Things you should practice for, or at least think about.

[Grin]

How about practicing for screw ups that are bound to happen some day.

1.What if you jump in and get one breath and find your tank valve is off. Can you turn it on while you hold your breath? You need to be able to do this, and you should test yourself. It is actually fairly easy in the water, but I cannot do it out of the water with my rig. Sane goes for the pony bottle. You m ay always dive with it on, but it is possible soemone might do you a favor and think they are turni git on for you and then you find out it's off at the worst time. You gotto be ready for this situation and be able to turn it on. My pony is mounted upsidown these days and I can simply reach back and turn it on. In any last resort case of a valve not on, you can always rip the BC off and turn the valve on, then worry about putting your BC on if neccessary.
2. What will you do if your BC bladder pops. You need to be able to accend nice and stable without dumping all your weights in a panic. There are lots of ways to do this and different settups will vary how you do it. Many can probably just swim hard and get it done. Sending a float up on a reel then pulling yourself up, is a easy out if this happens and you have that settup with you. Or filling a float attached to your BC and letting air out as you accend works also.
3. What if you loose your mask. Can you make a safe accent without it. This is probably nothing that needs practiced. But you might just remove your mask underwater and see if you can read your computer screen. Just so you know what info you might have, or not have, with no mask. If you can see your depth meter, and/or verify your accent rate, your good to go.
4. Can you stay afloat easily if you have to float for a couple hours or a day. Meaning you don't have to kick much, or at all, to stay at the right profile. I was lost for awhile once, and I carry a bunch of 25 lb lift sausages/fish floats. Those things came in real handy as I blew up two of them and put one under each arm. It was like sitting in a Lazy Boy and I could have sat there for a day or two without kicking once.
5. What do you do if your inflator sticks on? You disconnect the inflator hose ASAP. Practice this. It happens alot. It has never happened to me but it is a common situation. If you are not prepared, it could easily be a trip to the chamber for you, as you will rocket to the surface and could get bent. Some companies make little thingies to make this a easy task with gloves on. I have one made by DSS. They are like a dollar or two.
6. What if your computer goes dead on you while in a dive? Obviously your going up now! Basically, you need to be able to accend at a correct rate with no gauge to tell you if your rocketing to the surface or going back down. I think most of us have watched all the little critters or the floatasm in the water coulmn while accending. That stuff is a good indicator of if your moving up or down, in most cases. You should be able to use that suspended particle matter to accend nice and controled / slow. You also will have no idea how much time has passed and if your computer is air interated you will have no idea how much air is left in the tank. Can you handle it?
7 ??? I can't think of any other situations right now, but I'm always ready to hear others ideas of what you should practice or at least think about how to deal with situations. In diving the smallest issue can completely ruin you. The stuck inflator situation is so simple, but if you never thought about it, you may not know what the hell is happening before it's too late and your a baloon on the surface and off to the chamber.

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by Grin

1.What if you jump in and get one breath and find your tank valve is off.

I switch to my backup reg and turn it on again. No big deal, even if I have to do it on a breath hold.

Originally Posted by Grin

2. What will you do if your BC bladder pops. Sending a float up on a reel then pulling yourself up, is a easy out if this happens and you have that settup with you.

Trying to climb #36 line to the surface while too negative to swim your rig up? You're joking, right? Have you ever actually tried that? It sounds like crazy talk to me... there are too many ways it could go wrong, and has no clear advantage I can see over keeping the bag with you and simply using it to control your buoyancy.

In any case, using a lift bag or SMB wouldn't rate any better than plan C for me. If my wing failed, I'd control buoyancy with my dry suit. If my wing and drysuit have both been punctured beyond use, THEN I'll consider a bag.

Originally Posted by Grin

3. What if you loose your mask.

If it's a dive I can't easily abort, I put on my backup mask. Otherwise, I abort the dive and use either a buddy or the smallest bubbles I can see as a reference to estimate my ascent rate.

Originally Posted by Grin

4. Can you stay afloat easily if you have to float for a couple hours or a day.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Originally Posted by Grin

5. What do you do if your inflator sticks on?

I disconnect it. I have a "top hat" shaped thing that makes it easy to disconnect with thick gloves on.

Originally Posted by Grin

6. What if your computer goes dead on you while in a dive?

Generally speaking, I abort the dive. Usually there's nothing I need to know at that point that I need a computer for. If I have a planned deco obligation, I'll have a backup analog gauge and timer for the stops.

Originally Posted by Grin

7. I can't think of any other situations right now, but I'm always ready to hear others ideas of what you should practice or at least think about how to deal with situations.

Here are a few for you: What if your dive buddy loses consciousness or goes into convulsions from CNS toxicity? What if you get caught in a stiff current? What if you have to vomit at depth? What if your reg free flows or ices up? What if your drysuit floods? What if you get entangled in something you can't see? What if you lose a fin? What if you do everything right, but feel DCS symptoms post dive? What if you have to get a private boat ready for a helicopter evacuation? What if you have to signal a search team? At night? What if you get the Heebie Jeebies? What if you really have to poop, and there's no head on the boat? What if you need first aid, or CPR, or oxygen? What if you have to call for help on a VHF radio because (for example) you surfaced to find the captain unconscious? What if you blow an o-ring? What if your buddy completely loses it and panics at depth? What if you can't find the mooring line/boat? What if there aren't enough snacks for everyone??

[Navy OnStar]

Originally Posted by Grin

1.What if you jump in and get one breath and find your tank valve is off.

This should never happen if you do a thorough predive check of your and your buddies gear, as you should.

Originally Posted by Grin

2. What will you do if your BC bladder pops.

With a weight integrated BC I can ditch half or all of my weights. if I can't swin up, then ditch half, if I still can't then ditch all.

Originally Posted by Grin

3. What if you loose your mask. Can you make a safe accent without it.

I only carry one mask. Stay below my smallest bubbles.

Originally Posted by Grin

4. Can you stay afloat easily if you have to float for a couple hours or a day.

Ditch all my weights. Even without a BC, a wetsuit will hold you up quite nicely. Got dropped off in Pensacola bay for about an hour while waiting for a helicopter to pick me up. Never had to inflate my vest because I was so bouyant. (Fully clothed in boots/flightsuit/flightgear)

Originally Posted by Grin

5. What do you do if your inflator sticks on? You disconnect the inflator hose ASAP. Practice this. It happens alot.

Jet Dump at the end of the inflator hose. They are designed to be able to release air faster than the inflator can pump it in.

Originally Posted by Grin

6. What if your computer goes dead on you while in a dive? Obviously your going up now! Basically, you need to be able to accend at a correct rate with no gauge to tell you if your rocketing to the surface or going back down. You also will have no idea how much time has passed and if your computer is air interated you will have no idea how much air is left in the tank. Can you handle it?

I have a buddy, that's what they're there for! I have an AI computer and have a SPG backup.

MSilvia: If you don't bring enough snacks.....well that's inexcusable. You should be shot with a speargun and used for chum!

[WaScubaDude]

Pre Dive Plan
o Dive/health concerns & Emergency plan
o Who will lead & how
o How to follow the leader
o Lost Dive Buddy (DB) Procedure
o Where exactly to dive
o Maximum Depth
o Depth of Safety Stop
Either DB can call off dive anytime for any reason!

Air Management
o Turn around PSI or Bottom time
o PSI to Go to Safety Stop
o PSI to Surface
o Hand signals for each
PSI based on diver with the lowest PSI reading!

Before Entry
o Gear Check you & DB
o Hand Signal Review
o BC Inflate & Deflate(s) you & DB
o How to ditch(s)weights you & DB
o Air on full?
o 3 breaths on your reg
o 3 breaths on DB Oct
o Gauge check

In Water Skill Drills
o Descend together
o Correct Weighting
o Correct Trim
o Perfect Buoyancy
o OOA Octo deploy
o OOA Buddy Breathe (BB)
o DB Octo to surface
o Mask Flood & Clear
o Mask Removal & Replace
o Free flow reg resolutions
o Free flow reg ascent
o Free flow shut down and BB
Do UW drills at a depth of 15ft or less!

o At surface: Inflate DB BC & ditch weights

[in_cavediver]

Originally Posted by Navy OnStar

This should never happen if you do a thorough predive check of your and your buddies gear, as you should.

Variation - Corrosion from the tank clogs the mesh filter on your reg. Surface seems OK. Nothing at depth.

Originally Posted by Navy OnStar

With a weight integrated BC I can ditch half or all of my weights. if I can't swin up, then ditch half, if I still can't then ditch all.

Bad move. As a basic rec diver, you shouldn't ever be to negative to swim it up. The problem of ditching half the weight at depth is at 10-15', you to light and you polaris through the most dangerous part of the ascent.

Another option is to use the 'good' part of the wing to trap some air to help swim it up.

When you get to the surface, then ditch your weight.

Originally Posted by Navy OnStar

I only carry one mask. Stay below my smallest bubbles.

Ditch all my weights. Even without a BC, a wetsuit will hold you up quite nicely. Got dropped off in Pensacola bay for about an hour while waiting for a helicopter to pick me up. Never had to inflate my vest because I was so bouyant. (Fully clothed in boots/flightsuit/flightgear)

Jet Dump at the end of the inflator hose. They are designed to be able to release air faster than the inflator can pump it in.

Not every BC has it. Every agency I know of teaches you to dump while disconnecting.

Originally Posted by Navy OnStar

I have a buddy, that's what they're there for! I have an AI computer and have a SPG backup.

I agree, losing a computer is not an emergency. It just means you turn around now and end the dive safely. Use you buddies if available to gauge depth.Even without a buddy, you can do a decent estimation job when ascending. Its not something you should do a free ascent for in OW (when boat diving)

[emcbride81]

What if there is no beer when you get back to shore?
All this other stuff I could handle!

Actually, on the topic of losing your computer, would you still feel the need to abort if you reviewed tables before the dive and have analog gauges? If you know your plan and you know what your time/depth limits are wouldn't the analog gauges be enough? I almost always try to know my table info before I splash for that reason. So far it hasnt been necessary.

[in_cavediver]

[quote=emcbride81;109444]What if there is no beer when you get back to shore?
All this other stuff I could handle! [\quote]

That's what dive buddies are for. Just use his reserve British Decomopression mix (Beer)

Originally Posted by emcbride81

Actually, on the topic of losing your computer, would you still feel the need to abort if you reviewed tables before the dive and have analog gauges? If you know your plan and you know what your time/depth limits are wouldn't the analog gauges be enough? I almost always try to know my table info before I splash for that reason. So far it hasnt been necessary.

Your scenario of losing the computer but still being on tables is interesting. For me, in a rec context, I'd keep diving on the tables. It would be no different that starting the dive only with that gear. If it was a tec context, I'd take the hint and start bailing out or at least seriously consider the risk reward of continuing on the dive.

[Matt P]

Originally Posted by WaScubaDude

o 3 breaths on your reg
o 3 breaths on DB Oct
o Gauge check

I'm now also in the habit of doing a quick purge then taking 3 big, deep breaths off my reg & octo while looking at my gauge as the very last thing before I splash. This helps to identify if someone has "helped" me by shutting off my air. In that case the gauge will still show a good charge b/c of air in the hose. Giving it a quick purge and a few good hard breaths will make that gauge drop. If that gauge moves abort the dive. Test it with your own SPG to determine how much of a purge\breath test you need to move the SPG when the tank is shut off.

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by Navy OnStar

With a weight integrated BC I can ditch half or all of my weights. if I can't swin up, then ditch half, if I still can't then ditch all.

Ditching at depth may work with thin tropical exposure protection, but it's a great way to get a quick ride to a chamber if you do it in a 2-piece 7mm suit. If you tried that at 90 feet, the question wouldn't if you'd rocket to the surface, but how far you'd jump out of the water when you got there. I'd only ditch at depth if Plan A, B, C, and D, all failed, and I couldn't come up with a better Plan E before I ran low on gas. In my mind, it rates only just slightly higher than "not an option". It would have to come down to, "I'm consciously deciding to be bent on the surface instead of dead on the bottom."

Ditchable weights are for surface flotation, not surfacing.

Originally Posted by Navy OnStar

Jet Dump at the end of the inflator hose. They are designed to be able to release air faster than the inflator can pump it in.

That'll work, but you'll unnecessarily waste a lot of gas that way, and probably have to abort your dive as a result. If you just disconnect, and you're comfortable with oral inflation, you can continue the dive and chalk it up to a minor inconvenience instead of a critical failure.

Originally Posted by Grin

MSilvia: If you don't bring enough snacks.....well that's inexcusable. You should be shot with a speargun and used for chum!

Bring the snack, or BE the snack, eh?

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by Matt P

I'm now also in the habit of doing a quick purge then taking 3 big, deep breaths off my reg & octo while looking at my gauge as the very last thing before I splash.

Be careful with that if you ever dive cold water. "Pre-breathing" your reg is a good way to make it ice up and free flow.