Wrong reflex under workload

Hello, here is a little incident that happened recently.
Little River in sidemount with one stage (same mix), primary light in left hand and canister butt mounted.

Short hose from the left cylinder, around the neck, elbow and necklace.
Long hose from the right cylinder, across the chest, around the neck: classic way.

While exiting, in preparation to retrieve my stage once in sight, I switched to the short hose and clipped the long hose to my right d-ring. The idea is to have a faster gas switch when I'll start breathing from the stage.

I'll have to remove the primary light from my left hand because I'll have to pass the stage bottom boltsnap between me and the left cylinder to mount it
Switch on a backup light on my helmet and move away the primary light around my neck so it hang by the wire on my right shoulder.

Retrieve the stage, but before I can mount it, my regulator start breathing wet.
To wet to get enough air. I my mind, since I was breathing from it for the last maybe 10 cycles, it's probably not defect: maybe the mouth piece or my lips are tired and not sealing properly ?

My left hand is busy holding the stage, with my right hand I push the regulator toward my mouth to make sure the seal is good: more water.

So my right hand goes for the long hose, but the light is above it and block a fast access. After fumbling with it for what look like 15 seconds but probably just 3, I decide to go for the stage. I squeeze the stage between my legs, open the valve with the left hand and grab the regulator with the right hand, purge and start breathing.

After everything went well, except I got a little scare and prefer head to the deco with the stage still in my left hand in front of me before assessing the problem.

My mistake: I should have purge the regulator to clean it and then breath while purging, that should have been my first reflex. I got confused with the fact that the regulator was working properly the breath before.

My new stage retrieving procedure: the light will go in the right hand or clipped off, but never around the neck blocking the access to the long hose.

New training exercise, practice breathing from a defect regulator to have the reflex of purging.

In the end I had 25 minutes of deco to do, so I took the time to clip off the primary light, test the right regulator and remove the neck lace and left regulator to have a closer look. After removing the exhaust tee and lifting the diaphragm, there was a small wood branch in it. Removed, tested, all fine...

Thanks for sharing that. I?ve had similar things like that happen. Things seem to escalate for me anyway


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one thing to also look at depending on the rig.
I butt mount my lights in sidemount, and because of the extra length, also do the same routing in backmount. The light cable is snaked up the left side of my rig and actually comes over my left shoulder. For things like this, you can just let it go and it hangs similar to how you put yours over your neck, but since it never crosses you don't have the cluttered right shoulder problem that you encountered.
For backmount, I have a side gland that goes across the bottom of the plate and runs up behind the wing for the same net effect

I think you nailed the main problem...always clip off you light in stage shifts, scooter drops, and other tasks that require two unimpeded hands...at least that what seems to keep me from getting all clustered...most of the time. Right in the middle of something like that is usually when you have to share air. Buddy gets pissed when you hand him a light.t


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Thanks Cavekrazi, I'll try that.
I think this technique could also eliminate a danglie since the wire is not under the body.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pascal

Short hose from the left cylinder, around the neck, elbow and necklace.
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As an alternative thought. In sidemount I always consider something around the neck a temporary solution, but nothing goes around my neck for permanent placement. Hose around the neck is a Hogarthian hold over to sidemount, but typical sidemount configuration has been hoses positioned on the side to chest, but nothing around the neck. My preference is this, so in a pinch I will dangle a light cord around the neck with head pointed downward. This gives me light in my immediate work area, but light head away from my face,but hoses unimpeded for quick deployment.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop

... nothing goes around my neck for permanent placement. Hose around the neck is a Hogarthian hold over to sidemount, but typical sidemount configuration has been hoses positioned on the side to chest, but nothing around the neck...

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How do you route the hose from your left tank? For me it is easy, I use non-handed regulators (Poseidon).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FW

How do you route the hose from your left tank? For me it is easy, I use non-handed regulators (Poseidon).

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I use an Apeks XTX-50 SS assembled for left-side feed with a 90 elbow. I tried long-hose around the neck several times and just couldn't appreciate it the same as bm. Long-hose is neatly stowed on right tank and directly feeding SS with a 60 elbow. Right side SS is connected with a break-away clip onto bungee necklace. When I switch to the left tank, I pull slack from the long-hose under tank rubber bands. This works for me although I'd like to hear more about how others have it configured.

I also have a can light butt mounted with an extra long cord and constantly wrap this around my neck. As Kelly mentioned, it hangs perfectly for tieing in, dropping cookies, or picking up a stage, all while providing useful light and two free hands.

I run SP regs with 2 five footers, omni swivel on the left...

Safe diving,

Rich

So this is old news. A lot of DIR converts and divers taught in northern Fla still use a long hose across the chest and around the neck off the right bottle in sidemount with a short hose on a necklace off the left bottle to mimic the old "team configuration". Part of that system was to either stow or clip all Regs and lights when not in use. That way you always know where each reg is, you always know where your buddy's regs are, and you don't have dangles. There are lots of ways to do this, but if you are using the above configuration, it probably makes good sense to clip off that light to you right chest d ring during stage drops.


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