[underwater exhalation]
Hi, my name is Bill Gordon. I am the Instructor Trainer at the NOAA Diving Center in Seattle, Washington.
The video you're about to watch contains 10 of the skills you will be required to perform during your check out dive.
They are intentionally performed in slow, exaggerated motion to give us the opportunity
to demonstrate or highlight some of the more important sub-skills.
Every diver in the NOAA Diving Program needs to be proficient in these fundamental skills.
The skills we will talk about are: mask clearing,
regulator clearing,
regulator recovery,
controlled descent,
controlled ascent,
use of an alternate air source,
buddy breathing,
use of NOAA's redundant air Supply System or RASS,
weight belt remove and replace,
and scuba unit remove and replace.
Although these skills are not specific to NOAA,
they are part of the training that every diver should receive.
These skills are the foundation of safe diving.
At some point in your diving career your mask is going to get knocked off your face.
Maybe you're following somebody too closely and you get kicked in the face...that's your fault!
or your mask strap breaks... things just happen...
and of course your mask may fog and water may leak in.
In this video we're going to demonstrate how to remove and replace your mask.
To clear the fog from the inside of your mask, break the seal on the top and let water enter.
To clear the mask, apply pressure to the top, relieve pressure from the bottom
and as you roll your head back exhale through your nose.
Notice how when the water comes in contact with the lens it clears the fog.
We do this skill so we can see when we are underwater.
Make sure when you exhale you leave a space between the bottom of your nose and the inside of the nose pocket.
Break the seal,
let water enter the mask,
apply pressure to the top, relieve pressure from the bottom
and as you exhale, roll your head back.
When we remove a mask,
first you flood it and then pull it away from your face.
To replace the mask, you can either put the mask against your face and form a seal and then put the strap on,
or you can put the strap on
and then put the mask on your face.
If you're wearing a hood, make sure that the mask only comes in contact with your face.
If the mask goes from your face and over your hood it will leak where the two meet.
Apply pressure to the top, relieve pressure from the bottom, as you roll your head back exhale through your nose.
That's how you clear a mask.
Whenever you put a regulator back in your mouth underwater you need to clear it before you can breathe from it again.
This is perhaps the simplest and most dangerous of all the skills you will have to perform.
The most important rule in scuba diving is: never hold your breath.
If you hold your breath while you ascend, the gas will expand and can seriously injure or kill you.
This is why any time a regulator comes out of your mouth you must blow a steady stream of bubbles.
This has to be a habit and needs to be performed from muscle memory.
It has to happen without thinking in order for you to be a safe diver.
Never hold your breath when you're scuba diving.
In this video we are going to demonstrate the two methods for clearing a second stage.
The first method is the blast method
and the second method is the purge method.
Remember: any time a regulator is out of your mouth
you must blow a steady stream of bubbles.
This is the blast method. Take the regulator out, point it mouthpiece down so that it doesn't free flow...
...steady stream of bubbles...
To clear the second stage, you simply cough forcefully through it.
The purge method, when you take the regulator out
... make sure you blow a steady stream of bubbles....
when you put the regulator back in, put your tongue in the hole of the mouthpiece
before you push the purge button.
When you push the purge button, it clears the second stage.
When you take a regulator out, if you point it mouthpiece up, it will free flow.
And you can go through about 1500 PSI per minute.
So make sure any time a regulator is out, you point it mouthpiece down.
Remember: the most important rule of scuba diving is never hold your breath.
At some time in your diving career, your regulator is going to get pulled from your mouth and you'll have to know how to retrieve it.
Something might get caught on a regulator hose or you might run into something, it will happen.
The important thing is not to panic. Just remember to keep blowing a steady stream of bubbles
while you recover your regulator and never hold your breath.
If for some reason your regulator falls out of your mouth and you need to recover it, there are several ways to do this.
In this video you will see the following methods:
The Right Hand Sweep,
the Tank Tilt,
and the Invert Method.
Here, the diver has taken the regulator out of their mouth and thrown it over their right shoulder.
Notice that the diver's always blowing a steady stream of bubbles.
To recover the regulator using the Right Hand Sweep Method, the diver leans to the right.
Notice how the hose falls away from the diver's body making room for the right arm
and then does a big sweep ending up with their hand pointing straight up.
95% of the time that hose is going to be on your right shoulder when you go to find it with your left hand.
That was the Right Hand Sweep Method.
Here again, diver takes the regulator out
but this time puts it back behind their head. Notice the steady stream of bubbles.
Anytime a regulator is out of your mouth you must blow a steady stream of bubbles. You cannot hold your breath.
For the Tank Tilt Method, you reach back with your left hand
grab the bottom of the scuba cylinder or the bottom of your BC jacket
and with your right hand, reach over your shoulder and find the first stage.
Once you find the first stage, the hose in the front of the first stage on the right side
is the hose you're after. That we'll get you to your second stage.
Watch again.
Diver takes the regulator out,
puts it back behind their head,
but here they're not able to find it. You look and look: you can't find it. We have other options.
Just think about it.
Up front we have our alternate air source or our Atomic that we can breathe from.
Until you find your primary regulator, whichever method you use,
go ahead and breathe from your Atomic. You get smart points for this.
Notice that any time a regulator is out of the diver's mouth they blow a steady stream of bubbles.
you may be ascending while you are doing this skill.
If that method doesn't work, there's another method. It's called the Invert Method.
So here the diver was'nt able to find it.
so we invert. There is a little swirl to help that hose go around your snorkel.
That will free your regulator from back behind your head.
Divers need to be able to perform a controlled descent
and must be able to slow or stop if they have a problem clearing their ears or sinuses.
Not all dives are on the bottom.
Some dives are mid-water or on a ship's hull.
if you plan a dive to a certain depth, you should not exceed that depth or your dive tables will change.
In the case of Nitrox you may have a maximum depth based on what you are breathing.
Before you make a controlled descent, there are a few things you need to do.
Check with your dive buddies and make sure they are ready to leave surface.
Get a compass heading on the beach, or your exit point, as a reference.
Check your cylinder pressure and then check your time so you know when your dive starts.
To make a controlled descent, put your inflator/ deflator high above your left shoulder and vent air from your BC until you start to descend.
On the way down, if you need to, You can add small bursts of air to your BC to control your descent.
When making a controlled descent we always keep our feet beneath us so if we need to use our fins
to slow or stop our descent because of ear or sinus issues, we can.
We only descend as fast as the slowest diver in the team and we always stay together as buddy teams when diving.
That's a controlled descent.
Your bottom time ends when you start to make a direct ascent to the surface.
It's important that you're able to control your ascent because dive tables are based on an ascent rate of no faster than 30 feet per minute.
There are a few things you need to adjust in order to moderate your ascent.
For example, the air inside your BC starts to expand.
Also gas trapped in your exposure protection will expand and increase your ascent rate.
You need to stay with your dive buddies and everyone in the group should ascend at the same rate.
Before you make a controlled ascent there are a few things you need to do.
Check with your dive buddies and make sure they are ready to leave bottom.
check your cylinder pressure and then check your dive time so you know when your dive ends.
Hand positions are very important during a controlled ascent.
All divers should always have their right hand with a closed fist above their head.
The closed fist protects your fingers.
The fist above your head protects your head from overhead obstructions.
All divers always look above themselves and their dive buddies for overhead obstructions
and we can only ascend as fast as the slowest diver in the buddy team.
The proper ascent rate is no faster than 30 feet per minute.
When the divers get to the surface, the first thing they do is inflate their BCs so that they're positively buoyant.
This is why we always dive in buddy teams:
if the diver has an equipment malfunction or runs out of air and does not have a RASS to perform a self-rescue
their dive buddy will be there to rescue them.
One way to do this is to use your alternate air source.
At NOAA we use the Atomic SS1 as an alternate air source/inflator. We often refer to it as the Atomic.
When using the Atomic, the donor breathes from their alternate air source and passes off their primary regulator to the out-of-air diver.
Here, the diver on the right has run out of air.
The diver on the left is the donor and offers up their primary regulator.
Both divers go to proper hand positions.
Let's look at where the Atomic is. In the case of the donor, on the left hand side, the donor's breathing from the Atomic
and the donor can also add or subtract air from their BC.
The recipient, the person out of air,
has their inflator high up above their left shoulder because, as they make an ascent,
they may need to vent air from their BC as they go up.
Also when they get to the surface, they need to find their alternate air source inflator so they can orally inflate their BC.
So here we see the right hand - it's right hand to left shoulder.
And looking straight down you see the hook up.
It's an open box in the middle. there are no crossed arms. both divers are facing each other.
Once the out-of-air situation is solved and you get a breathing rhythm going
both divers ascend to the surface.
Now, for the person out of air, it's not a free ride! You have to kick as well.
The donor is not just going to inflate their BC and drag you to the surface.
Both divers have to kick to get to the surface.
When you get to the surface,
the person that is out of air is going to have to orally inflate their BC.
So when they get to the surface, they have to kick hard and orally inflate their BC.
The donor keeps the regulator in their mouth - that's the Atomic -
fully inflates their BC and provides positive buoyancy for the person that's out of air.
So watch as they come to the surface.
Here is the second view.
The donor on the left keeps the regulator in and their BC is fully inflated.
The recipient, on the right, has to orally inflate their BC.
Once both divers are positively buoyant, the skill is over.
This is why we always dive in buddy teams:
if a diver has an equipment malfunction or runs out of air their dive buddy can rescue them.
If the diver who has run out of air does not have a RASS and cannot perform a self-rescue
their dive buddy will need help them.
If your alternate air source is not working or your dive buddy does not know how to use it
your next best alternative is to share your primary regulator.
We call this buddy breathing.
Here, we see the diver on the right has run out of air.
The diver on the left is the donor and the diver on the right is the recipient.
Notice the hand positions.
The donor keeps control of the regulator by holding on to the second stage hose where it hits the second stage body.
The recipient holds on to the donor's wrist.
Think of this skill as if you're doing it in dark water where you can't see.
The only time you would let go of that regulator or that wrist is in order to purge it.
Other than that, you're going to keep control of it all the way to the surface.
When you pass a regulator, you pass the regulator mouthpiece down so the second stage doesn't free flow.
Any time there's not a regulator in your mouth you need to be blowing a steady stream of bubbles.
Two quick breaths; mouthpiece down.
Two breaths...
...mouthpiece down so it doesn't free flow.
Hand positions: every hand is busy.
The person that is out of air is reaching straight across to the donor's left shoulder strap
being careful not to trap their alternate air source hose.
The donor is holding their alternate air source inflator high above the left shoulder.
Here, the diver can control the buoyancy as both divers head to the surface.
Remember: the person that is out of air will not be able to add air to their Buoyancy Compensator.
We'll go around and take a look at hand positions.
Any time a regulator is not in your mouth make sure you're blowing a steady stream of bubbles.
Notice that they are not cross grabbing.
Any hand that is holding on to something reaches directly across.
This way the divers can look at each other as they're heading to the surface to make sure everything is OK.
After you've established a rythm, two quick breaths, pass the regulator mouthpiece down,
then the divers will begin to make their ascent.
If you're the person out of air, it isn't a free ride to the surface. You still have to kick.
The person that's the donor, that still has air,
when they get to the surface will fully inflate their BC
and keep the regulator in their mouth, being prepared to be used as a buoy.
The person that's out of air has to breathe from ambient or surface air and orally inflate their BC.
The donor keeps the regulator in their mouth
and also pushes up on the recipient.
A surface view.
We see the diver on the right, out of air, kicking hard and orally inflating their BC.
The donor keeps the regulator in and has their BC fully inflated.
At NOAA, when doing working dives or in situations with limited visibility, overhead environments, or where you can be separated
from you dive buddy, divers are required to carry a redundant air supply system.
At NOAA, we call this a RASS.
Ideally, all divers on all dives should be self- sufficient and carry a RASS. You'll be happy you had one if you ever run out of air.
The video we are about to see is RASS to the surface.
So here a diver has run out of air and there's been a buddy separation,
so the diver must make it to the surface.
Here the diver has run out of air...
Now, here we find a "known". We know the bottom of the cylinder.
Once you find the bottom of the cylinder you can find the rest of the components. So this is a habit we're starting early on in all divers.
Later on if you go to do decompression diving you might be wearing a sling bottle on the side.
This might be required decompression gas.
Or you might have a ceiling or overhead stops required.
So we start habits here.
Find the bottom of the cylinder. From the bottom of the cylinder you can find the second stage.
From the second stage you can find the on/off valve.
From the on/off valve you know we are at the first stage, from the first stage you can find the pressure gauge.
so from one known location you can find all the components on the pony bottle. So let's watch all those steps.
From a known, to the on/off valve, from the on/off valve, to the second stage,
purge it,
put it in your mouth and breathe from it.
any time a diver
doesn't have a second stage in their mouth they need to be blowing a steady stream of bubbles.
So even in between the second stage and orally inflating the BC there's still a steady stream of bubbles coming out of the diver's mouth.
Here we are adding 2 to 3 breaths to the BC
and you're catching that air inside your BC. This is going to make your ascent much easier.
That air that you've captured inside your BC is going to expand on your way to the surface.
Hand positions. Here we have the right hand with a closed fist above our head. A closed fist protects your fingers.
A closed fist also protects your head from overhead obstructions.
your left hand holds the BCD inflator/deflator at the highest point above your left shoulder.
A couple reasons for doing this: as you're ascending to the surface the air trapped inside your BC
is going to expand. You may need to vent some air from your BC to slow down your ascent.
also when you get to the surface
you have to orally inflate your BC, so when you get to the surface you've already located the thing you have to blow air into.
That's the alternate air source inflator or the second stage located in your left hand.
Here you see as the diver ascends to the surface, less and less effort is required. The air trapped in the BC is starting to take over.
Still, when the diver gets to the surface go ahead and take the second stage out and you take breaths from ambient air
and you blow that air into your BC.
Once you are at the surface, go ahead and ditch the second stage
taking big breaths from ambient air and pushing the yellow button directly in front of the mouthpiece with your two fingers.
Only blow when you're pushing the button, that will capture air inside your BC.
The skill is over when the diver is positively buoyant.
This video is going to be a demonstration of weight belt removal and replacement on the bottom.
Reasons you need to be able to do this: during a high entry, when you hit the water
your weight belt may get bumped a little loose and you might need to tighten it back up.
As you descend in the water column the neoprene that you are wearing compresses and you physically get smaller as you go to depth
so you may need to adjust your weight belt as well.
When you get out of the water, into a small boat, it is much easier to hand your weight belt to the people in the boat to climb inside.
So these are just a couple of examples.
Weight belt: remove and replace. First thing we need to do is to let all the air out of our Buoyancy Compensator or BCD.
You want to be as negative as possible on the bottom when you are doing this skill.
With your right hand you are going to reach around the front, you are going to pop open the buckle
and as you take the weight belt off make sure and keep it on top of you. Keep the weight on top of you during this entire skill.
Make the equipment do the work.
When you go to put your weight belt back on
you roll away from the belt
keeping the weight on top of you; make the weight belt do all the work. You slide the weight belt up
and then, before you do the buckle,
make sure that your gauge console or your alternate air source or octopus isn't trapped underneath the belt.
The trick here is making the equipment do all the work for you.
we'll take a look at this from another view. This is a side view.
Same thing: all the air out of your BC.
With your right hand, reach around the front,
pop the buckle
but immediately put the weight back on top of you. It's really important that you do this with the proper technique.
These are light belts here, these might be 12 or 16 pound belts. When you are doing this skill in cold water
you might be wearing a 25 to 35 pound weight belt. The technique is massively important then.
Again, make sure not to trap your gauge console or alternate air source or octopus.
And there you go, that was a good example of weight belt: remove and replace on the bottom.
There are a couple of reasons you want to be able to do this:
first of all it is one of the required skills that you need to do during your check out dive.
But also, what is built into this skill is the muscle memory where you learn where everything is
and how the buckles and clips on your BC work
and also when you get into week two of the class
some of that muscle memory is relied upon for the rescue portion
because during rescue you have to undo buckles and clips and loosen shoulder straps
and remove the BCD from the diver as you do a complete rescue.
So that's the reason we do it like this.
BCD: remove and replace. The first thing you want to do is let all the air out of your BC.
You want it as negatively buoyant as possible.
You're going to loosen up the shoulder straps; you have a buckle over each shoulder.
You want the shoulder straps open as far as possible, that makes this skill much easier.
Next thing you are going to do is take your gauge console - notice how it runs under your left shoulder strap and under your left arm -
you are going to back that out and put it in your BC pocket.
At your waist, on the front, there's a plastic buckle.
Undo that. underneath that is a Velcro cummerbund, undo that as well.
Remember that the regulator comes over your right shoulder, so we want to take this off like a jacket
taking your left arm out first, that way you can keep the regulator in your mouth during the entire skill.
Then, with your right hand reach back behind you
either grab the bottom of the scuba cylinder or the bottom of your scuba jacket
and take it off like we just did here.
check to make sure there is nothing wrapped around your first stage; that your cam band is done properly
and then to put it back on, put your right arm in first. Remember the regulator hose comes over your right shoulder.
With your right hand push the scuba unit up against your back
and hook down with your left hand trying to find that large shoulder strap hole.
Then, find the cummerbund up front
do the Velcro cummerbund and then the buckle that is in front of that.
And remember that we put our gauge console in our BC pocket, that way it can't get tangled up front when we put our scuba unit back on.
Reach back and find your gauge console.
Run it underneath your left arm in between the BC shoulder strap and your body
and then tuck it on the opposite side
and then you can tighten down both of the shoulder straps on your BC.
That was scuba unit: remove and replace.