Carrying a bcd and cylinder by the first stage

[irsubmarine]

I've been taught to never carry a BCD with an attached cylinder by the first stage (talking about DIN valves here) and obviously not by the hoses. I was taught this as an OW student and later when I started working in a dive center it was reminded to us on a daily basis and we considered it a holy commandment.

Now, every other dive center I visit seems to not do this at all. I see instructors and DMs and customers loading dive boats and vans often grabbing the kits by the first stage (so all the weight it on the 1st stage). No one in these dive centers ever says anything about it (at least not that I have seen). I don't really care if people handle their own gear like that, or if a dive center doesn't enforce the no-first-stage-carry policy with their own rental equipment. However, I own my own gear. So anytime we load a van, boat, whatever, I am first in line holding my own gear so that no one else has the chance to grab it. If I see someone going for my kit I'm yelling at them (as friendly as possible) not to touch it because it is my (expensive) gear, and for all I know, he will damage it.

I have not talked to manufacturers of regulators, etc, so I don't have the 100% final answer whether carrying a kit by the 1st stage is holy sacrilege. So I am in a situation where wonder if my concerns about this type of handling are over-exaggerated. I do know that I don't want to become the local gear-nazi who is way over-protective of a style of gear handling that could actually be benign. According to my knowledge (passed down by the dive center I work in), you can potentially damage the thread of the screw by carrying it like that. Is this much ado about nothing, or are my concerns of gear damage very legitimate?

Any other people here fearful of other people handling your gear?

 

[gcarter]

I will grab by the valve, but not by the first stage.

I am leery of dive crew handling my gear when south because they most often don't know squat about handling a BP/W. This resulted in a pinch flat on my wing on one trip that I had to repair.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Relocate the assembled rig by grabbing the tank valve, nor your first stage. Support with alternate hand as needed/available. (that's my 2 cents)

 

[diversteve]

I grab around the valve also (yoke) I've probably moved my gear via the 1st stage on occasion but mostly just shifting it nearby.

I'd be more wary of DIN because I have heard of instances where it goes out of round due to mishandling - or more likely dropping it on the 1st stage.

I let DM's/boat crew handle my gear - I figure they've done it thousands of times more than me. I'll even let them set it up but then I check it.

 

[Doc]

OH Lordy. Carry it by the First Stage? That's why you see blood stained docks covered with blowed-up dive Sherpas.

Never heard of one problem. Ever.

DIN are even more structurally solid. If you have one that deforms, quit buying them on Ali Express.

Anybody wanna carry my stuff? Have at it. I tip well.

 

[TMHeimer]

I don't know the mechanics/risks of carrying it by the first stage. It makes sense to carry it by the valve and use the other hand to steady it, as mentioned above. Why take any unnecessary chances? I honestly haven't paid much attention to how crew may have handled my unit, but then again I've not taken a whole lot of charters so I guess nothing bad happened so far.

 

[Bob DBF]

If I'm going to carry it very far, I just put it on.

Carrying it by the first stage is poor form. Someone just picking up the tank isn't likely to actually check the rig to insure everything is put togather properly and ready to be safely moved. With enough ifs one could be standing with a first stage in ones hand and 3000# air trying to cut off ones fingers.

Any of my regular buddys could move my gear, but even they would ask me first to insure it was ready to go, or check it themselves.


Bob

 

[TMHeimer]

I agree. Other than when they have to be lifted onto and off a charter, I always put the unit on to walk anywhere (at 63, anywhere from the car to the shore is usually pretty close). I find no need to carry the tank by the first stage because I don't attach the reg to the tank valve until I am at the dive site. Found years ago out it is unwise to have your reg hooked up while driving......

 

[billt4sf]

Don't go to Indonesia. There are porters everywhere. They carry tanks on their shoulders or two or three at a time on a motorbike down the path to the shoreline (Tulamben). I don't think I have ever seen a guest carry their own tank down those paths. They have been doing it a long time that way, and they don't speak English, so good luck trying to tell them not to do it they way they have been successfully doing it.

I cringe a little bit every time I see it but like Tony Soprano says: what are ya gonna do?

- Bill

 

[xmass-Eve]

We carried the tanks on our shoulders. If it was just little walk, then we grabbed the BC handle and the valve... Now, I will still put my tank on my shoulder, unless if I would have a big steel tank. Then I'll just put it on and walk.

I must say I don't really like other people touching my things. One of our boat crew used to always pull on the dump valves to let the air escape. I stopped him doing that. My first BC had **** valves breaking of doing things like this.