deco bottle placement

[karstdvr]

If you follow all the procedures associated with the method (4 inch numbers indicating MOD, bottles hooked in proper order, tracing the regulator back to the bottle, checking depth and having all this confirmed by the team captain), it is the safest method. You have 2 people verifying the gas switch. But all the pieces are necessary in order for it to work.

This is the text book answer,but rarely find this is how it works. Sometimes people will have different algorithms for deco so they may be seperated by a stop or two. Sometimes the cave area for me can be so tight that we can't get two people together in the same area;plus other constraints. It is good to follow these procedures,but have something worked out that allows you to identify gas quickly,and accurately without a dive buddy around is important,because the dive buddy should be more of a redundancy than the primary means.

 

[TheRedHead]

karstdvr, this method will work fine if you become seperated from you team. But diving different algorithms for deco is not divng on the same team. Initially I was taught the right rich, left lean approach with various reminders which bottle was which, but I like this method better.

 

[karstdvr]

Personally I like the placement of bottles you mention-richest on the inside,and leanest on the outside. Having people on the same algorithm sometimes can't be helped sometimes even if you have a team approach,for example someone might use a VR3 and somebody else use a Nitek HE. It is good where ever possible to have the redundancy of having a buddy check your gas between switches,but more importantly the redundancy needs to be within yourself since it is common to not have an inattentive buddy or a buddy present.