No Joke

[Saniflush]

You might be on to something. There is something socially awkward about him. I only just met him and don't know much about the guy. But, he was giving me all kinds of advice about how you can take advantage of your credit card company, get the airlines to comp you a ticket to Asia, etc. All con artist type stuff. He was very proud to have figured out how to game the system for his advantage. Most of us would consider the advice he was giving me to be dishonest.

The times I have been around a couple of folks like that I cannot help but to egg them on by asking detailed questions concerning the flim flam they are trying to describe. It's usually at least 30 minutes before they realize that I am taunting them in their general direction ($1 to Holy Grail). I admit that I am usually way too easily entertained.

 

[gcarter]

With doubles that doesn't show an issue on the right (to the diver) post, as the SPG is fed off the left post.

I don't dive doubles, as already stated. This was pointed out and responded to earlier in the thread.

There is a lot of negativity being expressed towards this check. Here is the reality.

I always physically check my valve before donning my rig. I do not do a 1/4 turn as it is unnecessary.The breathing / SPG check immediately before splashing is a backup check that costs me nothing. I do not consider myself infallible like some posting here obviously do.

In addition, it is not uncommon while at the door waiting to splash for a crew member to put their hand on your tank to steady you. On occasion, said crew member may also decide to do you a "favour" and check your air for you. Most common on boats that see a lot of vacation divers. These "helpful" souls require checking up on if they have touched your valve at all. My own testing with my tanks has found that in addition to it being obvious on a breathing / SPG check if they have turned your air completely off, the needle does in fact move if they have turned it off and back a 1/4 turn.

If the breathing check were to miss it and the rig became harder to breathe at depth, it is a pretty simple matter to either open the valve where you are or come back up to resolve.

This check costs nothing and can catch a closed or partially opened valve. That is a fact.

No check will prevent every possible mishap. But I fail to see why this particular one is generating such negativity. It has its place, and it works for me and many others.

Dive and let dive.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

The original Hogarthian set up called for the LP wing inflator to be routed from the left post when diving doubles. Loss of BC inflator would alert a diver that the left post rolled off while he was breathing through the right side long hose. In doubles, an SPG that shows more gas than it should based upon depth and time alerts you to the same. Most doubles divers are routing the BC LP inflator from the right post. The advantage of this is that a runaway LP inflator hose can be shut down with the right hand while the left hand dumps gas from the OPV. Once depressurized, the LP hose should pop off the BCD easily. Sometimes you can get a pressurized LP hose off the BCD inflator easily. Other times, you can't. The ability to shut off the right post and pop the LP hose is a plus. Other than a flow check (simplest way to determine hand wheel status) the SPG can give you a clue if you've been lazy.

 

[boulderjohn]

Not even understanding how or why somebody would open their valve a little bit and then just leave it there,

Here is the most common scenario.

1. Diver arrives on the boat prior to the boat leaving and sets up gear.
2. Diver cracks tank to check for leaks and pressure before the boat leaves.
3. Diver intends to shut valve back off for the boat trip but forgets.
4. Nearing the dive site, the crew alerts the divers that it is time to get ready.
5. The diver hurriedly gets into the gear and takes a few puffs off the regulator to make sure the air is on.
6. Getting air with each puff, the diver prepares to splash.

 

[boulderjohn]

I thought people might like a story from a scuba refresher I once did in a swimming pool with a small group of divers.

As they geared up, we did a pre-dive check. When it came to checking for air, I talked them through the whole process, and I did include looking at the SPG while taking breaths. A woman asked me to confirm that the needle should not be moving when she was taking those breaths.

We went into the pool and began to work on the refresher skills. Suddenly the woman panicked and went to the surface. When I got to her, I saw that she was already out of air. "How much air was in that tank when you checked?" I asked.

"It was down at the bottom of the red zone," she replied, "but the needle wasn't moving, so I figured it was OK."

 

[Landlocked123]

You are are better man than I am. I would have punched that ....er in the face. Not funny at all. I was on a wreck dive years ago in SC and the DM on the boat insisted in messing with my knobs before i back rolled. It made me feel uneasy. I dont like people touching my air. I check it before i done the gear. And I take 3 breaths out of both primary and Pony bail out before I descend on every dive.even after I check the SPG just as a habit.

 

[caruso]

Diver cracks tank to check for leaks and pressure before the boat leaves.

Well there's the problem. Lazy diver turns the valve a half a crank because it's too much trouble to take another 20 seconds and a half a dozen more turns of the wrist to do the job correctly. It's not like there's never enough time to do it correctly.

 

[boulderjohn]

Well there's the problem. Lazy diver turns the valve a half a crank because it's too much trouble to take another 20 seconds and a half a dozen more turns of the wrist to do the job correctly. It's not like there's never enough time to do it correctly.

If the only purpose for opening the valve is to check for leaks and pressure, and if opening it a crack accomplishes that, and if you mean to then shut it off immediately, why would you bother to open it all the way? What does that accomplish?

 

[Landlocked123]

I do the following checks before each dive. For this reason I am always the last in the water if I don't get started earlier.

1. Hose fittings at primary. Are they loose. Caught one years back. Probably would have never come off when pressurized but I tightened it. I had moved some hoses around the night prior and I guess not tightened it down all the way.
2. Wing - Purge valves covers - are they tight. Caught a tiny leak once - added silicone - problem resolved
3. BCD hose - is it lose at any of the 2 connection points. - Are there any cracks showing on the corrogated hose.
4. Mouth piece to Regs - are they tight.
5. Bungie on secondary reg around neck - is it tight - Caught one that was not - I tugged on it and the Bugie knot I had tied on the right side of the mouthpiece was lose and slipped through. not cool as it would have come undone under water.
6. Check SPG on both primary tank and Pony
7.Do I have my cutting tools?


When I get in the water before I descend...
1. Check air again on SPG.
2. Check SPG on Pony - if backmounted I ask buddy to check again.
3. Breathe 3 times out of each reg - primary and Pony

 

[caruso]

If the only purpose for opening the valve is to check for leaks and pressure, and if opening it a crack accomplishes that, and if you mean to then shut it off immediately, why would you bother to open it all the way? What does that accomplish?

It accomplishes avoiding the scenario where the valve might be open slightly resulting in an OOA situation at depth?