vtach67

I was Tom's buddy for the course and he summarized the issues we had quite well. I really don't know what more that I could add that he did not already cover. I have received forwarded correspondence from Kevin Gurr and it is apparent that they are addressing the issues, explaining rationale behind decisions and also open to suggestion. I am pleased with that.

I can say that watching the circumstances surrounding the cocktail were quite sobering. Tom is a very skilled diver and his ability to deal with the situation without panic really demonstrated how necessary it is to be proficient in your skills. I fully agree with his sentiment regarding solid positive and negative checks along with the importance of carrying bailout gas and routine bailout drills.

I am also happy with the Sentinel, it is a quality built unit and I feel has a lot of potential. I found the biggest drawback for me through the week (outside of the bouyancy learning curve) was the mouthpiece. After 4 days of class the inside of my upper lip was like hamburger. Tom was gracious to enough to offer me a Sea Cure moldable mouthpiece that he had. After installing that, life was good again.

I am really looking forward to see what CCRB comes up with for a caseless option. I really like a more modular arrangement and not a big fan of the case. I am hoping that it will be something more friendly to a common BP/W arrangement.