Request for information not covered in any course

[lowviz]

Dress for the occasion. Rock and roll on the surface...

 

[chillyinCanada]

Dress for the occasion. Rock and roll on the surface...

I'm not becoming any less confused. You wear this vest to keep you alive instead of a bcd or wing?

 

[lowviz]

Apologies, it is not a vest. It is a poodle jacket (bcd). I use vest and poodle jacket interchangeably. My bad.

https://www.amazon.com/ScubaPro-Classic-BCD-w-BPI/dp/B07CP1ZR2Y

Note the mention of the 'wrap-around' air bladder.

 

[mwerle]

Thanks for sharing, OP.

I'm a recent sidemount diver, diving an X-Deep. Love the setup, but I'm well concerned about several aspects of it.

1. Non-ditchable weights (at least not quickly/easily) - the course said ditching your tanks is effectively the same, but empty aluminum tanks are actually buoyant so that's not quite true. (No faber-steel tanks here in Japan) It's also a lot more expensive to ditch a tank with reg etc, than a few kg's of lead..

2. Back-inflate; underwater stability: awesome, on the surface, not so much.

I realise open-water boat diving is not what this setup was designed for. When it's calm it's no worries, but in rough seas I imagine it to be quite difficult to manage.

I'll certainly be weighing up the pros/cons depending on each dive.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Apologies, it is not a vest. It is a poodle jacket (bcd). I use vest and poodle jacket interchangeably. My bad.

You're old school diver? Whoa

 

[lowviz]

You're old school diver?

No, more like 'Transitional'.

I was trained by old school, but the old school who embraced new ways. You can still die, but things are getting safer.

I sometimes wonder if the newest of new ways is where one feels legally solid and safe by merely purchasing the best gear. I do not believe that doing so confirms anyone's safety underwater.

 

[chillyinCanada]

So far, I've only ever been scared on the surface.

 

[lowviz]

Please continue. Scared of not being found or scared of not being able to remain at the surface?

 

[chillyinCanada]

Please continue. Scared of not being found or scared of not being able to remain at the surface?

Both.

Being at the surface in tough conditions can make a person think "oh the irony"

 

[tridacna]

No worry! Here's the youtube link.

It is impossible to ignore the siren and even if you don't remember the signals you will know that something is happening and you will listen for instructions. I think that it is much more effective than banging on the ladder with a weight.

We had a real emergency call from Holiday Divers in LCBR. It was unbelievably clear and penetrated the water uncannily. All divers returned to the boat. Really cool system.