Your views on weighting systems?

[Dominic]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]you could get a BCD wearer trying to lift somebody that is with twins and stages

So?

How were you trained to do a CBL?

When lifting somebody, you dump all air from your BCD and use THEIR bouyancy to get you both to the surface. It's utterly irrelevant if the person you're lifting is heavily laden and you're set up for minimal lift.

Which is why your example with things like "On the surface ... now to establish positive bouyancy for the casualty,you try to put air into their BCD" is hogwash - you do this at the BOTTOM, not the surface, precisely BECAUSE of the cf you describe happening if you DON'T. I'd orally inflate the casualty's BCD before I'd try and get them up using my own lift. Hell, I'd connect my drysuit feed to their suit before using my own lift - you use your own buoyancy as an absolute last resort.

The pro-belt arguments still seem to consist largely of "Divers using these appallingly bad practices have numerous bad luck things happen and therefore are screwed. This would be solved with a weight belt being ditchable." Sorry, but I'll stick with not doing fecking stupid things like diving massively overweighted with sod all lift, if it's all the same to you..

I'm STILL on the lookout for a serious scenario where a QR weight belt would be of genuine benefit compared to a well-configured diver with no ditchable weight - if anyone can supply such a scenario, I promise I'll post it on my web page, in the weighting section, with all due credit and a written apology for my being wrong

(Note that such a scenario is for properly configured divers, and not something that relies on massive sloppiness: Diving with a 20kg weightbelt and 10kg of lift will NOT be included, because the problem here is massive overweighting and inappropriate BCD selection, NOT non-ditchable lead.)

[Doug Parker]

<font color='#0000FF'>Mdemon and i tried holding each other up on the surface last night and although we were not very succesful, with a bit of practice we both thought it wouldn't be impossible. &nbsp;But in a real sitution the casualties gear would be going for a burton. &nbsp;You're gear is insured against this, isn't it.

[MATTBIN]

Doug
even if my gear isnt insured if ditching it saves my skin I'll buy you a pint and not sue for replacement OK?

Matt

[John Gulliver]

Don't BSAC have insurance covering members for equipment lost in connection with diving emergencies? The Swedish Sport Diving Fededration (affiliated to CMAS) has a so-called dumping fund, in collaboration with a major insurance company, which provides this cover.

[MATTBIN]

John
I'm not in BSAC, but mine is probably covered under my household contents all risk non-specified personal possesions section. I say probably because I have little faith in Insurance companies in general if there is any possibility of a get-out clause. As far as I remember from my days (and I mean days) in BSAC my membership did not include any kit insurance as standard.

Matt

[John Gulliver]

Yes, mine is coverd by my home-owners' all-risk insurance too, so I'm doubly covered. Actually, I have very good experience of the Swedish insurance companies. They paid up without a quibble for damage to the house caused by a leaking washing machine and again &nbsp;afew years later for damage caused by a leaking washing-up machine, as well as for medical expenses when I had a skiing accident in Switzerland. Maybe ours are better than yours.

[Doug Parker]

<font color='#0000FF'>I didn't get through Dive leader training because of throwing kit out of the rib during a rescue scenario. &nbsp;Getting 2 casualties into the silly little boat with 6 other divers and kit on it was supposed to be easy enough. &nbsp;Perhaps i've got a secret yearning for throwing dive kit away. &nbsp;Time to see the head doctor.

[Mdemon]

Beat me to it Doug! &nbsp;

As the man said, and following on from Darth's &quot;try it&quot;, we spent a very short period of time apiece trying. &nbsp;It was very very tricky, no doubt about it. &nbsp;I agree with Doug though, it was possible. &nbsp;(I was about 10Kg overweight as it turned out) It might be worth practicing it a few more times in the future to get a technique and a drill worked out. &nbsp;

What we didn't do was use any victim inflation whatsoever, and I had the option of a 50Kg lift OMS wing and a drysuit to play with. &nbsp;One thought did strike me - it would have been quicker and more productive to orally inflate the victim's wing, even if that meant his face wasn't permanently supported as best it could be.

Would dumping a weightbelt/harness have helped? &nbsp;Yes, I think it would. &nbsp;However, comparing the risks of accidentally losing the belt at depth with the risk of being unconscious on the surface AND having no buoyancy in the wing AND having no buoyancy in the DS (or anything else for that matter) AND having a buddy who is unable to cut me out of/remove the gear with the fixed weight or support me enough to keep me breathing, I think I'll stick with the fixed weight.

[Doug Parker]

<font color='#0000FF'>It also depends on how you are trimmed in the water. &nbsp;My fixed weight is central so that i'm horizontal on long stops as opposed to the weight being further down so i'm more upright in the water. &nbsp;I was also overweighed last night through poncing about with different back plates and not doing a bouyancy check with a new set up. &nbsp;You should see the 2lb sole that's flapping about in my sink as we speak, that i caught tonight. &nbsp;Viz was better tonight.

[Mdemon]

Hah! &nbsp;I found a lump hammer!

(Random, but true)