Status of Left Lean and Right Rich Philosophy in B/M Open Circuit Technical Diving

[Centrals]

Diving conditions can be so variable even from the same site.
Any tec divers would really appreciate a mechanical lift!!!! Making life so much easier unfortunately there aren't that many around!

 

[Wibble]

Reaching pockets... it’s a lot easier with smaller stages/tanks (smaller than ali80s).

if you sidemount the stages, bailout, deco gas, they tend to keep out of the way when you’re reaching down to your pockets as they’re bungeed behind your arm and you can elbow them out of the way.

Bigger tanks are a pain when sidemounting to the point of rendering your pockets out of reach. It’s far easier to use a big butt pouch to stash your stuff, like spare SMBs, spools, etc. These pouches are generally held on with a couple of double enders, so need both hands and a little practice to clip and unclip.

 

[Wibble]

Diving conditions can be so variable even from the same site.
Any tec divers would really appreciate a mechanical lift!!!! Making life so much easier unfortunately there aren't that many around!

Interesting. Almost all hard (not RIB) dive boats in the UK have diver lifts nowadays.

 

[Centrals]

Interesting. Almost all (hard, Ono RIB) dive boats in the UK have diver lifts nowadays.

I knew that and have been on one in Scapa Flow.
If they are using converted trawlers then there is more or less no alternative.

 

[jlcnuke]

Interesting. Almost all hard (not RIB) dive boats in the UK have diver lifts nowadays.

I've yet to see a dive boat with a lift for divers in the US, Mexico, or Caribbean.

 

[Centrals]

I've yet to see a dive boat with a lift for divers in the US, Mexico, or Caribbean.

You have seen nothing yet!
You would not want to dive any other way especially if you are tec diving.
The worst part is when the lift moves above the water and you feel the sudden weight of all your gear!!!!!

 

[Wibble]

I've yet to see a dive boat with a lift for divers in the US, Mexico, or Caribbean.

Wonder if this could do with the amount of extra kit required to dive in colder waters. Seems, from reading a lot of the posts on here, that the majority of diving's shallow, warm, clear, so there's more reliance on buddies and fewer deep / long = deco dives.

With a twinset and 3 ali80 stages, it weighs considerably more than me -- and I'm not small! Well over 100kg/220lbs of dive kit. Using a dive lift in choppy water is pretty much essential.

Thinking about it, the rebreather weighs 45kg/100lbs plus a couple of stages, so that's 75kg/150lbs. Plus the drysuit and underclothes...

 

[Centrals]

I believe it is the legislation in USA that makes the device impossible to install economically.
I am pretty sure the choppy water is not exclusive around British Isles. There are a lot of wrecks out there along the coast as well as in the Great Lakes.
Ship wrecks are usually associated with foul weather.

 

[rddvet]

I've yet to see a dive boat with a lift for divers in the US, Mexico, or Caribbean.

They exist in the Great Lakes and I saw one once in North Carolina. A captain I know in the great lakes just bought a new boat with a lift. He said it's becoming one of the more commonly asked for things by his tech diving customers.

 

[Centrals]

They exist in the Great Lakes and I saw one once in North Carolina. A captain I know in the great lakes just bought a new boat with a lift. He said it's becoming one of the more commonly asked for things by his tech diving customers.

Any tec divers would have asked for it if they had heard/seen it. Very logical.