Club boat diving and lifejackets...

[The Penguin]

Originally Posted by String

We dont supply. No way we could afford to buy or keep the things maintained. If someone wants to brinng their own then fair enough.

That's obviously an issue for us.

Irish club divers - it being a legal requirement do your clubs supply or do you?

Being a northern club, do we become liable to wear lifejackets under that regulation when we go diving in the south?

[mikeL]

I think it is worthy of note that all of the lifeboat crews working in inflatables will wear a lifejacket over their drysuit.

Having worked it from all sides, lifeboat, rya powerboat trainer & commercial diver I personal will wear a lifejacket if possible.

If we are talking about small fast craft i.e. any rib traveling over 25knots I will always wear a helmet too!

After you have had to go and get people who did not bother wearing lifejackets or helmets you soon change your personal view about them.

Gecko helmets are top for boat work and the new crewsaver harvester is a great lifejacket.

[mikeL]

I would like to add that I am really talking about small fast boats (sub 8m ribs etc..) where the freeboard is low and there is a chance of falling overboard. I think that when you go bigger then this the priorities change.

Mike

[Steve S]

On our RIB if you haven't got a drysuit on [zipped up] then we recommend a lifejacket or ABLJ be worn.

Safe diving,
Steve

[Gav]

Originally Posted by nigelH

I wear the club supplied jacket when Coxing because that's club policy. It's compact with no toggles so I think it's a self inflate.

Actually it makes sense as there will be times I might be alone on the surface and my drysuit may be buoyant but it doesn't promise head-up and without fins on I could be floundering.

We only take one jacket per boat. I think the assumption is we ought to be able to retrieve a man-overboard promptly.

(edit)
It must be a self inflate. We had a mail round saying one went off being washed down. Don't wash the life jackets.
(/edit)

What he said, except I'm not a cox!

[RogerViking]

as said in ireland its law that you have to wear one at all times on craft less than 7 mtrs, unless moored or changing into scuba gear. i used to think its a bit much ...but if your floating will a dry suit maintain a heads up in the water?

[RogerViking]

Originally Posted by al kennedy

That's obviously an issue for us.

Irish club divers - it being a legal requirement do your clubs supply or do you?

Being a northern club, do we become liable to wear lifejackets under that regulation when we go diving in the south?

ANS : yes you do al

[The Penguin]

Originally Posted by RogerViking

ANS : yes you do al

Ah well...

Does your club supply or do you all bring your own?

Cheers, Al

[turbanator]

Just got in from a really fun course - Sea survival.

There was a point made on the course that was about foulies but applies equally to drysuits even if 'burped', and that was sometimes air will get trapped in the clothing, if this ends up across your shoulders, then a 150N jacket may not be enough to flip you face-up.

r
P

[mikeL]

The RNLI and RIB International both ran trials with different drysuit, lifejackets and helmets. They showed that in calm - ish water a 150kn gas lifejacket may not roll over an unconscious casualty wearing a drysuit or heavy foul weather clothing. A 275kn jacket is recommended. They also found that many lifejackets and helmets are not compatible as the jacket pushes up hard on the underside of the helmet.

In rough seas the rolling action of the waves tended to roll the casualty but a 150kn jacket does not lift the head as much as the 275kn.

That said - something is better than nothing!

Mike