Near disaster; dropped weights - what to do?

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by Se7en
So to teach this 'neutral at 15 fsw' nonsense, you are also trying to teach your students that neutral means with 1/2 full lungs at depth, but at 15 fsw it means lungs full?

How about taking the simple, straightforward approach, and teaching to be neutral at the surface? (which is essentially what you are doing anyway, you are just confusing the issue with this whole neutral with full lungs at 15 fsw malarky)

Mike

You have a good point. I'll discuss this with my training director. A review of the SSI literature allows teaching it right. In fact, I was surprised to see that the "neutral at 15" wasn't in the SSI literature, and that sent me back to the books to find out where it came from - it wasn't NASDS, which we were before merging with SSI. The culprit was NAUI, which we used pre-NASDS... there it was in print on page 171 in the NAUI Advanced Diving manual. All you NAUI instructors have FORAC!
Rick

 

[Se7en]

Rick

You are freaking me out here.

I'm way too used to hearing the line 'That's how you have do it because that's what's I say' from instructors.

But you are actually thinking about things and questioning standard practice even when I have been almost belittling in asking the questions.

Are you sure you are a REAL instructor? You seem to have failed arrogance and narrow mindedness...



Mike

 

[dc4bs]

Se7en - I'm way too used to hearing the line 'That's how you have do it because that's what's I say' from instructors.
But you are actually thinking about things and questioning standard practice even when I have been almost belittling in asking the questions.

-----

One of my instructors recently spent a few hours on the phone with PADI arguing about mistakes he found in their most recent nitrox manual and video tape.

He ended up talking directly to the guy who wrote the PADI manual and it all still never got resolved to his satisfaction.

He trained me under TDI nitrox and then later advanced nitrox because of the above issue (as well as PADI not having anything like adv. nitrox).

I went back and did the PADI version later just to have the card more than any other reason (no charge other than PADIs c-card fee) and got to see some of the errors for myself.

----

Now to get back on track... I had a velcro weight pouch drop on the safety stop (2nd dive of the day) in about 60-70 fsw. I just held the anchor line and lucky for me another diver still on the bottom grabbed it and brought it up.

I heard about it for the next two days of the trip...

 

[Joe R.]

I was scalloping at 90' using a Black Diamond (sea quest) and saw my velcro held weights slip out and down a ledge. I kicked like crazy and was able to grab it! Otherwise I was going up. The suggestions for an up line or grabbing the anchor are right on (if you can get to them) My new intergrated weights are buckled in and I too now use 1/3rd on a weight belt. Is'nt it nice to have a 'good buddy'?

 

[livestodive]

After seeing a diver go up uncontrolled from a pouch drop, I now also use a hanessas well as my BC for weights and distribute them in several pouches, if ever i need to i can drop them in a lot of small pieces. I don't understand the idea of 2 pouches for weights, or one belt. I am a really new diver but I learn as I go. I will never dive with all my weight in one or two places. The instructor I now learn from uses brass clips to hold the pouches in, he explains that he will need to think before the weights are dropped.

 

[Liquid]

Loui-
I can't help but wonder-Are you certified for technical diving?

Becouse all the tek instructors I know will make sure their students know how to turn their feet up, and empty their BC while kicking themselves down. At such a depth, you should be able to stay down with an empty BC even if all of your weigts fell down. Diving tech dives without being properly tought and trained is dangerouse.

 

[Louie]

In response to Liquid's question:

No, I'm not a certified tech diver (I only have PADI Advanced). The operators doing this particular wreck (who shall remain nameless) have a completely different approach to depth, decompression and training levels required. Conditions on the wreck allow relatively easy access even at depth.
I do understand your point about the need for training though. It is a rather frightening sight seeing a newly certified diver going to 48 metres on their second or third dive.

 

[Liquid]

Louie-

first of all I apreciate your honesty. Actualy no one can blame you, if the operators do it regularly. They are simply irresponsible. All of the questioned you asked would have been answered in a tech course. Luckily no harm was done, but luck is nothing to count of when diving. You should count ONLY on knowledge and preplanning of the dive, along with a contingancy plan. Aspecialy for tech dives.

BTW-did you also penetrate the wreck?

 

[sea nmf]

So does anyone have a modification for the weight pouches for those of us who can't go out and buy a new BC and would rather not use a weight belt?

There are so many creative people on this board, I'm sure someone has thought of a modification.

 

[simonk999]

If you look at the Scubapro Classic Plus BC, it looks like it has a system that could be retrofitted onto a velcro system -- it has a nylon buckle attachment from the weight pouch webbing onto the BC pocket. With reasonable sewing skills, and care that you don't puncture your BC's bladder, it seems like it might work.