Diving Equipment Configurations:
DIR, an acronym for 'Doing It Right', is a holistic approach to SCUBA diving. According to the DIR approach there are several fundamental skills that include: teamwork, environmental awareness, and the use of highly optimized and streamlined equipment configuration. DIR proponents argue that through these essential elements, safety is improved by standardised equipment configuration and procedures for preventing and dealing with emergencies; out-of-air emergencies in particular. Within the realms of recreational, technical, archaeological & scientific diving, DIR has an important role, but presents some problems of contradiction.
For example, a Full Face Mask is required for the majority of diving, being breathed over the right shoulder, (Poseidon configuration; left shoulder for the AGA Mask). Normal DIR procedures advocate the breathing of the long hose as the primary hose, the regulator in your mouth being the one to donate to an out-of-gas diver and the short hose as your alternate supply. This creates problems for the archaeological diver: you wouldn't give your FFM away in an emergency! So, DIR as a concept is fundamental to safe diving, but it needs to be adapted for archaeological and scientific use. For more detail and the DIR concept of diving, please contact GUE(UK), Richard Walker, for advice on fundamentals training and DIR courses.
DIR, an acronym for 'Doing It Right', is a holistic approach to SCUBA diving. According to the DIR approach there are several fundamental skills that include: teamwork, environmental awareness, and the use of highly optimized and streamlined equipment configuration. DIR proponents argue that through these essential elements, safety is improved by standardised equipment configuration and procedures for preventing and dealing with emergencies; out-of-air emergencies in particular. Within the realms of recreational, technical, archaeological & scientific diving, DIR has an important role, but presents some problems of contradiction.
For example, a Full Face Mask is required for the majority of diving, being breathed over the right shoulder, (Poseidon configuration; left shoulder for the AGA Mask). Normal DIR procedures advocate the breathing of the long hose as the primary hose, the regulator in your mouth being the one to donate to an out-of-gas diver and the short hose as your alternate supply. This creates problems for the archaeological diver: you wouldn't give your FFM away in an emergency! So, DIR as a concept is fundamental to safe diving, but it needs to be adapted for archaeological and scientific use. For more detail and the DIR concept of diving, please contact GUE(UK), Richard Walker, for advice on fundamentals training and DIR courses.
Configuration:
To say that a hundred divers would have a hundred different kit configurations may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there is some truth in it. Divers rely heavily on the experiences of their instructors and look towards the more experienced to help them configure equipment. The Archaeological Divers Association is no exception to this rule and to that end have enlisted the help of top UK technical instructors in configuring the cumbersome and numerous equipment that is used for scientific diving and archaeological survey work.
Ideally, there would be one standard for all divers, but as the Association relies heavily on recreational divers for project work, we must look to the requirements of all members. It is NOT the Association's intention to adopt a didactic attitude towards members' kit configuration, but we will offer advice and make suggestions about standard points of safety with anyone's equipment. Look at equipment configuration as another element of your rapidly expanding diving knowledge and apply the principles where appropriate; it will almost certainly make for a more enjoyable and safer dive.
Ideally, there would be one standard for all divers, but as the Association relies heavily on recreational divers for project work, we must look to the requirements of all members. It is NOT the Association's intention to adopt a didactic attitude towards members' kit configuration, but we will offer advice and make suggestions about standard points of safety with anyone's equipment. Look at equipment configuration as another element of your rapidly expanding diving knowledge and apply the principles where appropriate; it will almost certainly make for a more enjoyable and safer dive.
Common Safety Tips:
Some basic points are listed below that might make you think about your personal configuration and how it might be improved or adapted for enhanced safety and simplicity. Nothing is set in stone with regards to the principles of kit configuration and all we are trying to achieve is safer and more efficient equipment configuration that could save your life or the life of another diver. Approach what we suggest with an open mind and consider the holistic implications, because the last thing we want underwater is a bunch of "Stepford Divers"! Check back regularly for updates, or alternatively, the Archaeological Support Divers Course introduces the basic configuration concepts for archaeological and scientific diving:
Twin Sets:
Pony / Stage Bottles:
Hoses:
'Points of Failure' (PoF):
Look at your equipment! Nice isn't it? I am sure you are pretty chufffed with your shiny, clean and well-serviced regulators, cylinder and BCD. Now look at it again; start at the first stage and work your way off every hose and each component of the entire set-up. Every point where there is a connection, clip, velcro fastening and other attachments is a point of failure. Don't be fooled into thinking of your regulators as a single component. The first stage will have several PoF's - blown 'O'-ring anyone? The working parts, the HP and LP Hose connectors all add up; the swivel joint on your SPG or your dive computer to name but two, could fail during a dive leaving you with the problem of having to deal with it at depth. You will never have a 100% fail-safe system, but look at your kit and decide what you really need to have attached to it and if it is essential for the type of diving you are doing.
The majority of divers complete a 1-3-minute safety stop when surfacing as standard. How many people do you know complete a one minute stop on descent? Typically, you drop into the water, find your buddy, signal all is well to them and then signal to the surface cover that you are ok and start your descent. Gently falling through the water, concentrating on your surroundings and trying to catch a glimpse of the wreck you know is somewhere below you, you fail to notice the stream of small bubbles coming from your buddy's 1st stage. Twenty minutes later, at 30msw, the o-ring fails; now you're in trouble!
Rewind... ...
Gently falling through the water your equipment feels good, you are correctly weighted and you equalise down to 6msw. STOP! Are you happy? If not abort the dive. Is your kit working correctly? If not, abort the dive. Look at your buddy and have them look at you and look for BUBBLES. See any bubbles other than the ones that are supposed to be there? No? Great. Continue with the dive as planned and have fun. Bubbles - the simple way of checking to see if your equipment is in good working order - before it goes wrong and creates a Diver Emergency.
Weights:
Rewind... ...
Gently falling through the water your equipment feels good, you are correctly weighted and you equalise down to 6msw. STOP! Are you happy? If not abort the dive. Is your kit working correctly? If not, abort the dive. Look at your buddy and have them look at you and look for BUBBLES. See any bubbles other than the ones that are supposed to be there? No? Great. Continue with the dive as planned and have fun. Bubbles - the simple way of checking to see if your equipment is in good working order - before it goes wrong and creates a Diver Emergency.
Hogatharian Style:
P-Clips Vs Suicide Clips:
Reels, SMBs and Lights (Dangly Kit):
Weights:
When was the last time you checked your weight? The majority of divers still aren't used to the feeling of weightlessness and the body adapts to this with the feeling of floating (rising) whilst diving. Learning proper breath control and having your equipment streamlined will help; the easy way to compensate for this is by adding extra lead to your weight belt. It is not uncommon to see divers with in excess of 12kg strapped to their bodies; simple physics and the application of Archimedes Principle will tell you that such vast quantities are NOT required. In the experiences of all the ADA staff, 3-4kg is probably the most that the average diver needs. Having said that, there are exceptions to this, but the important thing here is to check, test and practice. Do you practice your buoyancy skills? Ask the majority of divers when the last time they did a 6msw dive just to practice and, well, you know the answer! Anyone can complete basic buoyancy at depth, where pressure changes are minimal, but next time you have a spare 5 minutes at the end of a dive, drop into 3 metres, with a cylinder with 50bar and see if you can hold a 3 minute stop with no gas in your wing...