Going to back gas while switching stages?

[onepointfivethumbs]

So what I've gathered is that the 30 seconds on back gas isn't enough to worry about ICD, and is preferred in DIR/GUE/UTD to prevent any tangling or confusion about gas identification when preparing the next stage.

 

[Celt]

Looks like it works for him

 

[Wibble]

Looks like it works for him

This.

It is personal preference once you’ve done it a few times. Playing with stages is all part of the game.

Personally I like to have my stages sidemounted back out of the way whilst on the bottom phase — doesn’t catch on the wreck.

 

[Celt]

This.

It is personal preference once you’ve done it a few times. Playing with stages is all part of the game.

Personally I like to have my stages sidemounted back out of the way whilst on the bottom phase — doesn’t catch on the wreck.

Agree find what works for you and your diving and make it routine. Everything in place and a place for everything.

 

[rjack321]

So what I've gathered is that the 30 seconds on back gas isn't enough to worry about ICD, and is preferred in DIR/GUE/UTD to prevent any tangling or confusion about gas identification when preparing the next stage.

Well other agencies teach it this way too, because it makes sense to always start a switch from the long hose with a cleaned-up set of stages or deco bottle.

Anyone teaching stage-to-stage or stage-to-deco gas switches is just setting you up to have a CF of hoses tangled around your neck and a 2nd stage in each hand with no clear understanding of what you're breathing anymore. Not only that, but if you're taught some "unique" way by some instructor with one of the "personal preference" agencies, your buddy's down the road, months or years later, are going to look at you like you're some kind of spastic monkey doing deco gas to deco gas switches.

If they are generous, they will teach you the universal 'standard' way which I already outlined for you here , if they aren't into mentoring you they'll probably just move on to buddy's who're better trained.

 

[Wibble]

Teaching. Hmmm.

Doesn't one progress from "look what my instructor taught me" to "look how I do it"?

The point is you practice the skill and use those skills frequently. You then become comfortable with switching between stages; it ain't rocket science.

Most techniques taught are done in a particular way for teaching convenience and to introduce you to the skill. Stage switching is task loading which students are very sensitive to. When you're practised and dived up, it's less of an issue, plus you have a load of muscle memory (unconscious competence) to exploit.

 

[Wstern5]

The procedure is to loop it around the neck under the long hose leaving the long hose free to deploy in an emergency, validate the GAS, switch regs, then change PDCs.

Wondering about this, I would have the stage/deco on top of everything. Does anyone else feed the hose under the long hose?

 

[flymolo]

Wondering about this, I would have the stage/deco on top of everything. Does anyone else feed the hose under the long hose?

No, you don't want to do that because when you come off the stage and try to stow its reg/hose back on the tank it will become entangled with the long hose.

 

[Wibble]

.... loop it around the neck under the long hose leaving the long hose free to deploy in an emergency....

A small point: if someone wants/needs immediate gas, the procedure, even at a deco stop, is the same as always: grab the reg from my mouth and present it to the person in need. If I'm on a deco stage, that gas is breathable, the hose is long enough to use (1m / 40"), and I know where my next breath is coming from (my "bailout", i.e. the reg bungeed under my neck if on OC, or my normal bailout if I'm bailed out on CCR). Obviously someone coming at me when I'm on CCR looking for gas, I grab and present my bailout regulator.

For OC deco, I'd have my longhose clipped off on my RH D-ring and the stage reg would be wrapped around my neck OVER the longhose.

Obviously we all have different techniques, but my principle is very simple: whatever I'm breathing is yours to take (unless CCR!). It is always my responsibility to know at all times where my next breath is coming from should I loose the regulator out of my mouth.

 

[PfcAJ]

Wondering about this, I would have the stage/deco on top of everything. Does anyone else feed the hose under the long hose?

absolutely not.