Reaching the tank valve

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

Being in truly horizontal trim also helps, otherwise gravity is taking your tank lower. Even if you adjust cylinders to ride high, if you're feet down, they'll hang lower.

Yes. If your shoulders are up, as is too often the case in early OW instruction and beginner diving, then gravity is your enemy. If you are in horizontal trim, gravity is your friend.

I also agree with everyone else who says that making sure your air is on pretty much eliminates the need for a single tank diver to reach his valves. In the one case I saw a single tank diver have a valve problem that required attention, the diver had an O-ring problem that caused his first stage to begin an explosion of air bubbles. The diver had the entire BCD off and in front of him in seconds, about the time I got there to hand him my alternate while he shut off his air. He took the regulator off, pushed the O-ring back into place, and was ready to go again, albeit with a lot less air than before.

 

[Rhone Man]

Almost everyone can reach the tank valve if they use proper technique (with singles or doubles). Try this:

Try to reach the tank valve with with you dominant hand by reaching up vertically. You will come up short, but then bring your other hand up and press your dominant elbow backwards. You should be able to reach the valve easily now just waving your dominant hand.

 

[decompression]

you need one of these but hey are very hard to find. http://essentialscubatraining.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/oms_v164.jpg

Nooooooooo!


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---------- Post added January 3rd, 2016 at 01:12 PM ----------

So, a bit of a recap......reaching your (singles) tank valve is nice but not always easy.
The only practical reason is to turn on your air if;
1. You've neglected the several PreDive checks
2. Your buddy is ADD (staring at the fishies) and doesn't respond.

So, I'd say put the time/effort/muscle memory into your PreDive checks before the valve reach attempts.

Now....if your are moving onto doubles..........


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[BRT]

I always have my reg in my mouth when jumping in. And I always breathe the reg while looking at the SPG immediately before the jump.

Always.

This is the answer to the problem

 

[dumpsterDiver]

This is an important skill, but I have poor shoulder mobility, even without a wetsuit on. In my view, having to reach for your tank valve is pretty much an emergency while single tank diving.

MY solution, is to pop the waist strap/belt, which releases the BC to slide up your body, grab the shoulder straps with your hands, yank the BC up maybe 6 inches, then reach back with the right hand and grab the valve.

Not sure if this is recommended by any training agency, but it might be more effective (and faster) than working on shoulder mobility.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Non-Fixable Freeflow: Modulating/Feathering the Tank Valve to Breath

The actual incident that happened:

Cozumel 2006, my adjustment knob assembly on the second stage regulator blew-out resulting in a catastrophic nonfixable free-flow, on a single-tank backmount dive at a hard bottom 6m of depth, during a solo weightbelt lead check. In an a chance instant, I looked at the gauge pointer on the SPG and saw it rapidly sweeping from 200 through 150 bar, before quickly reaching back behind my head back to shut-off the cylinder valve. When the urge to breathe came, I cracked open the tank valve again to "sip" the torrent of air blasting out of the malfunctioning reg --and turned off the tank valve again. Switched out the malfunctioning reg for my bungied back-up reg around my neck and then proceeded to modulate/feather the tank valve behind my head on & off, taking breaths as needed, while slowly ascending to the surface.

The motivation after realising that you can breathe off a catastrophic non-fixable free-flowing 2nd stage reg, is to shut down the tank valve to stop further "hemorrhaging" of precious breathing gas. IOW, If you have a pre-dive Gas Plan usage and you know how much pressure your tank has during all phases of the dive, then why would you let vital breathing gas bubble away because of an unfixable free-flow? Especially if you have the ability to reach back and manipulate your tank valve on & off to take breaths while not panicking, still maintaining buoyancy at depth, spending a moment on the chance that your buddy will find you again? And if surfacing alone, then how about a nominal ascent with a safety stop while still modulating your tank valve as needed for breaths?

To recap on an Uncontrolled/Unfixable Free-Flow:
Shut your tank valve down. When you need to take a breath, crack open the tank valve and shut it down again. Repeat as needed, switch to your back-up reg/octopus as well if the unregulated flow of gas from the malfunctioning primary reg is too much to handle. Perform this tank valve "feathering/modulation" technique whilst doing a CESA (if your buddy is nowhere to be seen and you're essentially solo). . .With your left hand, slow your CESA rate via BCD/wing hose deflator dump button . . .with your right hand reach back, feather/modulate your tank valve and take breaths as needed.

All it takes is practice, and although the technique is covered in tech & advanced overhead wreck/cave/ice diving training courses, IMHO --it should be a skill first taught and at least presented/attempted, as an alternative free-flow option & solution to consider, in basic open water scuba class. . .​

 

[spectrum]

Stretching will help for sure. With a little work you will also be able to swat that spot on your back that mosquitoes don't think you can reach. This article is a winner.

You may also find that you are wearing your BC tighter than needed. This is often the case with new BP&W divers. The use of a crotch strap diminishes the need to lash the the cylinder to your back. A little freedom can help you reach while hiking and tilting the cylinder.

Pete

 

[tomfcrist]

From 6m Kev? Why bother feathering? Ascend.

 

[Kevrumbo]

From 6m Kev? Why bother feathering? Ascend.

Better to start shallow especially impromptu as it happened -doing it for real for the first time.

Btw, should be a viable option for Sidemount configuration (easier to reach cylinder valve than in single tank backmount). . .

 

[bradells]

Stretching will help for sure. With a little work you will also be able to swat that spot on your back that mosquitoes don't think you can reach. This article is a winner.

You may also find that you are wearing your BC tighter than needed. This is often the case with new BP&W divers. The use of a crotch strap diminishes the need to lash the the cylinder to your back. A little freedom can help you reach while hiking and tilting the cylinder.

Pete

That article has great stretches in it.

I could just reach my singles valve in my drysuit with heavy undergarments. Doubles, the right post was doable, isolator, so/so, and my left post, forget it!

After 3 weeks of morning stretches, I have no issues with any valve, in any exposure protection, and still don't over a year later and no more stretches.



BRad