Q: Gear removal exercise. How not to get tangled up.

[daniel f aleman]

Kind of like how I keep telling you guys with long hoses that it would be better just to not run out of air. :banana:

Ditto

 

[daniel f aleman]

...we always leave gear underwater don't we??

Uh... yeah.

 

[homo maris]

Thanks everyone.

I did not clip the long hose. I stayed on it on the way out, which was fine but putting the rig back on I should have been on the octo. That's it.

So for now on it is: Click long hose. Get on octo. Remove bungee from neck. Remove rig. Push it through the hole with you behind. Get the rig back on. Put bungee on neck. Route the long hose. Switch reg.

And really, what the hell would I have been doing to need this anyway? I've never had an acceptable answer given to me.

Voluntary penetration through a narrow restriction.
Forced exit through a narrow passageway due to a cave-in blocking the normal exit.

I would suggest you not waste your valuable time doing nonsense skill like this, kneeling on the bottom to boot, and spend it learning actual required dive skills instead.

This is only one of the many skills I practice but I am curious to read what you would list as the required dive skills? Just want to make sure I do them all. Never saw a list.

Note that I do the rig removal skill while maintaining buoyancy, not touching the bottom of the pool - it's too filthy!

JL

 

[Dive-aholic]

...


Voluntary penetration through a narrow restriction.
Forced exit through a narrow passageway due to a cave-in blocking the normal exit.

...JL

The 2nd reason is acceptable; however, if this happens you probably won't be worrying too much about replacing the gear.

As for the 1st reason, not a good reason. In fact outright dangerous. If you want to penetrate a narrow restriction then learn to dive side mount or no mount. Removing your gear to get through it is not a safe practice.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I normally remove the necklace but leave the long hose stowed and remove the harness like a jacket. You'll have plenty of hose length to do whatever it is that you need to do. Depending how your weights are set up you may need to keep the rig very close to your body in order to maintain control anyway.

Especially in tech training situations where you might be in a dry suit and heavy enough doubles that you have little or no ditcheable weight, I do the same only I leave the tanks where they are and roll my body out of the harness staying under the rig. Though it's no fun, with a little practice you can even do it midwater. turning around to face the rig is way easier for me than trying to swing the rig around and keep everything balanced. And, of course, I've never had a reason to do such silly stuff on a real dive.

 

[ZzzKing]

Steve...this is so you can be a stunt double for James Bond...

In Thunderball...when he dives down and puts on the gear they just happened to have left underwater......we always leave gear underwater don't we??

I went and bought all my gear. You're saying there is tons of gear just waiting underwater and all I need to do is dive down and put it on? What an idiot I am.

 

[Tollie]

Wow if you can do the underwater R & R in midwater… my hats off to you. I have never tried that and don’t think I will.

Oh… a couple of points. Be sure that the wing is deflated or you and your air source may soon be parted and with students I pre rig the unit so that the shoulder straps are somewhat looser then otherwise. It helps with the skill and especially if you have wrist mounted gauges.

All and all it’s a moderately complex skill and one with a limited application in o/w especially if your team skills are solid.

 

[Thalassamania]

A few thoughts on D&D (Doff and Don that's oldtimer for R&R which we think of Rest and Relaxation, while you may think of D&D as a game with little metal creatures and lots of funny dice):

1) Removal: Dump all air from all bladders. Switch to your octopus (no need to remove your bungee), clip your primary off to your right chest D-ring. Release your waist and crotch strap. Now slide your left hand under your left shoulder strap till the strap passes your elbow and you can shrug it off your left shoulder. Complete removal by grabbing your right waist strap where it goes into the plate and pull your cylinders to your right and then out in front of you yoke, toward you and backplate up.

2) Replacement: If you get the starting position right (yoke at about your crotch, backplate facing you, arms through the straps, straps above your elbows, octopus in your mouth, bungee around your neck, octopus intermediate hose between your two arms) then all you need do is start you tanks moving up and over, and duck under them with your legs spread so that, with luck (and a little skill) your crotch strap will drop between your legs. Recover you crotch strap, feed your left belly strap through it, and fasten your belly strap.

3) The point is not to reproduce an exact skill that you might have to do later. The point is to perform a fairly complex task that involves a lot of gear manipulation and buoyancy control until it is second nature. It’s a kata, and should be practiced as such. If you have not yet developed katas that your practice routinely and you are still struggling with “practical skills that you might have to do in an emergency,” than, with no disrespect intended, I would plead with you to think very carefully about your readiness for more demanding diving.

 

[homo maris]

Thanks for the tip about dumping air from the bladder. I wear no weight and my plate is made of kydex so it is not a problem.

Thalassamania, thanks for the replacement instructions, particularly the tip to put the octo hose between my arms. That is what I needed. . Note that is how I remove it by doing a roll mid water where the tank and bladder end up underneath me (so they can't float up).

I agree on the kata aspect of it. One of my kata is also to swim with my chest 5 inches from the bottom of the pool and to arrive in a rounded corner and do a pipeline/skateboard turn off the pool's wall without touching the wall. I'd never do that in real situations but it trains me to control buoyancy with only breath. Another one is to allow anyone in the pool to rip my primary off my mouth at anytime. It gets me to swtich naturally to the octo.

Thanks again,
JL

 

[Thalassamania]

I have been practicing skills in the pool.
One of the skills I practice is to remove my rig, inspect it then put it back together.
With a regular hose, I do that rather quickly but with a long hose with octo on a bungee I got all tangled up and it took me 5 min to get back together.
Is there a trick?
Do you breathe from the octo and leave the long hose dangling?

Thanks,
JL

Yes, there are several tricks.

Yes, but be sure the octo is between your arms. And BTW: Nothing ever "dangles," everything is under control, clip your primary to your right chest d-ring please.