37 replies to this topic

[Coo's Toe]

So much for using emoticons to graphically illustrate my point... the divers in team two were supposed to look like they actually had distance and distractions between them. Oh well, you get the point, right?



CT: Sorry for the admin oversight but you had done such an awesome job of illustrating your point that I just had to fix it for you! Now Buddy Team #2 looks like they have distance and distractions between them. -ww

Edited by WreckWench, 30 April 2004 - 12:12 PM.

[drbill]

Diverbrian- After an experience I had last year with a clogged tank valve debris tube, an H-valve on a single tank would not be an entirely dependable air supply system. It would certainly help in a case of a failed reg, but if the primary tank valve gets clogged, both regs on an H-valve would be affected. That's why I only trust my pony (and my good dive buddies!).

Dandy Don- Didn't they uised to say an "expert" was a former drip (or something like that)? I mount mine on the left and counter-weight my weight belt on the other side. Without the counter-weighting, there was a slight torque when I dove.

One of the main reasons I place it on my left is so my left hand can reach it easily. My right hand is tethered to my video housing so it would be difficult to reach it on that side.

Bandit- UW photographers can be poor buddies, but I've been fortunate to have a number of buddies who appreciate my ability to locate interesting subject matter and serve as a mentor. Others are great spotters and have no trouble staying close to me.

Although a slightly rash generalization, I have found that female divers often make better buddies. They are more attentive to the buddy relationship and the ecological relationships based on my sampling. Of course I have male buddies who are likewise, but more female ones.

Dr. B.

Edited by drbill, 30 April 2004 - 11:46 AM.

[DandyDon]

I mount mine on the left and counter-weight my weight belt on the other side. Without the counter-weighting, there was a slight torque when I dove.

Yeah, I tried it without the counter weight; the imbalance seem significant.

[Walter]

H and Y valves are bad ju-ju in my book. A back up 1st regulator does you no good if your tank neck o-ring fails.

True, but then in over 20 years of very active diving I've never heard of that happening.

[Diverbrian]

Diverbrian- After an experience I had last year with a clogged tank valve debris tube, an H-valve on a single tank would not be an entirely dependable air supply system. It would certainly help in a case of a failed reg, but if the primary tank valve gets clogged, both regs on an H-valve would be affected. That's why I only trust my pony (and my good dive buddies!).


Dr. B.

I see your point. Until I read your story last year (which I commented on at the time), I had never heard of this type of failure.

What an H-Valve IS effective for is the fact that ninety percent of the regulator "failures" up here are free-flows caused by overbreathing a reg in cold water. The quick and simple solution is to shut air supply to the offending reg off, switch to the working reg, wait a minute or so and the reg will de-ice on it's own be ready for action with a minimal loss of breathing gas. The other solution is to have your dive buddy close to donate air while you do the same thing.

Like CT, I am a fervent believer in manifolded double tanks for much of my diving. That is the ultimate in safety to me. However, as I stated before, on a tropical trip:

1) This type of freeflow is unlikely unless the regulator completely malfunctions, then you share air and end the dive.

2) I wouldn't be able to fly my stage bottle, 120's (with H-Valve) or my double 100's to location. This leaves me at best with a single outlet on a 100 cubic ft. tank. That leaves me somewhat dependent on a dive buddy in the event of regulator failure. With the crew here, I don't see that as a problem.

[drbill]

Although we "complain" about it at times, I tend to forget that some people really do dive COLD water! H- or Y-valves do make sense under the scenario you describe.

I just left Avalon's infamous El Galleon. Forgot we have a big annual rugby tournament in town this weekend. Man do those guys drink. I can't understand how they can function in a game at 8:00 AM tomorrow. Imagine what would happen if we drank ourselves silly and tried to dive early AM.

Had planned a weekend of solo, but one of my buddies called tonight and said she was coming over as an instructor with a new dive shop. Looks like I'll be diving with KEB this weekend instead... less video footage but more fun.

Have a great weekend all.

Dr. B.

[DandyDon]

My experience is certainly not as extensive as DrBill's, nor as much as a lot of others here, but nonetheless - I've had a reg failure: FIRST STAGE! Luckily, it happened on the boat, but that was still too close, as I'd been diving 110 foot square profiles on wrecks, was getting ready to do one more, and I'd had boat-pick buddies who were certainly not dependable.

Got the first stage retrofitted - part of a recall, and started trying to talk myself into adding a pony, then won a reg!! Buying the rest to go with it was not as painful.

Since then, I've not needed it personally yet, but - I've felt more comfortable having it with the wandering buddies I've been assigned, for if I'd had another reg failure at depth with those yokels, I'd have taken Emergency Ascent over trying to find them. I have used it when my buddies needed my air for their safety stops, with the two of us sucking my air down to the 500 reserve too quickly.

Reduncdancy is good, extra redundancy is better. I still like having a buddy when I can get a reasonable one, in case I screw up.

[No Pressure]

One consideration I have not heard yet. You are in a group of SD.com divers, and were lucky enough (there's that word again) to hook up diving with an attractive member of the attractive sex. All comments here are based on the "rested" dive buddy making all the decisions, or sweating out the potential disasters. It is a group. Get the group involved. Maybe one of the other women (in this case) can get a little more out of your DB than she wants to relay to you about whatever it was that kept her up last night. Is it over, resolved, or is she still stressed about it? Where is her mind this morning? We are really talking about judgement mistakes, equipment complications, or DCS development here. Get others involved to do an overall risk assessment, consider all variables, including the ones we have already gone over (hydration, stress, alcohol, etc). Group dynamics and support go a lot farther, and will be received by the "sleepless one" a lot better than from one individual who wants to get into her wetsuit.