that website.

So I have issues reaching my valves. i can do it but it resembles someone trying to escape from a straight jacket! So when it says that the bands should be just below the neck, I ran out to the garage immediately once i read that and checked mine, the top of my bands are 2 inches below just where the flat part of the tank starts to round. This doesn't appear to be "just below" to me?

Moving my bands so that they are as close to the beginning of the curve as possible was very helpful for me, and that is where they are today.

 

[Ozwald]

Loosening the waist strap is done with one hand while the other hand is reaching back for the valve. There is no delay.

In my mind valve placement is secondary to a balanced rig that you don't have to fight throughout the dive. Maybe this is why SM is so popular

As the OP didn't mention what was restricting his movement I offered a very common solution that doesn't affect gear configuration.

Wouldn't a balanced rig constitute proper valve placement as well?

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

Wouldn't a balanced rig constitute proper valve placement as well?

The valves aren't positioned for trim. The tanks are.

 

[TSandM]

See, I take a different tack. Put the valves where you can reach them, and then work on getting them to balance correctly on your back. It's manageable for the vast majority of people and tanks, but some combinations just don't work. Even Bob Sherwood, who's widely acknowledged as the guru of trim, admitted that our LP72s just don't work for me, no matter how the bands or harness are adjusted.

But at any rate, I'd rather dive a set of tanks that weren't perfectly balanced but where I could easily do shutdowns, than have tanks perfectly balanced but have to struggle for the valves. Maybe that's just me, but the implications of slow shutdowns eventually bothered me.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

I've never really struggled with valves before. Maybe I'm less sensitive to the issue.

 

[esears]

Sorry for the late reply, but the military seems to keep me busy sometimes. I appreciate all of the advice and will take it to heart. I was able to spend a weekend diving off of Croatia this past weekend with a set of doubles, which really helped, especially when I remembered to keep my head up. Proper trim and buoyancy really does make a big difference on air consumption rates, I was quite suprised.

I think one thing I will have to work on is the stretching part though. I can *almost* comfortably reach both valves for a shutoff drill, but I'm having an especially hard time with the isolator. I'm thinking that my undergarments a bit undersized and that is really restricting my movement when I need to reach up and back. I'm currently using a Bare 200g undergarment, but I'm always open to suggestions.

TSandM, thanks for the website link, I did read the entire thing which will help out. I will definetly try to do a class report at the end of the class. In fact, I've started writing down some of the experiences/challenges that I've faced so far learning to dive in Europe, which from what I gather is quite different than back in the states. The class itself is through Portofino Divers in Santa Margerita Ligure. It was the 2010 GUE Facility of the Year and so far I've been nothing but extremely impressed with both the dive shop operation and the instructor. I'm actually headed back down there for some diving on Friday since salt water is always more enjoyable at the moment than a murky lake (visibility tends to be worse in the summer). I only wish it wasn't 3.5 hours away to get there.

 

[Spazzy]

Fundies is the way to go and no, there is nothing else I would suggest you try to prepare for.

 

[klausi]

It's quite ambitious to go into tech if you have only been diving for 9 months, which does not mean that it can't be done. I gather that you are quite fit, so that should not be an issue. My (maybe a bit trivial?) recommendation would be to get lots and lots of dives in, and under different conditions, such as drift dives, night dives, more difficult beach entries, ect. The less there is to surprise you and get you out of your comfort zone once you start tech, the better.
To me it was a big step when I started to plan and lead dives, even relatively simple recreational dives, so maybe make sure you are not always following your buddies/the DMs.
Also, while yogi-master-type-low air consumption is not necessary, a good air consumption helps, there are lots of ways of improving that of course, maybe that is a field where you can improve before the course?
Good luck!

 

[esears]

It's quite ambitious to go into tech if you have only been diving for 9 months, which does not mean that it can't be done. I gather that you are quite fit, so that should not be an issue. My (maybe a bit trivial?) recommendation would be to get lots and lots of dives in, and under different conditions, such as drift dives, night dives, more difficult beach entries, ect. The less there is to surprise you and get you out of your comfort zone once you start tech, the better.
To me it was a big step when I started to plan and lead dives, even relatively simple recreational dives, so maybe make sure you are not always following your buddies/the DMs.
Also, while yogi-master-type-low air consumption is not necessary, a good air consumption helps, there are lots of ways of improving that of course, maybe that is a field where you can improve before the course?
Good luck!

Thanks for the recommendations. To be more clearer, I'm not planning on the tech aspect in the short term future, more long-term. Being in Italy, I generally have to work out course schedules quite far in advance. My first step is just the GUE Fundies course in August since it is one of the few English courses being taught. I'm then planning on another year minimum experience diving before re-evaulating where I am at.

Right now I'm doing pretty much what you are suggesting, in just varying dive conditions as much as possible. I'm ultimately limited by geographical conditions, but most of what you suggest can be done in the area.

Right now I'm averaging around a 18 liter/minute SAC rate in salt-water in semi-cold water (55-60). I've been able to notice a definite increase in an air-consumption rate by improving buoyancy/trim, so that is my primary focus right now. Like everyone says, practice helps to make perfect.