The 'tricks of the trade' column...

[spongebobb]

hi , sarcasm aside , im told these hoses are also to use for suit inflation , in the real world .
although the suits we are being supplied with has an inflation valve being supplied through a L.P. hose and a shoulder dump valve .
if we are to inflate with a pneumo are we to dump by just pulling a seal ?
cheers bob

[stew]

Originally Posted by spongebobb

hi , sarcasm aside , im told these hoses are also to use for suit inflation , in the real world .
although the suits we are being supplied with has an inflation valve being supplied through a L.P. hose and a shoulder dump valve .
if we are to inflate with a pneumo are we to dump by just pulling a seal ?
cheers bob

you can use it for inflation, i wouldnt go out my way to use it as the hose end is sharp.
if you have an LP connected, then that is much easier & it will be the method you will use at PDA.
one of the quickest ways to dump air is via the cuff seal, this you will do.
not very plesant if you get the timing wrong...
and its not easy if your wearing gloves over your wrist seals either.

[spongebobb]

hey up stew ,
i know they are using conventional inflate / dumps on the new o three suits we are being supplied , these i,m used to , i,m also told by me mate ( my only one ) that the suit he uses at work dont have a lp inflate or dump ,so just assuming we would then have to use pneuno to inflate and pop a seal to vent/dump . is this the case you are finding at work ? or are you using your own suit ? just seems silly to teach one way and then use another way ... suppose i may find this alot .
how was the burning the other day ?
bob

[stew]

nice to hear your getting the o'three suits & not the ND ones, much better.
i use my own suit at work which has LP connections although some of the guys have suits without valves & inflate with the pneumo when required.
as you know im fairly new to this, i find that being versatile is the way ahead.
didnt get to burn the other day unfortunatly, wasn't my turn to dive! next time...

[BigHairyAl]

I also heard the diving school rumours of pneumo suit inflation being all the rage in the commercial world.

Happily, since starting work I've yet to find anyone that actually practices it. Everyone has a standard recreational style suit inflation system. I really couldn't be faffed to have to ask surface for bubbles every time I need a little buoyancy kick.

[spongebobb]

potatoes , potartoes , hey ho ...
go with the flow then ,
the trick could be to find work in warm water and sod the dry suits !!!

[spongebobb]

hey up guys ,
just wondering as new / fairly new divers in the civils side , what skills are you finding most valuable . knots , ropework has cropped up , just wondering what you fella,s are finding ? ? ?

[A. Berk]

... sorry guy's, in your tool bag you need a compass. Git gud at using a compass - it may not come into play so much as an air diver but when you're in sat and needing vessel movements - you'll be calling the shots. "give us 3 metres on 265 degrees... " and the like., so you don't want the thing shooting off in the opposite direction 'cos you can't read a compass

Berko

[benpanter]

I follow this thread with interest as a rec. diver with no interest in going commercial, and as such I've got little to offer but questions. I'm intreged by the compass comment though - does the compass not get messed up by the large metal bell that you're sat in, or does something else mitigate that effect?

cheers,

Ben

[A. Berk]

Originally Posted by benpanter

I follow this thread with interest as a rec. diver with no interest in going commercial, and as such I've got little to offer but questions. I'm intreged by the compass comment though - does the compass not get messed up by the large metal bell that you're sat in, or does something else mitigate that effect?

Ben, for sure a compass will be slightly confused inside a bell, however it isn't inside the bell were it comes into play - the divers can normally find their way around in there without one. When working on the bottom with loads hanging from cranes and such there is no visual connection between the crane driver and the diver as there would be on a building site. Therefore, if you as the diver want to move an object (a section of pipeline for instance) from 'here' to 'there' how do you put that required movement across? Simple, take a bearing on your compass and tell the dive supervisor you need either a vessel or crane move of 'xxx metres on xxx degrees' and hey-presto we'll dial it up for you and your pipeline flanges start coming together. An experienced diver will ask what the vessels heading is before leaving the bell so he can orientate himself on the bottom - its important to have a 'picture' of where vessel/crane/pipelines etc are in respect to each other as in saturation diving you probably won't see the vessel above you. Also, the supervisor may well give the diver a bearing to follow to reach the jobsite and although it may only be 20 - 30 metres if you're not accurate with a compass you're gonna miss the mark.

We have lots of bells-n-whistles available to us like mini-beacons and nav-screens to see exactly where the divers/crane/ROV/pipeline is but the simple compass is a must.

Does that answer your question Ben?

Berko