BackMounted Doubles and mixed gas - is that technical?

[RainPilot]

And for the record - I agree with your assessment.
I remember a thread that Akimbo did on penetrations - something like - If you would not let your brother who has a pregnant wife do that dive - what the hell are you doing?
In that spirit - I was missing the safety of myself or others that may come knocking for OOG scenarios. I was and do think selfishly at times - so the take away is redundancy and process. Cover yourself with enough back gas to do your incurred deco should your mix gas become completely unusable. In my scenario I had a sling for the gas but chose to put it on my back. Sling the gas and don't put the regulator on my person until I have checked the depth, marked my switch and have everything squared away - then breath away.
Everyone has opinions and everyone has a risk threshold - I chose a risk that I did not see and it was pointed out. I have taken note and will think about this for a while and determine my best course of action.
I lived to tell about it and got further in my understanding of knowing what you don't know or think about...

This post makes me very happy. Stupid decisions are not the problem. It’s when we find out they were stupid, and still carry on, that it gets ugly fast. Your attitude tells me you will probably be fine going forward, some focused training and mentoring will go a long way as well.

Good luck!

 

[gfaith]

BRD I think you got the message and I certainly liked the thread thanks for starting it.

 

[beester]

And for the record - I agree with your assessment.
I remember a thread that Akimbo did on penetrations - something like - If you would not let your brother who has a pregnant wife do that dive - what the hell are you doing?
In that spirit - I was missing the safety of myself or others that may come knocking for OOG scenarios. I was and do think selfishly at times - so the take away is redundancy and process. Cover yourself with enough back gas to do your incurred deco should your mix gas become completely unusable. In my scenario I had a sling for the gas but chose to put it on my back. Sling the gas and don't put the regulator on my person until I have checked the depth, marked my switch and have everything squared away - then breath away.
Everyone has opinions and everyone has a risk threshold - I chose a risk that I did not see and it was pointed out. I have taken note and will think about this for a while and determine my best course of action.
I lived to tell about it and got further in my understanding of knowing what you don't know or think about...

Kudos Basking Ridge... Hats off... I'm glad that at least you are considering some of the risks pointed out.

Regarding technical diving yes or no... In my book that is just semantics. You definition might be very different from mine, in the end it really does not matter. What does is that no matter if you are diving recreational, technical or skirting the border between both... that you are well aware of all the potential risks, the procedures, the plan for the dive you want to do, and can evaluate your own decisions with full knowledge of what impact your decisions have. I'm glad that you Took something out of this discussion.

I still suggest to take an advanced nitrox/decompression procedures course, it will be an eyeopener and doesn't have to be very very expensive... certainly in the light of what a charter boat dive costs.

Have fun on your dives!

 

[kafkaland]

I know it's mostly semantics, but what I found most useful to delineate technical from recreational diving is to look at what your and your team's plans are for when things go sideways.

In recreational diving, plan B is your buddy, and plan C is the surface. In technical diving, plan B is your own redundant equipment and the procedures that go with that, plan C is your buddy / team. In solo diving, plan B is the redundant equipment, and C is the surface.

 

[uncfnp]

Have you considered PADI Tec40. It's not full throttle tech but nless it has changed since I did my research, it's much like the type of diving you are now considering. And help futher develop your "technical mindset."

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

And help futher develop your "technical mindset."

I have - really I want to take AN/DP - but I had 4 kids in under 5 years - My oldest is entering college - 2 more right behind her... Money will be tight... So I made my wife a promise I will start diving deeper to see if I really need the AN/DP course... Competing resources are forcing my hand - but I told her I would dive within my means and if I can no longer get the longer dives I would come back and discuss alternatives... Hence I am exploring within my means... Air and Nitrox dives.

 

[KDAD]

And for the record - I agree with your assessment.
I remember a thread that Akimbo did on penetrations - something like - If you would not let your brother who has a pregnant wife do that dive - what the hell are you doing?
In that spirit - I was missing the safety of myself or others that may come knocking for OOG scenarios. I was and do think selfishly at times - so the take away is redundancy and process. Cover yourself with enough back gas to do your incurred deco should your mix gas become completely unusable. In my scenario I had a sling for the gas but chose to put it on my back. Sling the gas and don't put the regulator on my person until I have checked the depth, marked my switch and have everything squared away - then breath away.
Everyone has opinions and everyone has a risk threshold - I chose a risk that I did not see and it was pointed out. I have taken note and will think about this for a while and determine my best course of action.
I lived to tell about it and got further in my understanding of knowing what you don't know or think about...

Nice realization. Solo is good but there are some very real benefits to team diving and your dive didn't completely agree with that concept.

 

[kafkaland]

I have - really I want to take AN/DP - but I had 4 kids in under 5 years - My oldest is entering college - 2 more right behind her... Money will be tight... So I made my wife a promise I will start diving deeper to see if I really need the AN/DP course... Competing resources are forcing my hand - but I told her I would dive within my means and if I can no longer get the longer dives I would come back and discuss alternatives... Hence I am exploring within my means... Air and Nitrox dives.

I would think of AN/DP training as an investment in your safety. You are already doing dives that are getting into the territory of that training, so you want to have all the knowledge and skills to do them as safely as possible. And, the training is a one-time expense, the diving later is just as cheap (or expensive) as it is before the training, unless you go to trimix, but that's a different animal in terms of cost altogether. I would hope that your family can get on board with this.

 

[doctormike]

I have - really I want to take AN/DP - but I had 4 kids in under 5 years - My oldest is entering college - 2 more right behind her... Money will be tight... So I made my wife a promise I will start diving deeper to see if I really need the AN/DP course... Competing resources are forcing my hand - but I told her I would dive within my means and if I can no longer get the longer dives I would come back and discuss alternatives... Hence I am exploring within my means... Air and Nitrox dives.

Well, I guess we don't know your diving budget, but if you can do it at all (at $100/day plus gas for local trips), it might not be such a stretch.

It sounds like you have the same interests that I had going into tech - more time on moderate depth wrecks. So no need for trimix. You already have independent doubles and two regulators, plus an extra tank, so all you need is a manifold and a deco regulator for the third tank, assuming that it's slingable (I have been slinging an 80 for years).

Training is a one time cost, but not necessarily that expensive. If you are in NJ, I can recommend Wayne Fisch at Diveseekers in Hillsborough. Or if you want to travel and get your training with a bit of dive history, there is this option as well!

 

[Stoo]

Folks are being so polite...

"Technically", this is a technical dive, but a messed up one. Do yourself a favour and either take some appropriate training, or dive with someone who knows what they're doing before you kill yourself.

It doesn't sound like you were diving with a buddy,so that alone puts you into the fuzzy world of Tech. However, you aren't really equipped as a solo diver as you don't truly have a redundant gas supply at max depth since your pO2 os too high. On the other hand, if you are not solo, you don't have a sharable gas for the bottom of your dive...

Just my opinion of course, and I get that you think that you have thought this all through, but you haven't... You just don't know you haven't.