Reaching Valves - Performing shutdowns

[Steve Jones]

Originally Posted by Mark Chase

At the moment I can reach all my valves and do shutdowns but its so painful and slow it would be useless in an real emergency situation. I wouldn't trust it as an emergency procedure until I could do it quickly and with ease. Screw this up in real life and it could kill you.

I don't think many people have really looked into how fast they can do a shutdown. As Mark points out that it really has to be done quickly, especially at depth. When it is an "Ohhh shit" moment that well practiced drill is virtually useless.

I always had trouble shutting down effectively and my solution was to fit a slob knob, that way I would save half of the remaining gas within 2 seconds of a problem arising. I was fortunate that my SAC was low enough to allow this, others would not be so lucky.

Steve

[Mal Bridgeman]

Originally Posted by Steve Jones

I don't think many people have really looked into how fast they can do a shutdown. As Mark points out that it really has to be done quickly, especially at depth. When it is an "Ohhh shit" moment that well practiced drill is virtually useless.

I always had trouble shutting down effectively and my solution was to fit a slob knob, that way I would save half of the remaining gas within 2 seconds of a problem arising. I was fortunate that my SAC was low enough to allow this, others would not be so lucky.

Steve

Steve .. the bit in bold.....is that not the point of the training so that when you get the oh shit moment you instantly do the right thing. "Well practiced" to me, means exactly that ...well practiced and regularly practiced, at a realistic speed.

I think the problem with many procedures of this type is that they are not practiced regularly enough.

Mal

[Simon A]

Originally Posted by weazelz

especially if you keep your head back

Ok this may sound strange, but try puting your head forward when you reach for the valves. When I dived a twinset I could barely touch the first stages with my head back, but when I tucked my head forward onto my chest and I could perform shutdowns with ease.
HTH
Simon A

[wilbo]

Originally Posted by Simon A

Ok this may sound strange, but try puting your head forward when you reach for the valves. When I dived a twinset I could barely touch the first stages with my head back, but when I tucked my head forward onto my chest and I could perform shutdowns with ease.
HTH
Simon A

if keeping a reasonably horizontal trim is important to your shutdowns then going head down will alter your trim. If it is not important to your preferred style of diving then I guess if it works for you..

[Steve Jones]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

Steve .. the bit in bold.....is that not the point of the training so that when you get the oh shit moment you instantly do the right thing. "Well practiced" to me, means exactly that ...well practiced and regularly practiced, at a realistic speed.

I think the problem with many procedures of this type is that they are not practiced regularly enough.

Mal

Point taken Mal, but practiced in "ideal" conditions is not the same as what one might encounter in the big bad world. For example I bet that very few people have "practiced" the aforementioned drill in a confined space inside a wreck. Manybe someone will say that it is not the best place to practice, but ......

Anyways all that shutting down and isolating is now behind me, (no pun intended). Closed circuit is a much easier drill to shut down.

Steve

[Garf]

Originally Posted by Simon A

Ok this may sound strange, but try puting your head forward when you reach for the valves. When I dived a twinset I could barely touch the first stages with my head back, but when I tucked my head forward onto my chest and I could perform shutdowns with ease.
HTH
Simon A

If this was happening for you, it was probably becuase you had the shoulder straps loose and by pushing yoru head down were actually shoving the twinset up your back, but I wouldn't recommend it as a solution.

When you put your head forward you are moving your head AWAY from your valves. I see a lot of people struggling who do exactly this, and coaching them to keep their head back often makes the difference between reaching them and not reaching them.

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

Steve .. the bit in bold.....is that not the point of the training so that when you get the oh shit moment you instantly do the right thing. "Well practiced" to me, means exactly that ...well practiced and regularly practiced, at a realistic speed.

I think the problem with many procedures of this type is that they are not practiced regularly enough.

Mal

Personaly on OC I do a valve check on shot on the decent every dive.

Its far too easy for to rig up in such a way as to prevent a slick shutdown especialy in the winter when your adding additional layers and thick gloves.

I have to admit that on more than one ocasion I totaly failed to reach them during the check.

Fortunatly I dived a slob knob and i carried deco gas breathable (at an admitedly high PP02) at max depth specificly to over come this problem, so i didnt have to abort the dive.

ATB

Mark Chase

[Woz]

I find it much easier to reach my valves with my cylinders inverted and wearing a wetsuit.

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by Woz

I find it much easier to reach my valves with my cylinders inverted and wearing a wetsuit.

I didnt know you did cave diving?

I bet the viz was s#it.

ATB

Mark

[MarkP]

Originally Posted by Woz

I find it much easier to reach my valves with my cylinders inverted and wearing a wetsuit.

Is this what rebreather divers refer to as a "flush"?