Helmets and Mouthpiece Retaining Straps

[@DrHarryH]

I have purchased some FIDLOK clips to test this weekend. I'll put up a video to let you know how it goes.

[@R_T_HEIDE]

As a gue cave diver I feel honoured being mentioned... And it put a smile on my face this morning thank you 😅. I'm nowhere near experienced enough to put in my two cents but I just wanted to say: "Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences and keep up the good work."

[@lisaholliday9827]

I love your videos. I can’t go diving because I have asthma but I like living vicariously thru you. If you ever need a good cook for one of these expeditions let me know. 😂❤

[@pupsipupsi3468]

You could use the tactical helmet for the gag issue. Instead of attaching the ends of the goggles to the rails as you mentioned, you could attach the ends of the gag straps to the rails. And the masks are attached to the rail with quick releases anyway so it should be Plug and play.

[@Queenfisher444]

Yo Richard love your videos, you’re a natural commentator. Would be great to have you commentate some more of your deep dive footage, the Pearce resurgence dive video is one of the best on the net. Love your work mate

[@spidermine6999]

Hey, love all of your videos, and thank you for sharing with all of us. Very incredible stuff. Hopefully we get a video about your awesome Hydrogen dive? Can’t even wrap my tiny brain around that incredible feat. Thank you for sharing your world with us.

[@barrya6125]

I’ve already converted my helmet strap to the flat bungee, nice, easy and comfortable. Now I’m waiting for my Lombardi strap, many thanks for the informative video!

[@SamWilliams-i3c]

Richard Harris, my school has made one of the mandatory books about the Thai cave rescue. After I learned about everything you and your fellow divers accomplished I was amazed, I had never been as interested and inspired by anything my whole life. Listening to who you are and your role in the rescue through various interviews and videos i have learned so much more than just how the rescue went. I grew up scared to ever take any risks out of fear and I never viewed myself as anyone who can do anything bravely, but you have shown that bravery and risk are so needed in this world. You have risked everything for anyone who needed it and I’m not just talking about the Thai cave rescue I’m talking about how you have said you practiced to help anybody stuck in a cave not just those you know. Writing this my grammar has probably been off and it may seem random but who you are has had a massive impact on who I hope to be.

[@DrHarryH]

Thanks so much for your message!

[@SamWilliams-i3c]

@@DrHarryHJust bought your book

[@chadstclair7274]

How about a magnet clip for the chin strap on the helmet? If it was strong enough it should hold the helmet strap secure and you could rip off the helmet without having to unclip?

[@DrHarryH]

I like that!

[@AntonLundin]

I have a magnetic lock from fidlock on my bike helmet and that can easily be done and undone with one hand with a glove while biking, so I suggest looking at those

[@DrHarryH]

@@AntonLundin Which model? I see they do a large number of helmet fasteners.

[@AntonLundin]

It's from the snap series. Exactly which one to use depends on your helmet webbing.

[@wvsac]

Jeez! cant believe Im offering you advice. M.R.S I have my strap at the back of my neck (rather than the top of your head). I use a mask strap that connects to the mouth piece with 2 large O rings. This method uses your existing mouth piece. Id send you a picture but Im not sure how. Ive added a neoprene comfort to the mask strap as well. Theres also the risk of oxygen toxicity and convulsions where you spit the mouthpiece out and involuntary breathe in.

[@GBallas]

Hi Richard. Thanks for another great video. Just my 2 cents on the retaining strap issue while using a helmet (it is just a quick thought, you have to check if it makes more problems than it solves). Cut the strap in half (trim the excess), and bolt/glue/secure the two ends on the lowest part of your helmet, near the ears. (The helmet probably has to be covering a little part of the ears to provide a good anchoring point and the correct angle, so that your mouthpiece is not pulled upwards.) This way, you will have half of the retaining strap system integrated on your helmet, and only have to clip on the two quick release clamps to the mouthpiece ends after you don your helmet. And if you use the same system on a separate bailout, you can clip on that system as well when in use. If you leave ample excess strap on the helmet ends, you can either loosen the straps and get the mouthpiece out of the way, or use the quick release clamps and take it off.

[@mattvish2591]

Yes, also my thought, integrate the MRS with the helmet straps, or maybe clip the MRS straps at some point in the back of the helmet. Point is, it has to be in sequence and should not get in the way, first mask, then helmet, last BOV/DSV. Guess will not be long till someone comes up with a usable design.

[@flowstatedivers]

Fantastic video as always, hope to see some more soon :)

[@AntonLundin]

One alternative that i just thought about would be to switch to Kirby Morgan M-48 series. It's crazy expensive, for us bear mortals, but if dual meg's are in your budget, KM M48 might be to. That with the Rebreather Pod gives you the most expensive gag strap I can think of, but hey, it's helmet compatible.

[@DrHarryH]

Hi I have used and own the M48. Unfortunately I found the field of view too resctrictive, and the pod clips to awkward with dry gloves.

[@jimmydryhands9288]

I dive and use the APD unit w/gag strap. The way it is designed it wraps around the back of your neck instead of your head, it also has a clip on/off. No issues diving with a helmet either, good luck

[@DrHarryH]

I agree they look great. They were just about to be released I think, when I made this video.

[@phgachoud]

@@DrHarryH The APD comes with a clip on it to remove it, it goes around the neck BTW which creates a bit of down tension and is delivered by default with the JJ I recently purchased. A great piece and compromise I think and still easy to bailout, get rid of in case you want to deal with helmets

[@bogdancristian8097]

Very informative video, Thanks!

[@Narked_Muffin]

Seems like something along the lines of the Hollis or Kirby Morgan Mod-1 could be a valid solution to the gag strap situation, no straps at all around the back of your head to interfere with a helmet and easy enough to hook on or off while still leaving room for a traditional 2nd stage bailout

[@George9ca]

Great video Harry

[@MrHenaz27]

Agreed. Awesome stuff Harry

[@timholgate6639]

Could you institute a quick release system to the gag strap? Easier to thread through the helmet, and in a bailout situation, just clip it undone enroute to the bailout system?

[@GideonSteel15]

What about retaining the mouthpiece to the helmet with something like a J Bayonet Clip system that is used on flight helmets?

[@DrHarryH]

Might be fiddly to clip up with dry gloves on?

[@GideonSteel15]

I have never personally worn dry gloves. So, there definitely is the possibility that it would be "fiddly". However those clips are designed to be one handed don and doff as well as quick release and are pretty glove friendly as far as clips go. My two cents is: clip it to the helmet. the hard part is finding the right clips. @@DrHarryH

[@DrHarryH]

@@GideonSteel15 I've ordered some magnetic clips to test. I'll let you know how they go.

[@PKNEXUS]

@@DrHarryH Have you managed to test the magnetic clips? Is it a workable solution?

[@mrbigw100]

Hey harry did you here that the soccer team captain from the cave rescue dom passed away in England from a head injury loving the videos

[@koalafied6456]

I wonder if something like BIPAP straps would work as a lot of them route around the ears for comfort and have a quick disconnect clips which might work for the bailout issue?

[@matthewsavage3492]

I use a helmet with bungee and MRS. The difference for me is my MRS strap goes around my neck not the back of my head so it is in the correct position before I put my helmet on.

[@seanlotz9581]

Thanks for sharing! We love these videos Harry! I don't know how forgiving the tension is in the elastic strap for your preferred helmet, but could that helmet be put in place ahead of the MRS, and then moved down behind the back of your head or neck - so the helmet strap would already be in place ahead of the MRS? Adding the MRS next; could the helmet then be moved back in place on top of the mouthpiece retaining strap? I know this doesn't solve the other issues you mentioned, but could be a way to use that helmet with the MRS If the elastic strap is not too tight to prevent it resting for a moment over the back of your head while you put the MRS in place? Apologies if you've already tried this and it didn't work!!

[@JohnAnderson-ox2be]

Could you clip the mouth piece strap around the back of your head with a quick release style clip (pull hard and it unclips)?

[@RishiRamraj]

I've got a bump helmet from airsoft that's the same style as the Scubapro. It has mount points with its dual strap system that should be perfectly aligned for the mouthpiece strap. Why not connect the mouthpiece strap to the helmet straps?

[@RishiRamraj]

I just picked up an MRS. I'll give this a shot.

[@adammarston1891]

Can you add protective plates to your hood

[@badgerdiving5110]

Hey Rchard thankyou for your videos and views ! =) i am not a cave diver "Yet " but i am working on it im thinking about your problem with the straps and the helmet i do think that your problem can be fiixed with maby gettiing a helmet that sitts lover on your hears or neck that way you can fix the straps in the helmet it self and that way you wil be able to sett it propoply and have it confortable hoping this helps =)

[@badgerdiving5110]

And you culd also always look at some way to have a klip off somesort like velcro or a normal easy clipp off clip i dont think you shuld go with magnets due to the added risks off a magnet and it's field yes it might screw with your compas but it can also screw with computers

[@BlueWorldTV]

Well you know, if you need a helmet while riding your motorcycle, you must not be a very good motorcyclist! 🤣 And, if that's the case...only poor drivers need seat belts. Yeah, I can totally see the argument for losing the cave diving helmet. Oh wait, where do you mount your Nerd???

[@DrHarryH]

Ha! Try get Brian's helmet off him!

[@almerindaromeira8352]

2:05 that's not a valid point. "I'm very good at driving so I don't need a safety belt." Many who said that are not among us anymore.

[@britont9418]

What about adding male clips to both mouth pieces and a set of female clips to the helmet. Then, you switch mouth pieces and clip in for each switch.

[@michaelraymond2063]

I use the Petzl Vertex Vent for my sump diving. It's proven sturdy, but it sits high and the clip is awful with gloves. The clips on Petzl's sport helmets seem like they'd be a lot easier to use with gloves, but they're all foam helmets.

[@Santidelaro]

Hey Doc! Been meaning to write to you since I've seen this video but been super busy. I'm sorry. I have a couple of ideas that might be useful for you or any of the manufacturers that surely are working with you. First at all. The gag strap. (EDIT. I'm an idiot and this idea was already discussed in another comments... oooops.) I understand that it can be a hazard to use in conjunction with the helmet, but have you thought about installing some sort of clips directly on the helmet, one on each side, and then clip the retaining straps to them? Using the straps opened on each side instead a full loop around your neck or head, would help to be able to firstly secure them without removing the helmet at all, and unclip them in case you've to bail out. That's just an idea. I know that having to deal with clips is not ideal, and maybe the angle of the straps won't be the best, even destabilizing the helmet. I'm not a rebreather diver, so I can't test it myself, and depends a lot of the shape of the helmet and so on. Another thing that I wanted to tell you is about leaks at high pressures in torches. I was reading a while ago about how the soviets solved the problem of diving watches. They didn't had the materials or machinery to produce in vast quantities a watch for their divers, so they gave the task to a small watchmaker in Vostok. (They're still making this watch, if you're curious) This is difficult to explain, but there are plenty of videos showing the disassembly of Vostok Amphibia that would make things clearer. Instead relying on extremely high quality materials and precision machinery, they decided to work with pressure instead against it. Rolex was making very fine threads and using a very thick and pure glass for the sphere. It had to be assembled very tight to avoid leakage through the o rings. What Vostok did was rely on the expansion of the materials under pressure. The dial dome was acrylic and flexible, and was sitting on a flat rubber o ring with an external wall. The higher the pressure, the more the dome was expanding against the flat gasket and its walls, making it more and more watertight the deeper it was. For the back they went for a similar gasket, but this time the cap was made of metal, and they used a threaded on the outside ring to keep it in place. As said, will be better to understand if you watch any Vostok Amphibia disassembly video, but the concept is very simple, easy to manufacture and probably even cheaper than the super exotic and thick materials we use today, and I never seen anybody taking this approach to scuba torches (Or computers or anything you want to take underwater) Surely you know more people than me who's eager to give it a try. And that's it. If I keep writing I'll have to publish this on Amazon Kindle. Have a wonderful day and hope this ideas can be of any use for the community.

[@DrHarryH]

Thanks for your ideas!

[@costabg79]

Sorry im asking, mabe its a stupid idea but if they made a hud with a plastic part on the top of the head (or sone other material to protect from skratches and smaler punchs). Mabe it will be easier if its integrated in neoprene? Sorry im not a cave diver, youst asking.

[@sillygoose210_6]

That Scubapro helmet is definitely not ballistic it's what's known as a "bump helmet" the holes are a dead giveaway, and Kevlar helmets are much much thicker and heavier than that.

[@katesmiles4208]

👍

[@rrg019000]

You over complicate diving.