why not beat the dead horse?

[Carribeandiver]

Last night I completed the pool portion of my NAUI Rescue class. We spent 4 hours in LSU natatorium with 88F freaking hot, even for me, water.
Just as I suspected my new diving style created problems. Everyone, except me, did their thing vertically, I tried like the dickens to be horizontal. For the OOA reg exchange, my buddy was within 1 feet of handing me his Octo and I quickly realized it was because we couldnt get any further apart. When it was my turn to offer my reg, I darn near punched him in the face when I stuck out my arm handing over the reg. It wasnt my intent but he was on me in a blink. Once he took it and started breathing, I gave the ok sign, to which he never responded, and then I backup up trying to give him some slack but he kept moving closer. I wonder if he realized I had slack? Surely he had to think this long hose has a purpose.
Despite several difficulties performing with people who did things differently, I went with the program as best I could. Afterall, learning rescue cannot hurt anyone.
One of our skills drills was to remove our gear and put it back on. Try taking off the BP when that is your ONLY weight source. You are floating, the BP is sinking and if you think you are wise and inflate the Wing then you have problems buckling the waist and crotch straps unless you turn on your head. Quite an experience, I must say.
However, I did answer several questions about the gear and explained the purpose of each. I also pointed out that I am not the prime example of correct DIR diving and if they thought how I did it was the correct way, I doubt DIR would get any converts from this group.
I do think that they went from thinking I am one strange looking guy, with the weird rig and horizontal diving to starting to think, hmm, maybe that makes sense in some cases.
Now please dont let this turn into another gas planning discussion. I get lost the first time someone puts in any initials like cfm or sac or ead or whatever. I may know some initials but I am clueless as to what they are or signify. It took me 3 months and 987 read posts before I figured out that fsw is feet salt water.
Non-DIRers please dont get your shorts in a bunch, I am not saying anything bad about you. I am only suggesting that you are different or I am different, take your pick.
Anyway, I passed the written test and did the pool stuff. Now I only need 3 days, 6 dives in the frigid Gulf and I am done. I think I am waiting until the water warms up 10-15 degrees so it may be a while before I get my official finish.

 

[TSandM]

Remember that even in Fundies, if you're air-sharing, you're in touch contact until you begin your direct ascent. (I got dinged on that in the class last weekend -- initiated an air-share and had a big brain fart looking around for our third team member and leaving poor Kirk sitting on my long hose, wondering what we were going to do next.)

The buoyancy problem with the rig removed is common to any setup where all the weight is in the rig, and it's something you really have to remember if you're configured that way (that goes for weight-integrated BCs, too!)

At least in my Rescue class, there was a LOT of really good stuff, and only a little lack of harmony (if you can call it that) because of my "peculiar" gear. And my instructors had nothing but good things to say about my husband and me being able to do the skills while hovering and maintaining good trim, even if they didn't require it.

You'll get a lot of out of open water dives from the class. Try to focus on what's common to good diving, and not on how different you are, and it will help.

 

[DBailey]

...and then I backup up trying to give him some slack but he kept moving closer. I wonder if he realized I had slack? Surely he had to think this long hose has a purpose....

I *hope* you were assigned/had a buddy before the water skills started. This should have been covered during your pre-dive safety check. Differing gear set-ups is one of the main reasons that I emphasis the pre-dive safety check.

I know in your other thread that you mentioned that you brought some items to the instructor's/class's attention, but did you cover it with your buddy before the dive?. If your buddy forgot between the safety check and the dive, then you should have punched him.

...You are floating, the BP is sinking and if you think you are wise and inflate the Wing then you have problems buckling the waist and crotch straps unless you turn on your head.....

Try some selective inflating and deflating at certain stages. I don't know the DIR way, but I have noticed what you mentioned when doing skills in my rig.

Otherwise, way to go and stick to your guns.

 

[Don Wray]

Congrats CD...finish her up and you'll have that done. I hope you have as good an experience with rescue as I had. My partner in rescue is of the same mind-set with equipment as you are and I found it interesting and challenging to be able to remove unfamiliar equipment. I learned alot with those differences. He was also my partner in DM class and I wore his stuff during the equipment exchange. It was fun and very informative. Except for his prescription mask. I think he's blind and just don't know it. Man, what a horrific headache when that was done.

 

[Carribeandiver]

my buddy is my friend from downstairs. we have dove together several times and good friends. the only argument we have is over who talked who into taking the Rescue class. he knows my gear, I give him the speeches all the way to and from the class and at least 3 times a week at lunch.
At times, he is receptive and at other times he is as stubborn as a woman ( no offense ladies). He simply refuses to accept any gas planning and the concept of turn pressure seems to elude him completely. But he is a good diver and even if we now differ in styles and once I educate him on some safety issues we may dive together again outside of class room training.
He knew my long hose cause he made fun of me since I got it. So yea, I shudda punched him in the nose.
Yep, lots of good stuff in that Rescue class. Like my newly acquired interest, it requires practice to retain and refine skills but for that one time they are needed, it will be worth it. it would kill me if I had to save someone and didnt know how to do it after I was trained with the needed knowledge.
BUT, once everyone dives DIR, the list of potential problems will be significantly smaller. (sorry, couldnt help but slip that in)

 

[amascuba]

I did my divemaster class in a bp/w. You would have gotten a kick out of our underwater gear exchange while buddy breathing drill. I unbuckled my harness, pulled it over my head, and immediately started to float to the surface. So I just held onto my harness until my buddy took his bc off and we exchanged one for one so that we could keep from floating to the surface. We were just about finished with the exchange and my instructor went outside the standards and turned my gas off. My tank was the gas we were buddy breathing off of. So my buddy took a breath off his reg and handed it to me and we went through and completed the exchange. Once we were done my instructor signaled for us to switch back to our original gear! It was quiet a task, but pretty fun and a good learning experience.

Don't get discouraged though. Not everybody "gets it" persay. That just means that you have to do more work ahead of time to make sure that your buddy understands your gear configuration and protocols. It sounds like overall though that you are having a positive experience with your rescue class.

 

[MonkSeal]

You would have gotten a kick out of our underwater gear exchange while buddy breathing drill.

And what's the purpose of such drill?

 

[amascuba]

And what's the purpose of such drill?

It was nothing DIR, but was a PADI attempt at team building.

 

[MonkSeal]

It was nothing DIR, but was a PADI attempt at team building.

I know that but I'm trying to understand their point.

 

[amascuba]

I know that but I'm trying to understand their point.

Basically you and your buddy had to exchange all gear, well mostly all gear (mask,fins,weight belt (if used), bcd) while being stressed, which in this case is buddy breathing. You had to work together to accomplish a common goal. We were a bit slow at first, but after a couple minutes we were working together pretty well.