Quote: (Originally Posted by
johnnied)
Actually, beyond all the joshing, this is a serious question from a novice so why doesn't it merit an answer? Come on, Ivon seems to have a negative outlook on flowstops so why won't somebody give me the benefit of their experience and tell me why flow stops shouldn't be trusted??
As a newbie, should I be mistrustful of standard adv function and also as a newbie should I not bother with the flowstop as means of stopping dil supply to a faulty adv
I am one of several who feel suitably ticked off
I have put an "O" with black permanent pen at the top section of my flowstop to remind me on is up and down is shut off. I found it hard to remember when I started.
Because I am not very flexible I found it very hard to operate my flowstop before I had my stainless steel backplate fitted by Martin Robson of Eau Zone when I did my IANTD Mod 3 at Dorothea last summer.
He fitted my new backplate in a way that placed my flowstop in a lower position so IF I forget to switch it on or need to turn it off, I can at least now do this readily.
When pre-breathing just take a big breath and that will trigger your ADV and confirm it's on.
I had a short period when I deliberately didn't use my ADV thinking it was better not to rely on it but it was just hard work, in comparison, to being able to have your loop volume automatically adjusted by the ADV.
Occasionally it's very nice, if you're a bit puffed, to be able to draw in a greater volume of gas. Again the ADV is an easy way to do this.
The problem Jon had during our dive on the Bessel was just one of those little numbers that happen with Jon (I say this in the nicest way!). I've now done nearly 100 hours virtually all in UK sea without any problem with my ADV and am happy to use it.
Hindsight and talking one of these harmless happenings thru on dry land is much easier than trying to work things out underwater. One of the very few occasions when we could have done with underwater comms.
These little problems are typical of diving on a rebreather and are a byproduct of their complexity compared to open circuit.
Hope this qualifies as a more helpful answer from one comparative newbie to one a month away from his course.
Charlie