The Art of Shutdowns - A Garf Rant.

[Clare]

Having had my harness, backplate etc.. setup DIR style and struggling like ***k to even reach the knobs over several dives I thought I would drop the bands by 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch for me second dive yesterday and today. Guess what, I can reach the knobs fine. How does that work then?

Ian - I know you had reach problems after surgery but my guess is that if you can reach your cylinders in the new position then you have the flexibility to reach them in the standard position IF your harness is set up correctly. Thing is, by moving the bands you have only moved the position of the set on your back - and you can do that just as easily by altering the harness.

It is a myth to some extent that DIR insists on a tight harness - it is only required that you can reach your valves (the right way up ) and if this can be done with a looser harness so be it.

When I first started diving a backplate I did the move the bands, move the harness, move the bands experiement. I still couldn't reach my left post at all and the others were tough to move - I despaired of being able to reach and contemplated having to invert or something else. Time, exercise and a correctly set up harness helped sort this out and now it is no longer an issue.

This is another reason why I have a seperate backplate and harness for wetsuit diving - I would not want to alter mine now I have it just right.

If you feel that a meet would be helpful sometime, let me know - we don't have to move your bands, I'll lend you a set of cylinders and a backplate and we can see if you can reach them.

[JAG]

If you feel that a meet would be helpful sometime, let me know - we don't have to move your bands, I'll lend you a set of cylinders and a backplate and we can see if you can reach them.

Hi Clare, apologies, this slipped by me.

At the moment, I'm in a position where I can reach my valves and to be honest, with Scapa rapidly approaching I think I'm happy with this until then. The harness as far as I'm aware is setup correctly, just the bands slightly down from the neck.

Thanks for the offer, not sure when our paths will cross again, don't think a McDonalds car park is suitable though , but if they don't soon then I'll be at the Stoney gig in November and would be keen to take up your offer then.

Many thanks,

Ian

[RogerViking]

thanxs garf good post...

[tommytwohats]

Excellent advice and is the conclusions divers would eventually come to if they thought for them selves (like you did) . By the way I'm still working on the system!

[Paul Bailey]

bit late to the party but I am now in a position where I am struggling to reach my valves and this is the most concise and unbiased article I have found.
Thanks for taking the time to put all this together Garf and I intend to keep at it till I can do it.
The excercises should help out no end.
All the Best.
Paul

[futureechos]

Ditto that, cracking post really helpful for us Twinned up Newbies.

I've sold most of my single cylinder kit as an incentive to myself make sure I keep at it with the twins until I'm sorted.

After about 10 dives I'm getting a little annoyed at not having instantly nailed the shutdown. I can see I'm being an impatient twat.

Well done for persevering for 18 months then being kind enough to pass your experience on.

A belated green incoming...!

Cheers
FE

[GLOC]

Well done for persevering for 18 months then being kind enough to pass your experience on.

Don't worry, there will be another post in 18 month's time explaining trim and he fact that he finally has that sorted without waving his arms infront of himself

[Garf]

Don't worry, there will be another post in 18 month's time explaining trim and he fact that he finally has that sorted without waving his arms infront of himself

ahhh ahhhh hhaaaaaa aaaaahhh. Oh I get it. It's like a joke. Without the funny bit.

[big_si]

Don't worry, there will be another post in 18 month's time explaining trim and he fact that he finally has that sorted without waving his arms infront of himself

ahhh ahhhh hhaaaaaa aaaaahhh. Oh I get it. It's like a joke. Without the funny bit.

I assumed the humor was in the delivery? Had visions of a diving Tommy Cooper?

"Buoyancy? Not like that, like that" etc etc ?

[yazzyfooty]

As the purpose of this post is shutdowns I'll just put in my 2 pennies worth. I was diving with a mate who has been diving a backplate and diverite harness setup for some time and he has been struggling to perform shutdowns, well truth be told he has only managed to shutdown a couple of times with great difficulty.

This weekend was his first time trying a one piece harness and he shutdown with relative ease first time. I think part of the issue with the diverite harness was that he could not get it tight enough without it loosening as he moved.

Daz

Hi Daz
I have recently started to dive with twin 12's and I use a Dive Rite Harness and from the first dive with them on my back I was able to successfully complete valve drills and have done them since then. So I am not sure you can place the onus of your friend's inability to do his valve drills solely onto the Dive Rite harness.

My tuppence worth to the thread

Yaz