The innovators of sport and technical diving have done it again… another industry first. Technical Diving International (TDI) has moved five of their most popular technical diver courses online. “With the success and wide acceptance of online training first introduced by Scuba Diving International (SDI) that forced the rest of the diving industry to jump on the band wagon, it was a logical move” stated Brian Carney, President of International Training (parent company of TDI and SDI).

Later this month these popular TDI courses will be available:

    Intro to Tech
    Nitrox
    Advanced Nitrox
    CCR Generic
    Cavern & Cave

Just to get things started.

“The intention of taking TDI courses online is to enhance the classroom time,” stated Sean Harrison Vice President of training and membership services. He went on to say, “Technical diving by its very nature is very theory heavy and can require the reader some time to process the information. When a diver takes the course online, they will have that time and in the comfort of wherever they want to study”.

Being the top technical agency in the world means more than keeping up to date on the latest equipment and technical diving techniques; it also means figuring out new ways to deliver that information and how to better support our Professional Members – online training is that new way. Technical divers travel all over the world seeking out the best diving destinations and the best TDI instructors. With online training, tech divers can now hit the ground running with a knowledge base their selected TDI instructor can build on. Technical instructors can now review the diver’s academic performance prior to class and focus on areas of challenge and go deeper into theory and formula work. This all adds up to better prepared divers and TDI instructors being able to maximize their face-to-face time with divers.

Make plans to visit the new headquarters:
TDI™/SDI™/ERDI™
1045 NE Industrial Blvd
Jensen Beach, FL 34957

info@tdisdi.com

About TDI/SDI/ERDI
Originally formed in 1994 in Florida as Technical Diving International™ (TDI), the group of training agencies known as Scuba Diving International™ (SDI), Technical Diving International™ (TDI) and Emergency Response Diving International™ (ERDI) are now recognized in the diving industry as one of the largest certification group of agencies in the world. With 25 regional offices servicing more than 110 countries, the company continues to expand and grow offering superior educational and dive and safety support to divers across the globe.

Keeping with the latest in technology and the demands of new diving adventures and equipment, Technical Diving International (TDI) has released the course standards for the TDI Gem Level One diver course. TDI worked closely with KISS Rebreathers to get these completed. Kim Mikusch of KISS Rebreathers stated, “We are very pleased to have worked with the professionals at TDI in the developing of the KISS GEM training course.”

“For years there has been a void in the rebreather market for a semi-closed system,” stated Sean Harrison Vice President of Training and Membership Services. He went on to say, “I think the new GEM will meet the needs of divers looking for a way to extend their diving times and reduce the noise without going the fully closed circuit route.”

The TDI KISS GEM Level 1 Semi-Closed Circuit Rebreather (SCR) course is the ideal course for photographers, cold water divers or anybody wishing to enjoy a quieter dive and closer interaction with marine life. The course is unit and level specific covering the GEM Level 1 skills and academics. The GEM is an SCR that can be attached to any size cylinder within minutes and ready to go for a 2-4 hour dive (times water temperature dependent).

Many TDI™ Instructors and facilities have been eagerly awaiting this latest announcement from TDI™ Headquarters and are eager to get started with their programs.

Do contact us if you are interested to be a take on a diver or instructor course for this program.

Announcing the Air Diluent Level 1 Course for rEvo CCR

On the heels of receiving CE approval for the rEvo III CCR the TDI Training Team is pleased to announce the roll out of an Air Diluent Level 1 Course.

Originating from a Russian IDA- 71 apparatus, Paul Raymaekers and his Team undertook the unit through a radical transformation only to find it had not met their needs or expectations. That launched the Belgian based manufacturer in a whole new direction scrapping the transformed IDA-71, leaving behind its limitations but moving forward with a whole new set of knowledge. With a total of five system configurations under two models, the rEvo II and the rEvo III, they have one “just right for your adventure at hand,” no matter where your exploration may take you. Take a closer look by visiting www.revo-rebreathers.com

Since its inception, the rEvo CCR have been a point of discussion with many CCR Trainers. That led Brian Carney, President of TDI to say, “There is no doubt of the growing popularity of the rEvo CCR. Over the last couple of years our members have repeatedly requested TDI  to launch a program, and I am happy to say we have gladly done it and we look forward to working together with Paul and his TEAM at rEvo-Rebreathers”.

Cutting edge technology and cutting edge Training runs well together. We can only imagine how many other new opportunities this will become the launching pad for!

Get yourself ready, qualified and certified to take advantage of this and many other growing Technical opportunities with TDI!

Find a TDI instructor for a rebreather course, Click here!

With the right approach, traveling with a Rebreather may be easier then you think!

Few, if any, dive destinations are able to provide the experienced tech diver with a complete list of rental gear. It is simply impractical for a resort — even a tech-friendly one that is part of the TDI family — to underwrite the sort of inventory that would satisfy all the needs of customers whose idea of what constitutes the “right kit” covers a broad spectrum of equipment from numerous manufacturers.

Most of the techies I know will drive a vehicle packed with their own kit whenever possible, and when flying is the only option, will pack one or two articles of clothing and use up the rest of their baggage allowance transporting their own dive gear.

The situation is more critical for CCR divers, especially those whose travel plans start at an airport security line-up.

The special challenges for a CCR diver include unit specific training and certification; a diver can only use the machine he or she has experience diving with and other machines are off the menu without an additional orientation program.

This effectively means that rental CCR units at one’s destination are an unlikely option. At several thousand dollars/pounds/euro a pop, CCRs represent a huge investment for a dive shop’s rental department; offering more than one or two types or models is rare. The bottom line is that the vast majority of divers will take their personal CCR on vacation with them because there is NO rental unit available. Even in the cases where there is a rental available, many CCR divers prefer to take their own unit – It’s a comfort thing.

Some CCR units are compact and use up only a portion of a diver’s baggage allowance. Others accrue excess baggage fees right from the outset. Also, several units require specific cylinders and or valves which translates into yet more weight.

Quite apart from the logistical challenges of packing a CCR, cylinders (which MUST have the valves removed), CO2 scrubber material (we suggest shipping well beforehand), regs for bailout bottles, and the required assortment of spare parts and supplies for a safe and happy dive time, there are some other issues worth considering.

The first is that a rebreather – especially the unit head – can simply look weird when viewed through an airport scanner. I have had luck with CCR and dive lights, to the point where the x-ray tech has piped up “who is the cave diver?” when my carry-on has been travelling on the belt. But this is the exception. Expect to have to explain what you are travelling with. Here are some suggestions with regard to that challenge.

When I travel with a rebreather, I create a “This is life-support” document. It is a simple statement on headed note paper with every attempt to make it look as official as possible. The document states that the equipment is scuba gear. That it is safe for travel and conforms to airline guidelines. It explains that the scrubber head contains electronics (if it does) and gas sensors (I am careful to avoid ANY mention of oxygen based on past experiences dealing with people in authority who failed high-school chemistry). It states that there is no compressed gas, no harmful liquids or chemicals: just the business end of a couple of regulator first stages and some tubing.

The first time I used it (a few years back) the TSA agent I presented it to said something like: “Oh, we’ve seen these before” and I was cleared in minutes.

The other “trick” that seems to work is wrapping some portion of the unit in a wetsuit or with something else that screams out DIVE GEAR. There seems to be nothing quite as reassuring for someone faced with this mysterious lump of kit as something they recognize. What works is giving the folks checking your kit an opportunity to guess what the heck it is. Most of all, take the time to explain to them what it is you are going away to do, and be polite (Public Relations 101!).

A buddy of mine was called back to security at a US airport (Honolulu) to explain his checked baggage, which contained – among other things — his scrubber packed complete with its head and stuffed with Tshirts and underwear. It seems the tech searching the bags thought it was a scuba cylinder containing compressed gas and the handset was a pressure gauge. When confronted, my friend said, “hey, that’s an understandable mistake…” rather than “NO, you’re wrong!” The final outcome? He was back in the lounge drinking coffee within a couple of minutes and his baggage made it the rest of the way to Truk Lagoon.

You, too, may have read horror stories about trying to get through customs with scrubber material, which for those who are unfamiliar with it, is a white powdery material. I have never tried it and will probably never attempt it anytime in the future. There are several shipping options that, to me at least, seem more reliable and less costly. If there is no sorb available where you are heading – which with the growing interest in CCR is becoming less and less common – using FedEx, UPS, DHL or another reputable company can be the best alternative.

Start the shipping process early and ask about duty and import taxes before committing, and in some destinations, be prepared to pay a little extra for “handling fees”.

All in all, airline travel with a CCR is more complicated than traveling with OC gear, but with a little pre-planning, it is manageable and the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Some Tips for Travel with CCR

• If the option exists, use Rebreather friendly operations – resorts or live-aboards with CCR supplies on hand and experience working with CCR divers (Ask TDI for a list of CCR friendly operations around the globe.)

• Arrange for oxygen fills (with booster if possible) at destination, explaining that this is critical.

• Wherever and whenever possible, arrange for Scrubber medium to be ready for your arrival. Even at a rebreather friendly destination, book what you need, plus some contingency sorb well in advance of your departure. If in doubt, ship your own but do research on local import and tax/duty requirements.

• If possible, rent bottle for diluent and oxygen. Check they are the correct dimensions and that the valves will fit your regulators.

• Arrange for “bailout” bottles at your destination. Aluminum 80s work well but take your own rigging hardware AND check if the valves are DIN or Yoke. (The issue of left and right hand turn knobs is less of an issue and these are items that you can carry yourself if needed.)

• If you are travelling with your own oxygen and diluent bottles, remove valves and leave bottles open… this means not even tape should be covering the open neck.

• Remove oxygen stickers from bottles and reapply at your destination.

• Pack “This is life-support” document with unit and carry several spares.

• Be ready and willing to explain your kit to airport security personnel.

• Be patient!

• Learn to make do with a minimum of fresh clothing!

• Have fun!!

When it comes to Tech Training NO ONE has your back better then TDI™. No matter where your spirit moves you when it comes to Tech there is a course for you. For more information, CLICK HERE!

Article is contributed by SDI/TDI/ERDI HQ.

(Photo credit: Big Blue Tech, Koh Tao)

Sidemount diving has been a staple of the cave diver’s toolkit for a generation, but these days, more and more non-cavers are wearing their bottles at their sides.

There are probably a handful of things happening in the dive industry that we could peg as the latest and greatest idea or innovation. I’d add developments in lighting technology, dive computers, and thermal protection to my list, but surely the hottest trend right now has to be sidemount diving (wearing a totally independent cylinder and regulator system slung on each side of the diver’s body).

Any technical diver old enough to remember “Friends” as a new television series may also remember when sidemount was a very specialized technique with a small and almost cliquish fellowship restricted to England’s Mendip Hills and North Florida’s Karst Country. Finding sidemount training and uncovering a mentor to help you progress in the technique was a lot like joining a mediaeval secret guild; you had to know someone, or have a solid recommendation from an existing initiate; and those outside the circle suspected witchcraft.

In the early days, gear was centered on mostly hand-sewn adaptations of the classic open water stab-jacket style BCD, a few welded bolt-snaps, and lots of bungee cord. The application was ALL about exploring small silt passages; what a good friend of mine describes as “a mighty tight squeeze.”

But that was then and this is now. Times and attitudes have changed. After all, back when NBC first aired “Friends,” the largest sport diving agency had branded TDI’s popular nitrox courses as too complex for the average diver while decompression diving was totally verboten. Now of course, nitrox is the usual choice for most divers regardless of which flavor C-Card they earned as an open-water diver. Most weekend charter rosters include at least a couple of divers planning staged deco; and often a full boatload of weekend warriors all planning for a deep, long dive.

These days, it seems that sidemount really has come out of the closet. To begin with, gone are the hand-wrought BCs. Mainstream manufacturers such as Dive Rite, Oxycheq, Armadillo, Hollis and OMS are producing beautifully crafted harness, butt-plate, wing combinations specifically for sidemount diving. Cam bands – used to convert regular tanks to sidemount tanks in an instant are in several manufacturer’s catalogs. And plenty of stores sell “regulator conversion kits” – an assortment of custom-sized hoses and 90-degree fittings designed to help make the transition from traditional backmounted doubles to sidemount a one-step process. Perhaps best of all, sidemount instruction is readily available and several agencies –SDI and TDI among them – offer specialty ratings and sidemount options for their existing curriculum. This is available to all skill levels in addition to the more traditional cavern and cave.

The real kicker perhaps is that sidemount divers are beginning to pop up on dive boats and at open-water sites, proving that the equipment isn’t just for cave divers anymore. On a brilliant Saturday morning at a popular quarry in Ohio this past summer, I noticed a handful of “tech divers” wearing sidemount kits. On local charter boats too, sidemount divers are starting to make a showing, especially among divers who are trained to execute wreck penetration.

Lamar Hires, head of Dive Rite and one of the early promoters of sidemount diving, files the reasons for using sidemount into two main categories – Lifestyle and Mission Specific. Let’s use Lamar’s definitions as a starting point to explore the overall features and benefits of SM diving.

LIFESTYLE
The ubiquitous North Florida Cave Diver’s Rig consisting of a backplate, simple harness, wing and manifolded doubles, began to establish itself as the gold standard for technical divers sometime in the early 1990s. By the time TDI opened its doors in 1994, this kit configuration, with long hose on the right post, backup regulator and SPG on the left, and a generally minimalist approach to gear selection was what technical divers wore almost universally. But its one-size-fits-all approach and promotion as the universal solution to all dive applications has lost some of its luster over the years and technical divers have looked at other options with an open mind.

With a sidemount configuration, the tanks are carried independently of each other and can be attached to the diver in the water or close to the water. This makes pre- and post dive prep easier on the diver’s back and knees, since the stain of one tank is about half of the stain of two. A good buddy of mine swears that diving sidemount has helped her enjoy dive trips more and use aspirin less!

“There’s no way to describe how good it feels to take all my tanks off in the water, attach them to an equipment line and then walk up that boat ladder wearing nothing heavier than my harness and drysuit,” she says.

Also, the sidemount diver’s gas supply is fully redundant and carried in completely separate systems each with a first and second stage plus an spg (and usually a LP hose). This offers similar gas management options as a set of doubles (some argue more options than doubles) but the valves and first stages are within full sight at the diver’s side rather than behind her back. This obviously makes options during either simulated or real situation shutdowns very simple! There is never any guessing which first stage is giving the diver grief… real or otherwise. This alone has many SM divers-including myself- arguing that there is a safer option in the case of a free-flowing second stage, runaway wing inflator, runaway drysuit inflator or other gas leak.

The final “lifestyle” benefit has to do with the ease sidemount diving when traveling. Number one: An SM harness doesn’t have a heavy backplate, keeping luggage within airline baggage allowance. Number two: renting “bottles” at one’s destination is easy! Standard scuba cylinders can be ready for service as sidemount primary tanks quickly, with minimum fuss, and very little extra gear. The addition of a couple of cam straps to the traveler’s luggage makes conversion of almost any sized scuba cylinder the work of a few minutes, making standard stage bottle kits very workable in a pinch.

MISSION SPECIFIC
Going back to the genesis of sidemount diving, we arrive at the original reason to move one’s primary cylinders from one’s back to one’s side: low ceilings and flat bedding planes. While this reality has informed the decision making of cave divers for more than a generation, more and more wreck divers feel that sidemount offers real advantages inside a wreck.

The interior of most wrecks, even those intentionally sunk and cleaned out ahead of time, present special challenges because of the likelihood of entanglement with overhead cables and other debris. A staple of the traditional Advanced Wreck class is a great session to take advantage of. The diver learns the best techniques to free oneself or a buddy from the clutches of a couple of metres of electrical wire and rotting wood typically found in various doubles. Not to say that entanglement in this sort of situation is a non-issue in sidemount, but the number of potential line-traps behind the diver’s head is significantly reduced when he is wearing sidemount kit.

I also find the inherent lateral stability against the effect of roll while wearing a sidemount setup is a huge benefit when scootering; but perhaps that’s a story for another day.

APPLICATION
All this said, it is important to remember that no single kit configuration is right for ALL applications. Sidemount is not the silver bullet and is certainly not the best option always and everywhere. However, a growing number of tech and sport divers are finding SM an interesting and enjoyable way to dive in many different environments.

If you’re curious about Sidemount diving, find a workshop-it’s a great way to learn about the best ways to route hoses, hang lights, and configure deco bottles. Having a very flexible alternative to the traditional tech diver’s kit for many divers is worth the extra effort.

Take advantage of the NEW Sidemount program offered by SDI & TDI, visit www.tdisdi.com to get started today!

Think about taking our industry-leading SDI specialty… Solo Diver

Looking for a unique course that will make you more independent self-sufficient diver?  Try SDI’s Solo Diver Specialty.

Our solo diver course is one of our most popular SDI specialties. It is one of the many innovative ideas we have pioneered over the years… things like promoting the use of personal dive computers for sport diving, certifying younger divers, and promoting an advanced diver development program that really develops advanced skills. Our solo specialty is right up there and has set our agency apart from the competition. SDI is the only agency to teach the skills and equipment configuration necessary to safely pursue solo diving.

SDI has successfully promoted solo diving as an option for experienced sport divers engaged in certain activities. It is a program that is not suitable for every diver because divers must be willing to make the necessary commitment to train and equip themselves to manage the added risks independent diving involves.

Find out more about SDI Solo Diver Specialty and the brand-new course materials from your local SDI training facility. Click Here!

Scuba Diving International (SDI) is the sport diving certification branch of the world’s largest technical diving agency, Technical Diving International (TDI). Also included with these is Emergency Response Diving International (ERDi), the only global public safety certification agency.

During any staged decompression dive it is standard practice to switch from backgas to a more oxygen rich gas at least once during ascent. Because of the potential risks associated with breathing high partial pressures of oxygen, divers are strongly advised to adopt a set procedure for gas switching which includes standardized safety protocols. The following is a suggested procedure.

Step-by-step procedures

All scuba cylinders can be dedicated to high-oxygen content, cleaned and labeled as such. Many technical divers opt to use “standard” decompression gases for every dive. In either case, gas contents MUST be marked clearly according to Standards. In addition, decompression cylinders should be marked with actual Maximum Operating Depth (MOD) of contents with removable tape on two sides of cylinder valve. This MOD must be based on recent analysis and calculations for acceptable dose of partial pressure at that marked MOD and should show NOTHING but MOD in meters or feet clearly marked in large numbers. (See cylinder labeling procedures for full details.)

Decompression cylinders can be worn on diver’s left side or either side. ALl that is important is that the whole team adopts the same practice. The valve orifice should face the diver with valve on/off knobs pointing away from the diver (requires left and right valves if team wears cylinders on both sides). Divers enter water with regulator(s) on decompression cylinders charged and valve(s) closed.

During ascent, each diver will begin gas switch procedure prior to reaching switch depth (gas MOD). Deployment should follow the following steps.

Each team members “unstows” hose and second stage of selected decompression mix and pulls hose across her body with regulator second stage in right hand. Starting with dive leader, each members asks a buddy to “Look at my gas. Please confirm it is correct for next stop.” Buddy must follow hose to first stage, read actual MOD and confirm that the regulator will deliver the correct gas for the coming gas switch. This query / confirmation cycle will be done one diver at a time.

Divers will then follow schedule and proceed to MOD for gas switch. Once there, they will switch regulators and with left hand on cylinder valve will breathe hose dry while checking SPG on selected decompression gas. As reading drops, indicating once again that regulator is indeed connected to the correct cylinder, they will turn on the decompression valve allowing decompression gas to flow normally. Once they are sure regulator is breathing normally, they stow the backgas regulator they were formerly using. At the same time, each team member should indicate the status of their gas switch to dive leader. Once each team member has signaled “Switch went OK,” decompression at that depth will start.

This procedure is repeated for each gas switch made during the dive.

Some further thoughts and notes:

Do not breathe a gas which has not been analyzed by you or in your presence. There should be no exceptions to this rule.

It is imperative that all team members have similar decompression gases which can be switched within a depth of one meter or less.

Gas switching is perhaps the most stressful exercise performed during a normal ascent from a technical dive. It should never be executed in a cavalier or complacent way because the potential consequences of sloppy procedures are simply too severe. Second stage should be inspected for foreign matter before being breathed… muck, critters et al.

Whenever possible, use gases that all team members are familiar with such as 35/35 trimix, EAN50, pure Oxygen for decompression. However, when you are in the field and these “standard mixes” are NOT available, it is even more important (if that’s possible) that you follow the procedure outlined here!

Rigging a stage bottle – although not something taught in an SDI openwater class – is nevertheless a basic scuba skill. Certainly, it is one of the first things an instructor will discuss with aspiring tech-divers who almost always carry an extra scuba cylinder (or cylinders) with them on all their underwater outings. However, like so much about dive gear and dive practices, there are several tenable solutions, though none work perfectly for every application. In other words, the correct way to rig a stage bottle depends on exactly how you intend to use it!

To find out which options best suit a particular need, we should start at the beginning by asking, “What exactly DO we mean by a ‘stage bottle’ and what purpose is it intended to serve?”

Technically, a stage bottle is a cylinder containing gas that is going to be “staged,” or stashed, during a set-up or preparatory dive along a predetermined route – such as in a cave passage. At some later date, divers will travel along that route, and the stage bottles will help ensure they have something to breathe! Staged gas allows divers to travel further and swim longer than they would if their excursions were limited to only the gas that they could physically carry with them.  Staging gas is an explorer’s trick, and the gas contained in a stage bottle is sometimes left as a contingency and sometimes as part of the overall gas consumption plan.  Often stage bottles are left behind after the “big” dive and collected on a later clean-up dive.

Now, many divers will find this definition to be disagreeable, but take a deep breath because there are a lot more where that came from! A stage bottle is a general term used to describe a cylinder that is carried by a diver in addition to the primary scuba gear (open or closed circuit). A stage bottle can be a cylinder of decompression gas (for staged deco diving), a cylinder of travel gas to help a diver get from the surface to a depth at which his back gas is suitable to breathe (as in with hypoxic trimix), or an additional cylinder of bottom mix carried by the diver throughout his dive to add a level of security should something go awry with the primary gas supply.

Additionally, a stage bottle can be a cylinder of bottom mix used as the main gas supply with primary cylinders as backup ( a common practice with divers riding Diver Propulsion Vehicles), a bailout open-circuit gas for a CCR (closed-circuit rebreather) diver to have if they have to “come off the loop” (jargon to describe the situation when all bets are off and their CCR is not safe to use), a pony bottle carried by a sport diver to provide emergency gas for an Out Of Air event, or a buddy bottle to allow a self-sufficient diver (SDI Solo Diver for example) to have back-up gas and an abundant gas delivery system when diving independent of their buddy.

Wow! Who knew?

On top of that list of applications – or perhaps because of it – stage bottles come in all sorts of shapes and sizes (the shapes are universal, but sizes and cylinder materials vary). The most common stage bottles used by technical divers are the aluminum 80 cubic foot (11 litre) cylinders and its 40 cubic foot (6 litre) little brother. Some divers – particularly sport divers – use smaller cylinders than these as pony bottles. Similarly, a few divers use larger volume cylinders including steel tanks, but when technical divers speak about stages or deco cylinders, the majority have an aluminum 80 or 40 cubic foot in mind.

Quite simply, these are favorites because of low cost, durability, availability, the volume of gas they carry and their buoyancy characteristics; both the 80 and 40 have a very slight apparent weight in water and both tend to “sit” nicely close to a diver’s body, which is a function of their overall length, diameter and buoyancy.

Common to all forms of stage bottles, regardless of their final application, is that they need to be rigged in a way that allows them to be carried by the user without getting in his way and hampering his progress through the water. In other words, ALL stage bottle rigs have to be streamlined and create the least possibility of snagging line, getting hung up in kelp, digging a trench in the mud or smashing against rocks, boats, wrecks, coral etc. In addition, most divers want their stages rigged so that they have unlimited access to its valve and the regulator first stage that will be attached to it.

Speaking of regulators, a working stage bottle will feature a good quality first stage with an SPG (often on a short hose) and a single second stage on a hose long enough to route comfortably to the user’s mouth with the bottle in position. Depending on actual application, the first stage regulator – especially on CCR bailout bottles – may also have a low-pressure inflator hose attached. (See photo).

Finally, most experienced technical divers want their stages configured in a way that allows them to be donned and doffed quickly and without fuss.

With this in mind, by far the most functional rig for the majority of technical divers is one that attaches the stage to the diver’s side and close to his body using a couple of bolt snaps. This is vastly preferred to attaching stages to backmounted primary cylinders; although, one can still see old-school divers with the cylinder containing their decompression gas shoehorned between their doubles behind their back and well out of reach. This backmounted option is also popular among sport divers who sometimes attach a pony bottle to their single primary cylinder with proprietary hardware. On the plus side, it does keep things out of the way; on the negative side, it does keep things out of the way. In other words, out of reach and out of visual contact, when rigged like this, offers no way to manipulate the valve or do a visual check without taking everything off.

So, we find ourselves with an aluminum 80 (or a 40) and a regulator setup just the way we want it. (See photo). Now we need to put some bolt snaps on it.

Here we have a couple of options:

The traditional tech-diver method (actually known as the traditional North Florida Cave Diving method) is to tie two bolt snaps to a length of string, slip that string onto the neck of the stage bottle and attach the bottom end using a stainless steel pipe clamp.  This method is so ubiquitous that various scuba gear manufacturers sell “stage bottle kits” containing all the necessary hardware.  At the time of my last check, this past Saturday, my local dive shop carried pre-made stage bottle kits from three different main-stream technical diving brands. (See photo).

These kits make life simple and since none come with instructions, they must be easy to fit, correct? Well, not exactly. One small refinement often left out of the plan is to “optimize” the location of the lower anchor point so that it fits the diver. This helps to make clipping and unclipping the bottom bolt snap easier and will help to keep the bottle as close as possible to the diver’s body, especially the neck of the bottle.

The trick is to adjust the distance from the clip at the neck of the stage bottle and the lower anchor point so it’s the same as the distance between the Dring on the diver’s shoulder harness and the one on his hip. Since most of the ready-made kits available seem to be made to fit someone about 185 cm tall (about six feet), this exercise usually requires shortening the pre-made string “handle.” (By the way, NEVER carry a stage bottle by its handle; you should carry it strictly at its valve. The handle is for moving bottles around in the water. Carrying a stage incorrectly will stretch the cord and could break it).

A growing trend among both open-circuit and CCR divers is to rig their additional cylinders as sidemount stages.  Sidemount rigging requires an additional piece of equipment – a butt plate – and a strategically placed, moderately stout bungee cord. The butt plate is what the lower bolt snaps clip to and the bungee is what keeps the neck of the bottle pulled into the diver’s side. The top clip is simply a backup should the bungee give away. (See photo).

To make the best of this method, the stage can be rigged with a small clip attached directly to the neck of the cylinder with a few turns of the cord and a lower clip (also on a small loop of bungee cord) attached with a pipe clamp. Just as with traditional rigging, the position on the lower anchor point affects the final resting point of the stage, and the aim is to have the cylinder sitting parallel to the diver’s side with its neck – and the regulator – tucked into the area under his arm.

Once again, there are refinements that are made to the lower anchor point when two or more cylinders are to be carried – essentially moving the anchor point closer to the cylinder neck – but the basic starting point on an aluminum 80 is to have the anchor a little less than halfway between the tank’s shoulder and base.

One final point worth mentioning is that all the preferred methods of rigging a stage bottle, whether it is the traditional cave configuration or a more streamlined sidemount method, allow the clips to be cut off in an emergency. In other words, there are no metal-to-metal connections. Bolt snaps, even high-quality stainless steel clips, have the potential to lock shut. This is especially true in salt-water use, but I have had clips that have only seen freshwater diving “freeze” shut.

Being able to cut oneself free of a stage bottle (or camera) beats the alternative in my opinion, and this informs the best practice of attaching clips with something that a decent cutting device can make short work of.

The secret to the effective and efficient control of a stage bottle is thoughtful rigging and practice. If a diver starts out knowing what the stage bottle is to be used for – for example, whether it will only be used as a contingency or whether the gas it contains is an important part of every dive plan – and if that diver follows a couple of simple guidelines, carrying an additional bottle becomes second nature. After some practice, even carrying two or three will be quite easy. Clearing out staged gas after a dive, I have swum with as many as seven stage bottles, at which point there are some other little tricks that help, but the first step is always to rig each bottle in a standard and sensible way.

Good luck, dive safe, and if you are trying to swim with a stage bottle for the first time, practice in shallow water!

When to call a dive: the definitive guideline to no-fault bailout

There are plenty of things that the technical diving community has borrowed, begged or stolen from the North Florida cave diving community. The list includes the use and routing of a long hose on one’s primary regulator, gas management protocols such as the Rule of Thirds, the now common pre-dive S-Drill and Bubble Check, and even the basic backplate, wing and simple webbing harness configuration that seems to be the default for techies (and a growing number sport divers) the world over.

However, one item that has probably helped the diving community at large avoid more mishaps than any other is what originally was called the “Cave Diver’s Credo,” also known as thumbing a dive or the preferred, no-fault bailout. You may see it written in textbooks as: ANY DIVER can call ANY DIVE for ANY REASON at ANY TIME without fear of REPROACH or RETRIBUTION.

This phrase may strike you very differently, but to me it sounds a little as though it was written by a legal assistant trying to win brownie points. The parking lot version goes along the lines of: “Any time during our dive you ain’t comfy, y’all thumb the dive! We can go drink beer instead… I got no problem with that at all!”

My guess is that the majority of technical divers have pulled the plug a time or two during a dive (or even BEFORE a dive) and been thankful their buddy or buddies, subscribed to “The Credo.” I know I have. And of course, the converse is true too. I have been ready to rock and roll only to have a dive mate call it all off in a heartbeat. No worries. No questions. No nasty remarks as the gear is packed away and we head for home (or to the nearest pub with draft Guinness and pulled pork sandwiches).

As a matter of fact, one of the qualities many experienced technical divers look for in a team member is that they fully understand and agree with the whole concept of no-fault bailout; and the related issues of risk identification, assessment, avoidance and management. It helps keep everyone healthy!

When aspiring technical divers first learn about this concept, there is usually some debate about what reasons constitute calling off a dive. And in fairness, the question deserves a more complete and specific explanation besides the generic response: “ANY REASON.”

Since we recognize where the concept of no-fault bailout comes from, it seems logical to conclude that it developed because of the very nature of caves. A solid overhead environment – with no quick and easy access to the surface and fresh air – brings with it by default a whole new respect for pre-dive checks. It shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that in an environment as unforgiving as a cave, the number of checks increases and the diver’s attention to them is more focused. There is simply no room for compromise and no place for “well, that’s good enough for now” attitude. And all this translates seamlessly for ANY form of technical diving, whether in a cave or someplace else.

The easiest way to explain this to the newly-minted technical diver is to point out the focus on equipment and gas checks. These include inspecting hoses for leaks or strange kinks and poor connections; inspecting harness webbing and wing for nasty-looking abrasions or weak spots; checking and pre-breathing regulators; working valves and inflators to make sure they operate the way they should; making sure every cylinder of gas is analyzed, tanks are marked with MOD (maximum operating depth), and each tank is cross-checked with the dive profile and our buddy’s gases. The list continues with divers working out to the most exact amount of volume each gas required for each phase of their dive, including the additional gas required for contingencies like a massive leak in the buddy’s primary cylinder or deco. The last step is running through visual and tactile checks on accessories like primary lights, back-up lights, bottom timers, wetnotes, spare masks, bolts, snaps, straps and so on. Of course, anything not 100 percent has the potential to cause the dive to be called, postponed, or modified. And, all this is checked BEFORE anyone even gets their face wet!

More difficult to explain is the whole concept of comfort zone and personal stress assessment. These topics alone could form the outline for a complete dive book, but the Cole’s Notes version is that panic is about as welcome at depth as a lit cigar is in a fireworks factory. Panic and everything that leads up to it has to be well-managed by all divers; but most especially for divers who do not have the luxury of a direct and clear path to the surface.

For the most part, panic can be avoided by following a few simple guidelines: do not exceed your level of training and experience; increase the scope of your diving by small increments; never allow yourself to become so task-loaded that you lose the plot; watch your depth; plan to avoid surprises but be ready to deal with them; and never succumb to peer pressure.

If one follows those guidelines, managing panic becomes a learned skill. One of my favorite illustrations is a quote from Bill Hogarth Main. Bill is a cave diver/guide and lends his name to the minimalist approach to gear configuration and dive prep so popular (and so misinterpreted) with a whole raft of divers who have never been in a cave or heard of Bill Main. He said when asked about panic and its control that “it is worth understanding that a piece of dive equipment breaking underwater is unlikely to kill you… but your reaction to it could be disastrous”. Experience breeds a cool head and a cool head is a very useful tool when a dive goes off the rails.

And of all the dominos that can fall and start off the chain reaction that could result in diver panic, perhaps the most insidious is the trust-me dive. The classic “trust me” dive is one where a diver or a group of divers are pressured into doing something they have no business doing because their bolder, fool-hardy dive buddy says something like: “Don’t worry, I’ve done this dive a thousand times… trust me on this.”

These two little words – trust me – have gotten heaps of otherwise sensible, caring, intelligent men and women into the nastiest, tightest, most dire situations imaginable. If you hear those words as part of a dive briefing, drop everything and run for your life! They mix about as well as oil and water.

In the final analysis, the right time to call a dive is as soon as something breaks or stops working the way it should. I know this sounds simplistic, but there are a lot of examples of people continuing their dive AFTER a failure of something that on the surface they would classify as LIFE SUPPORT. You too may have heard about divers who shared a computer because theirs failed to fire up when they jumped into the water; or divers who continued their swim around a reef or wreck breathing from their buddy’s double cylinders because they had used up all the air in their single 80.

The right time to call a dive is also when things start to look or feel different to the plan; or when your buddy starts to deviate from the plan.

The right time to call a dive is BEFORE things get so complicated that you start to lose sight of the simple fact that diving is supposed to be FUN.

You may agree that the Cave Diver’s Credo translates equally well, whether divers are carrying more gear than a Himalayan Sherpa or the bare minimum single tank and stab jacket, and regardless of whether they are back in the engine-room of a deep wreck breathing trimix via the most sophisticated and up-to-the-minute computer-controlled rebreather or cleaning the bottom of their neighbor’s pool using air delivered to them by a lovingly restored vintage twin-hose regulator. If something does not feel fun, never, never hesitate to put up your thumb and let your buddy know: “It’s Miller Time baby; and we are outta here”!

Steve Lewis is SDI/TDI Director of Communications, a published author and accomplished Diver / Trainer. Take Steve’s lead and continue to hone your skills with the training of your choice! Visit www.tdisdi.com to plan your next training adventure.