Manipulating valves

[AndyNZ]

I'm just curious, how do people manipulate a valve whilst closing/opening udring a valve drill etc?

Do you use your fingers, roll it with your thumb or have you never even thought about it?

 

[TSandM]

I've thought about it a great deal, and discussed it with a variety of people, because the orientation of the hand can make moving the valves easier or quite a bit more difficult.

For the right post, which for me is very easy, I grip the handle with its long axis across my palm, thumb under and fingers over, as you would grasp a baton. I can close and open the valve with wrist motion. For the isolator, I use the same trip for closing, but I roll the valve to open it, because that motion doesn't work very well for my wrist.

For the left post, because of the directions involved, I try to grasp the handle with my fingers and use forearm supination to close the valve. It's far more difficult.

 

[rjack321]

I try to use my opposable thumbs whenever possible!

 

[StreetDoctor]

I use my fingers on all 3 valves

 

[ScubaInChicago]

My pinky fingers are usually not involved in manipulating the valves.

 

[Anti-Hero]

Due to a little extra ballast over the last couple of years causing my drysuit to "fit" a little differently, I grasp my valves with whatever part of my hand I can get ahold of it with.

 

[AndyNZ]

Thanks for all your feedback.

For the left post, because of the directions involved, I try to grasp the handle with my fingers and use forearm supination to close the valve. It's far more difficult.

Left post is a killer for me - I have the double whammy of having had surgery on my left shoulder to fix a repeating dislocation issue, which has left me with less mobility, and I suffer from RSI in my elbow/forearms.

I can do a valve drill fine, and can happily shut down and open a valve in an acceptable timescale.... but doing multiple drill/shutdowns on dive gets me to the point where I just can't do it anymore.

With Tech 1 looming at the end of Feb, I'm expecting to have to do a lot of valve drills and was curious to see how different people do things and see if I can find a better way.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

Here's a link to a good article discussing fitness and mobility....

http://www.divefitness.com/html/articles/article_pdfs/should_stretch.pdf

 

[TSandM]

Andy, I feel for you! It's been my experience that, if the instructors can figure out that something is difficult, they will make you do it over and over again. So my best advice is to do your initial valve drills so beautifully that they won't figure out the left post is a headache

 

[alwaingold]

It's been my experience that, if the instructors can figure out that something is difficult, they will make you do it over and over again.

Well, Lynne, as one of my favorite dive buddies likes to say... if you aren't good at something, not doing it isn't going to fix that

Andy, I too have RSI in my left forearm/wrist, and find that doing a lot of valve drills can be problematic. But the truth is, you aren't doing *that* many valve shutdowns in rapid succession during T1. It is nothing compared to what I see a lot of people doing in their "practice" dives before T1.

Also, you should make sure you are putting your head as far back as you can... a lot of people drop their heads when they reach back for their valves, but if you put it back, it makes it a lot easier to reach. Imagine doing the lat/triceps stretch in that link that was posted, but looking up at the ceiling. That's what I try for when I am reaching for my left valve. And I manipulate it in the way that Lynne described. I find that easier on my wrist/forearm than the technique Lynne described for the right side.

Allison