First Lift Bag

[Web Monkey]

Many instructors incorporate lift bag use in their advanced course as part of the instructor specified skills . It also often taught in detail as part of the NAUI master scuba diver course and also in Adv. Nitrox Decompression Procedures (upline/hangline)

I agree with the other statements here that you shouldn't need a lift bag to back up your BC and have never seen anybody carry one just for that purpose ( but hey...I haven't seen everything..)

FWIW, my inflator host tore off at the shoulder once, but nothing much happened. Swimming back to the surface wasn't a big deal, although the 3 minute safety stop was a real bas***d (need to swim hard enough maintain exactly enough thrust to stay at 15 feet - too much and you surface, too little and you sink).

Since then, I picked up a Carter SMB on a trip in Florida, and carry it in case I need to hang somewhere for a while or float on the surface without a functional BC.

It's also a really cool surface marker, since it's 10' tall and about 6" wide.

I was a little disturbed the first time I needed to signal the boat with a 4' safety sausage in 5' seas. It's amazing how short 4' seems.

Terry

 

[jonnythan]

FWIW, my inflator host tore off at the shoulder once, but nothing much happened. Swimming back to the surface wasn't a big deal, although the 3 minute safety stop was a real bas***d (need to swim hard enough maintain exactly enough thrust to stay at 15 feet - too much and you surface, too little and you sink).

This is why many wings do not have pull dumps

 

[divegeek]

This is why many wings do not have pull dumps

Even though I probably won't ever need it for catastrophic wing failure, I bought the OMS 50LB SMB. It's 5'2" and about 6" wide.

I've got it bungied to the bottom two holes of my BP.

 

[Web Monkey]

This is why many wings do not have pull dumps

The pull dump was fine, but the hose tore.

I have to say that cutting circular grooves in a hose to make it flexible is pretty much the dumbest design decision I've seen in a really long time.

Terry

 

[jonnythan]

The pull dump was fine, but the hose tore.

I have to say that cutting circular grooves in a hose to make it flexible is pretty much the dumbest design decision I've seen in a really long time.

Terry

I bet it wouldn't have torn if you weren't pulling on it...

 

[Web Monkey]

I bet it wouldn't have torn if you weren't pulling on it...

You're probably right.

It's pretty stupid to use a fragile hose for for a critical piece of equipment, then use it as a handle for a frequently used feature (air dump).

I think I'd like it better if the pull dump was seperate from the fill hose (my ScubaPro Classic+ has this, but only for 2 out of the 3 dumps).

Makes you wonder what the designer was thinking.

Terry

 

[hantzu701]

This is why many wings do not have pull dumps

Who makes a wing that has a pull dump?

 

[Mverick]

Dive Rite makes wings with Pull dumps....

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have to say that cutting circular grooves in a hose to make it flexible is pretty much the dumbest design decision I've seen in a really long time.

The corragated design of the hose is what prevents the hose from collapsing. If the hose did not have the grooves, it would take very little pressure to cause the hose to collapse on itself which would defeat it's primary function. (think bicycle inner tube with no air in it.

In practice, the hose does not carry much of the force required to open the valve, this is instead carried by the stainless steel cable inside the hose. Problems do arise however if the cable breaks or if the cable is too long in the first place.

The risk is really much greater for the diver to break the dump valve assembly itself. In either case, inspecting the valve assembly as well as the hose for cracks and general condition is an important pre-dive check.