Stage removal on a dive.

[sexydivebuddy]

shouldn't we asking ourselves WHAT reasons would there be for us to remove a stage.

1. going into small holes on wrecks?
2. is this what cave divers do for good reasons?
3. to give to buddy/fellow diver on shot when we have finished with it and he needs the gas for whatever reason?

can't think of anything else to add!

so, just how necessary is it for us to practice removing them? no idea, but it's something we have to do on courses!

[Ivon]

The question refers to deep dives were you may have two or three large stages, if you look at pictures in magazines such as 9-90 and trip reports from deep expeditions you will see that many of the divers have no stages, but they go in with them, and come out with them.

This does not really refer to recreational dives with a single stage, sorry should have made that more clear.

[sexydivebuddy]

[Digger]

Cave divers don't carry gases beyond their MOD. Simple enough. In a cave in most cases you have to come back out the way you went in, there's a line back to them at all times, and they're not much use to you at depth.

In open water you wouldn't get me doing it with bailout, stages, or just about anything. There's far far too much which can change without you having any control over it that could mean you want to come up pretty quick sharp.

I have been in situations with holes in wrecks where you can't get in with stages on, and removed them. They still came with me, I wouldn't go through a passageway that tight that I couldn't reclip them once inside. That said, I can understand if you're laying a line into something and it's going to make operating inside more difficult, provided you accept that you have to come out that hole, or at least come back to where the stages are.

You practice on courses partly because if you are arseholed in a wreck and you find a hole you need to get out of then you need to remove them. You might need to pass them off to someone for whatever reason, but personally I'm a big fan of keeping with the person with the problem so handing a stage reg to them and keeping them tight as a tight thing to me makes sense. In the case of team bailout then I like to have long hoses on gases which need to be shared in the event and use this to keep you together. Obviously if it comes to a "you're on your own mate, good luck" moment then they need to be handed off, but I prefer not to.

Another reason it's used on courses is stage management, and task loading. When I did nitrox the skill was mask off, down the line, back, mask back on. On Deco Proc it was mask off, unclip stage and attatch to line, down the line, back, stage back on, mask back on. Trimix was the same with 2 stages. Add in your own freeflow at the worst possible moment just to add to the fun.

Don't leave your own tins is the sensible advice, if you're in a position where you make the call to do it (as in carrying very large numbers of tanks) then you are in a position to make the decision for yourself, you don't need a poll to tell you what to do.

Digs.

[Bardo]

Originally Posted by Ivon

The question refers to deep dives were you may have two or three large stages, if you look at pictures in magazines such as 9-90 and trip reports from deep expeditions you will see that many of the divers have no stages, but they go in with them, and come out with them.

What you've got to consider is that it's not always the bottles but the *photo* that is 'staged' - ie. in many cases, the divers involved will arrange themselves in such a way as to make a better photo! I know of at least one photo of a rebreather diver on the Britannic who is pictured with no bail out bottles whatsoever - just the rebreather. What the viewer doesn't realise, however, is the amount of bottles that diver stowed just out of shot shortly before the photo was taken! Just because they're not there, doesn't mean they don't have them very close by - it may just be a case of 'artistic license'. Bottom line is that the diver sans bail out bottles made for a far more aesthetically pleasing photo!

[Skiverdiver]

I have dropped stages in the past - just for practise to be honest. I tend to use stages for accelerated deco so if I lose them it means I have more hang time, assuming I have planned the gas to allow for losing stages....otherwise I would keep them fixed to me!....why?

Well things like poor Viz and current (very common on all the UK wreck diving I do) all tend to leave finding the shot/stages again a bit of a lottery...also if you have an emergency then going back to the shot/stages in not always an option....and like some have said if you are on CCR then the stages are probably your bail out!...just smacks of high risk to me......but each to their own.

[nigelH]

If I was really 'staging' gas for my exit route I probably would but the 'stages' I carry on the CCR are my bailout so they aren't optional.

Also, since I am not a caver, my exit route may not be the same as my entrance.

[wacky28]

I'm in the " don't drop them " gang.

Following the same line as most other people, that if it all goes pear shaped then at least you would be able to make a free ascent, & carry on your planned deco without returning to the shot.

My feeling is that if you weren't able to return to the shot, a little panic sets in, then you could possibly rip into your 3rd third ( ? ). Therefore, take them with me.

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by StephenT

I don't know but have read "the last dive", every1 in the book seems to lose the stages they take off, but then its a bad book full of muppets

They were cave divers, its what cave divers do. They still do it today, the GUE lot when they dived the Britanic staged deco bottles on the shots.

Seems mad to us but they are blue water great viz divers. As we all know blue water a good viz does strane things to your sense of danger.

ATB

Mark Chase

[Al_Star]

Originally Posted by Mark Chase

They were cave divers, its what cave divers do. They still do it today, the GUE lot when they dived the Britanic staged deco bottles on the shots.

Seems mad to us but they are blue water great viz divers. As we all know blue water a good viz does strane things to your sense of danger.

ATB

Mark Chase

Cave divers have a sizable advantage when staging bottles that you usually plan to get out the way you came in. Stages are dropped on the line and even in zero vis you will find your stage. There are gas planning rules none the less to try and deal with a stage not working or missing.

As I understood the Britannic dives the teams operated with support dives so if for any reason they could not return to the shot then they could have support divers descend with additional gas.

Hope that clears it up.
Cheers
Al