Dodgy Scuba Diving Setups

[@RonF.]

I totally misread the video title. Was expecting to see a setup for dogs to go scuba diving. Doggy (yes, I am from the US)

[@jacobrubydev]

I think you're from South Carolina ;o

[@mining1574]

that would be awesome

[@Ampersandrascott]

I started diving back before actual B.C.’s were around. You had to keep checking to make sure you could still go up. The first BCs were just glorified life vests. You could only inflate them by mouth. Then somebody hooked the BC to the tank, and life got a little easier. We used that configuration for years until the backpack collar came along. We started with steel tanks with j-valves, then graduated to aluminum with j-valves. This is about when more accessories became available and more divers started wearing depth gauges, pressure gauges, compasses and whatever fun things were available, along with the octopus regulator. Then came dive computers (something I never owned) to consolidate all the instruments and Make diving safer. During all those years of development, everyone configured their equipment to suit individual preferences. Norms developed over time as the most efficient way to wear equipment emerged. There really is no right or wrong, except that your regulator needs to go over your right shoulder or it will be upside down. Having said all that, here’s my advice: Keep everything simple. Keep it close to your body. Velcro is a wonderful thing for that. Do not take down gear you don’t need. Know how to get out of trouble without relying on modern gadgets. Practice diving without using electronics. Know your dive tables. Know your physical limitations. Always dive with a buddy. Know the limitations of your partner. If you have doubts about the safety of anything, don’t dive! If you have doubts about your partner, don’t dive! If you don’t feel good or have sinus congestion, don’t dive! I started diving when I was fifteen. Now I’m old and retired and I’m still here, so my advice certainly worked for me! Now I only dive on vacation, in warm water. No more wet suits for me ( which is all that was available for many years) !

[@sebastian-ny1sp]

i love hearing shaun's voice in the background. makes the vids so much more fun

[@ricardomontalban6004]

I find that aspect makes it seem amateurish and infantile. Other than that it’s mediocre at best.😀

[@meme_enthusiast3021]

Ricardo montalban your a jerk

[@memziz1421]

Mark has left the chat.

[@Yggdrasil42]

Haha! Well done. That long hose disclaimer... I agree though, while taking sidemount training we practiced various out-of-gas scenarios and a long hose was definitely an improvement, especially in a wreck.

[@misterkaos.357]

Long hoses are quite useful in caves too.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

@@misterkaos.357 Or when you don't like your dive buddy that much.

[@misterkaos.357]

@@bloodymarvelous4790 Nah, if I don't like my dive buddy, I'd just toss a canister of Spare Air at them 🤣😂🤣

[@blainefinn7966]

I can’t wait. Next weekend I’m doing my pool dive for my RAID open water 20. I’ve finished all the theory and I’m so excited as it will be first time proper diving.

[@seanroge]

Blaine Finn good luck

[@Monarch15w]

As a dive master I am in the habit of caring a reel and smb with me on dives. one time out on an ocean dive couple of people on boat said you don’t need that we’re out in ocean where you can see all around...on drift dive later the guide lost his smb and we were almost of out luck...I inflated mine and continued the dive. Then everyone was like that’s a great idea...I have seen all kinds of mishaps and sometimes having a little extra helps. I usually carry a little extra weight also cause end of dive someone always seems to need that little extra to stay down at safety stop cause they low on air.

[@k956upg]

I am an Xmas tree. Diver...but in the uk your often finishing your dive alone in dark water...my first knife wouldn’t cut the rope but my second did hence I’m still alive...two torches main & backup in the uk is a must & I have a backup spool with small smb on my twins...if you lose your smb your invisible... Mainly this is because in the uk dives average 2-4m so if you buddy up & insist on staying with them or surfacing then basically 75% of your dives will be cut short...many uk divers just agree to try to stick together but if you lose them carry on...this is only if mutually agreed & usually experienced divers on twins.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Just because you carry a lot of gear, doesn't make you an Xmas tree diver. If you keep your gear streamlined and/or stowed properly, there's nothing wrong with having backup systems to backup systems to backup systems. I carry two line cutters, a serrated folding knife, trauma shears, my backup torch, two dSMB's with a spool each, a backup mask, a snorkel, a dive computer, a compass, and wetnotes with me on every single dive. But nothing's dangling, and it doesn't look cluttered. That's because the wetnotes, dSMB's, spools, snorkel, and backup mask all live in my pocket shorts, only to come out when needed. The line cutters are threaded onto my harness, the trauma shears are bungeed to my corrugated hose, and the folding knife and dive torch are each clipped off of a shoulder D-ring and tucked under an elastic retainer band. And of course the dive computer and compass are on my right and left wrist respectively. Why so many cutting tools, you say? I consider the line cutters my main cutting tool for entanglements. Both can be reached with both hands, should one hand/arm become entangled. The trauma sheers are when there's ever a need to cut someone out their wetsuit or BCD. The serrated pocket knife is only to cut through thick rope. I hope the pocket knife and the trauma shears will never ever need to be used, but they're there should I need them. The backup light is great for bringing color back at depth or looking in little dark crevices. A spare mask is easier to use than a spare mask strap underwater, plus it's useful in case of a leaky mask. The two dSMB's are orange and yellow, and the spools are 15 and 30 meter. One for deploying for pickup, the other for emergency situations. The snorkel is a roll-up snorkel, and the wetnotes are for complex communications below, or if I need to record something for later.

[@barryinkpen6026]

You guys are too funny and I enjoy your videos. 99% of the time I agree with you however there was one episode about useless gear that I had a good laugh over. As I recall you didn't like "J" valves. Well; I am an old Canadian diver, and when I started diving there weren't any SPGs. We dove double hose regulators and the standard tank was a steel 72. Our routine was simple. Gear up, ensure the J valve was up and go diving. Part of the routine was also to check that the J valve was up occasionally during the dive especially if you were in around kelp or something else that might snag it. If your dive went long enough you would eventually develop some breathing resistance due to the J valve and you just pulled the lever and headed up. Once SPGs became available the valve became unnecessary and we secured the J valve in the down position. Everything in gear has just gotten better since those days but the J valve did have a valid existence for a time. If this sounds a bit like Monty Python I guess they rubbed off on me more than I expected. Keep up the good work and all the best from the cold waters of Canada.

[@2fathomsdeeper]

I prefer the octo on the opposite side with nice bright hose cover. It gives a target for the freak show coming your way, and helps prevent them from ripping out your reg. I run with moldable mouthpieces, and they hold to the teeth well enough that you could have the mouthpiece ripped off the reg. When diving with underwater models, I ran dualies with two reg sets. There was a reg and octo for both myself and the model. The long hose on the model's reg was pole mounted to get air to the model without stirring the bottom.

[@AST8612]

I wish to see behind the scenes video how You guys have a great time while recording videos :D btw nice video again. and also would be nice to see a bit more about DIR.

[@kochumay]

I just got an eureka moment. I could not understand why my compass was acting weird during last navigation dive. It was because of the octo magnet.

[@MultiHunterOne]

I've been in a class where the instructor ripped the regulator out of the other students' mouth (who was on a standard setup) and he had to be pretty quick to find it. Some time later the instructor did the same to me and I just casually switched to my necklace. Also donating gas is just so much quicker and more efficient with the long hose.

[@anthonyappleyard5688]

I did many of my cold-water dives in an early-make drysuit whose hood fastened to the suit with a steel ring and a screw clamp, and to get the reg hose past the ring, I had to have both my reg hoses of octopus length.

[@YuriyDel]

I had to switch dive shops because a PADI instructor refused to allow me to use a 7' long-hose for finishing OW (I was Scuba att). Thankfully, my new instructor was much more understanding and actually listened to me when I explained what I was trying to do and why. Best setup, IMO.

[@ginobrun1]

get the basics done earn some experience then argue with your instructors lol

[@YuriyDel]

@@ginobrun1, don't make assumptions with incomplete information. Just because they're instructors doesn't mean they're infallible. That's why 4-6 instructors (multiple tech divers among them), a member of the PADI training team, and a dozen+ divers at my new dive center avoid that particular instructor's dive center like the plague (most going an hour+ away). If I'm set up in a long hose, why would I train with a short octo when the training regs allow me to train with my kit and the kit I'll be diving? This an older story but i wouldn't go back there for an air fill.

[@ginobrun1]

I hear you but sometimes it is best to suck it up for the 2-3 days just to get you certification after that you can DIR the crap out of diving. I see to many newbies(not saying you are I dont know u) out there thinking they are the next jaques Cousteau out of the pool lol

[@YuriyDel]

@@ginobrun1, There's a good bit of those types. However, someone requesting training in the equipment with which they'll be diving shouldn't give you that impression. I had a lot of problems with all of their rental gear, as did my wife, so I purchased the kit I'll be diving for the foreseeable future with the advice of 3 other instructors who listened to my long-term plans and weighed in on my decision. The original dive shop just wanted me to do everything their way without any significant concern for my goals, they just wanted me to suck it up (as you said). *It's better to find a good dive instructor, not necessarily the convinient one.* Why would you pay someone hostile toward you vs someone who instructs you with your goals in mind? I'm a cautious diver, she was simply unwilling to instruct me, plain and simple. Also, she wasn't authorized to sell or work on any of my kit either. No hard feelings against her but I'm very happy I got out and found my new dive shop, they're phenomenal. There's still more but that's enough.

[@raymondclark1785]

I've been teased about my long hose but once inside a wreck another diver had a 1st stage failure and being able to swim out nose to fin made all the difference in the world. We could never have gotten thru the hatches face to face. BTW, I dive on the long hose and switch to a combo which is hosed to my pony

[@thesollylama130]

"I just bought all this stuff from Craigslist, I want to get certified." I heard that so many times. Once the primary second stage had no internals. Nothing. It was just the plastic shell on the hose. Another guy wanted to get dry suit certified, and bought some ancient reg set off Ebay that only had three low pressure ports and the one high. Although I have to admit that when I first got my dry suit cert all I owned was a lightweight travel BC that wasn't remotely up to the task of all the lead I was using at first. It was so overloaded it self destructed after a couple dives. The instructor I got that cert from still jokes about it. It had the weight pockets bulging and nearly overcoming the clip and falling out, there were weights on the tank band, and even my ankles. It was a good amount of weight, but the BC just couldn't hold it so I had lead all over the place.

[@andrewbeaver7384]

Lol!

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Just curious, why didn't you use a weight belt? Was it like a "Look! I've got this BC with weight pockets, and I'm gonna use 'em!" situation?

[@grywilliams8976]

Love it when some young, wet behind the ears wants to tell us that 27 years of diving and we've basically deep doing it wrong all this time. Get your magnetic regarding holder from Simply Scuba £20.50 from their website!!!

[@seikibrian8641]

"magnetic regarding holder" What?

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Just because they sell it, doesn't mean it's a good idea to equip it. My LDS sells a whole bunch of stuff they don't recommend using, but if you're adamant they have it for you. Keeps the customer from going elsewhere for the stupid magnetic octo holder and buying their BCD and regulator at the other store as well while they're at it.

[@thesollylama130]

Another Craigslist shopper came in for a VIP and a hydro on a steel pony bottle because he had just gotten certified and was expanding his gear collection but another shop refused to fill it, being woefully out of date on both inspections. Inside the thing was just flaking with rust. Looked like they had stored salt water inside the thing. The threads were rusted badly, so we knew it had been stored without the valve even in it. we got another guy that got a real bargain on some ebay cylinders. Because they had just been officially removed from service. Forgot which brand and model it was now, but we had a big notice on the wall saying 'do not fill these cylinders anymore' and sure enough...he figured out just why they had been so cheap!

[@BitTwisted1]

Saw an really old German cylinder, brought back from Greece. Outwardly it was relatively tidy, freshly painted though. Inside it wasn't too bad but there was an odd lump, on closer inspection the cylinder had been drilled and then someone had welded up the hole! On further inspection the internal surface had an uneven look, i suspect someone had removed the corrosion with acid!!! The worst I'd ever heard about, it was cut in half to make sure.

[@BigE1986]

I actually use a magnet retainer for my octo and have never had issues with my compass.

[@seikibrian8641]

Agreed. Unless you're using a magnetic retainer on your compass, the distance between the compass and the magnets, following the inverse cube law, will be sufficient to mitigate any interference. That said, I quit using them because we have a lot of iron sand in my area, and they were always getting full of grit that was next-to-impossible to clean off.

[@tridoc99]

SeikiBrian. I’m assuming you meant the inverse square law. I thought the same thing, but the retainer I got would move the needle from a couple of feet away. I got it on Amazon, not for diving, but that was one of the advertised uses. I thought it could interfere with a compass so I tested it and it had a noticeable effect almost 2 feet away. Even if it seemed to not be having an effect, it might be having an effect that would only become evident during longer or more complex navigation. For example if the magnet was on the right and the compass was on the left and you were trying to maintain a straight line north it might not pull the pull the needle visibly towards east, but if you started veering east, it might hold the needle a bit and stop you from realizing you needed to correct west. Obviously the strength of the magnet matters, but I wouldn’t want a magnet anywhere near a compass.

[@ginobrun1]

meanwhile jack is going in circles...

[@BigE1986]

Again I've never had issues with it and recently did my navigation dives this last summer and had zero problems

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

The magnet systems I have seen do not even work very well outside of a pool. The reg comes off as soon as there is a slight push or catch. They always end up dangling.

[@paultyler4001]

I fitted a long hose to my rig as you suggested but keeping it tidy proved a challenge especially when putting my kit on. I like the idea of breathing off the octo and having the primary on a necklace but putting the longer hose around my neck makes me feel distinctly weird... Is there a better way of policing a long hose? I'm currently using two hose clips which seem to work.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Don't wrap the long hose around your neck. It's not supposed to be noose. Clip it off to the right D-ring. Get into your harness. Put your the secondary with necklace over your head. Loop the long hose under your hose retainer/dive knife/canister, across the front of your torso, around the back of your head, and clip it off to the right D-ring again. When you're ready to get into the water, unclip it, and put it in your mouth.

[@Dorff_Meister]

LOL you watched me do a BC swap? I dive integrated and taking my BC of underwater while wearing a wetsuit is quite challenging. I need to contemplate this more.

[@aestinoct]

I'm kinda new to scuba diving and I'm not from the UK so some of the colloquialisms get lost on me. I assume "octo" is slang for the regulator first stage and all the hoses coming out of it?

[@thiagobrr6139]

Octo, short for Octopus, is a term for the emergency secont stage, usually of yellow colour. Depending on training agency it's the one you donate your air to another diver or the one you breathe from after donating your primary second stage.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Oh, you're gonna have fun when you learn about the acronyms. BCD, SPG, DCS, dSMB, LPI, EAN, SAC or RMV, CCR, RNT+ABT=TBT, PPO2, NDL, TTS, GTR, MOD, EAD, BWRAF, and I can keep going all day.

[@Indayleahvibes]

Nice video sir

[@hanskuijsten2380]

One word: boltsnap.

[@jamesgoddard8375]

Is it possible to do something about arm position whilst diving. I see some people have them out like a bike rider, some ticked against their body and others holding them in like an O position . What's the best way to hold them and why? Hope that makes sence

[@bensuslavich2319]

I usually am bike rider when I am doing something like running a reel or have a light (goodman) or if I have dry gloves on . Otherwise I have my fingers crossed in front of me. Both these positions do three things for me. 1. Keeps me from using my hands to make small position adjustments in the water (aka the fairy flip). 2. positions my dive computer in my line of vision. 3. helps (slightly) with trim in the water. Your arms have weaker mussels than your legs and thus using your arms should be avoided if possible. Furthermore, stray arm motion can cause you to stir up silt which can at best screw up visibility and be annoying to other divers or at worse create a potentially dangerous situation if you are inside a wreck or cave. The 'worst' position I have seen from other divers is what I call the "T-Rex". I think from the name you can imagine how ridiculous it looks.

[@DanBowkley]

That's really one of those "do whatever works for you" questions. Out front, one wrist holding the other, works well for navigating with a wrist compass...the rest of the time, do whatever. I keep my hands loosely clasped around my navel/belt buckle area for the most part. Whatever keeps you streamlined and reminds you to quit fanning already.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

The worst thing you can do with your arms is dabbing. Whether while SCUBA diving or on dry land.

[@wallybrown9509]

You Brits make me laugh... nice job guys...LOL

[@dramaticheadquarters5631]

Standard setup is great for rec diving! but you need a long hose... oh, wait...

[@robadex8043]

What length of hose would you see as appropriate for an octo?

[@IC67204]

Robadex 30 feet

[@robadex8043]

on a spool or looped around my tank?

[@michealblackwell3271]

Robadex 35 feet is a good length.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

@@robadex8043 I'd loop it. Why get an extra spool for your hose when your tank is already cylindrical?

[@Cthippo1]

So valve down is a thing? I like that thing. I'm way more used to SCBA for firefighting and so making it as similar as possible seems like a good idea. Plus, I like being able to reach my own valve.

[@ginobrun1]

you can reach a valve behind you do it all the time tec diving with doubles with a isolation valve

[@bensuslavich2319]

@@ginobrun1 I have seen a few people, particularly those who frequent the gym, who are unable to reach their isolation valve in a wetsuit. I will admit that even I have had trouble with shutdown drills while wearing a dry suit with thick undergarments. Best solution: yoga or make the switch to rebreather.

[@gchqjtrig6492]

Commercial diver= upside down bailout tank with steel halo valve protector.......works for me on surface supplied and Sat dives, so I guess you amateurs could do it, too😂

[@Nickerian91]

yes i need 3 flashlight and 2 cameras and 2 different spearguns and a bag to keep fish... night diving with compressor ;)

[@emilyg8449]

Can you do a PADI tutorial

[@simplyscuba]

Don't see why not!

[@emilyg8449]

Thank you

[@thorgrimb2416]

@Emmzy 500, Only if we all pay in advance to watch it :)

[@ChrisEpler]

1:02 Reef Knocker Alert!

[@tomthompson7400]

agree with most of it , except the long octo hose ,,, long hose needs to be on the primary as if you actually think in a real ooa situation your buddy is going to reach for an octo , your heads full of sweetie mice they will take your reg ,,, hence thats where you need a longer hose and you will be breathing off your octo , so its really better on the same side as your own primary reg if you can do it how do i know this ........ bitter experience.

[@misterkaos.357]

Happened to me one time. Noob guy ran out of air. Came racing at me. I knew he'd be coming for my primary. Never had I ever reached for my octo so fast in my life. Damn near punched the poor bastard in the face with it!

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

For the life of me I cannot understand how the country who produced the samurai, the exquisite artists and craftsmen, the great sushi chefs and so much more can continue to turn out one school of confused, horrid bait ball divers. After all the shining and blinking and beeping and reflecting sharp colours, like fragments of some crashed star-craft ... the instructor who tends to form the core of each cluster seems to always be the only one with some vague, idea of what he is doing - but with strange detachment from the whirlwind around him ... whilst those not busy orbiting and dangling expensive cameras and dive bling (which they generally seem to have forgotten all about in the overall commotion - its that or they remember the device and forget the sea), continuously crash into and claw and stomp their way around the reef, with their white whole foot rubber fins and their heart or dolphin shaped lead weights. And afterwards, on the boat, it's not about what you saw, as much as about how you would cook it ...

[@raymondclark1785]

I've run into them on a few Pacific trips but the worst was in Homosassa FL, their guide and interpreter was to busy hitting on the dive shop help and not explaining the FWC rules for being in the water with Manatees. In the water they were overweighted and vertical kicking up the bottom or walking on the Manatees and when you signaled them to move up you just got that stupid giggle :(

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

@@raymondclark1785 I am amazed they even had the wits about them to make eye contact or enter into a social exchange. But yeah - the bad groups truly appears not to give a lazy sunday fuck about anything. I want to ad d that I have also met highly competent Japanese divers, who were also amazing photographers - but those guys and gals NEVER came in school of colour and confusion and weird spasms and they needed nobody to guide them except for the local´knowledge.

[@m_mitch]

".. hose ???ings..." What the heck is one of those?

[@Thesandchief]

Suicide clips

[@Exlr8Films]

DIR or get out!!!

[@simplyscuba]

🤣🤣🤣

[@DanBowkley]

My way is the only right way, so 😛😛😛

[@michealblackwell3271]

I'm negatively buoyant. I only have weight for trim.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

I'm negative about everything.

[@JustinColman-kz5fl]

Wearing your knife on the outside of your leg....

[@CAphotos]

What about the effect a steel tank has on a compass?

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Is your steel tank magnetized?

[@SilentScreamer413]

A video like that would actually make more sense with actual examples.

[@colelawton4901]

Nobody should be wearing a weight belt if they have integrated weight

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

I can see plenty of scenarios where having your weights distributed between your pockets and a belt is a good idea. When you need to carry a lot of weight, it might overstress the pockets. It can also be very practical to be able to hand your heavy weight belt off to the boat before climbing back on board. (Please make sure you hold the end without the buckle when you do so.)