BansTec Blog

For most divers talking about a dive after it has taken place is a very natural response, being able to address which aspect of the dive they liked was nice, to things they maybe found unpleasent. From a very simple “That vis was awesome I could see that whaleshark from at least 40metres away,” to “My bcd was rubbing through that whole dive,i couldn’t really enjoy it”. Which in terms of fundiving could just be idle banter between long time buddies or more importantly, used as an appropriate debrief in diver education or in well practied dive teams.

Prompt debriefs ensure the information has maximum value.

Hopefully the benefits of doing debriefs should be obvious for dive professionals but may be an aspect that many casual divers may forget to use in a progressive manner. As a tool to progress and push forward personal diving and diving within a group it has huge potential and should be actively encouraged. Whether looking at a simple piece of positive reinforcement or going further to the point of being to give valuable constructive critiscism. Sometimes this can go too far and lead to damaged egos, sadly it can also far too often go forgotten about especially within diver training.

So when is the best time for a debrief and what should it cover? I’m hoping it is a commonly shared belief that every training dive should be followed by a thorough and complete debrief as soon after the dive itself has been completed. It needs to be done while the dive is still fresh otherwise points to be improved will be forgotten. This could be done after individual skills in a confined water segment of and introductory course reminding a diver to use appropriate mask clearing techniques to reinforce the correct technique early, to immediatley after a cave training dive addressing perhaps an innapropriate level of gloabal/team awareness resulting in a simulated emergency not being dealt with in a timely manner. Two very different types of debriefs both need to be done while the acts themselves are still fresh. The same rule also applies to non-training dives, debriefs have to be done while it is still fresh. Do non-training dives have to be debrief after everydive? Well in my opinion why not, where is the harm even if there is very little to be worked on as a team it will allow all further dives, be it in water or in the planning stage, to be streamlined as much as possible. Just being able to openly talk about all aspects of the dive from start to finish with regards to what worked well what could be improved will increase not only the efficiency of the team but also skills as an indivdual. Important thing to remember that an appropriate debrief need not take up an hour, 10 minutes should ample amount of time to talk over the previous dive.

Appropriate levels of team diving come around after a few accurate debriefs.

Right let’s now think what is an appropriate method of debrief, whether one person leading or as a group discussion and then what way to address the points to be improved on. Within training dives it’s a fair assumption to say that the instructor will be the one mainly leading the debrief, which can potentially be a little overbearing at times. So encouraging group discussion as well as instructor led can be of a huge benefit as long as it remains on topic. Where as within non training dives can be somewhat more casual allowing everyone to raise points from the off. An important thing during a debrief is to try to avoid focusing on one thing, of course if it needs addressing then look at it, but you need to make sure to look at the entire dive so that every aspect including some that may have been forgotten by team members due to other things.

It’s also important to think, ok we have the forum of discussion now way can we put our points across. Within entry level courses the concept of positive reinforcement plays a huge part in aiding skill retention while allowing the students to maintain a positve learning attitude. As the level of training progresses this method can start to appear to become a little diluted and the responses not as constructive. In this case applying a level of constructive critiscism is going to be of huge benefit, being able to focus at little more on the exact point and how to adjust should be able to help streamline the improvement. A massive point to emphasize on the side of the instructor during any level of training is being able to give all aspects of what is being done a sound and concise value, without this any critiscism can boil down the to child like system of “Student:Why? Instructor:Because I said so!”. Which when we are looking to maximise training and levels of improvement is a horrible step to take. Knowing a value for a given technique or practice is going to make teaching that a huge amount easier. It allows the diver to create there own logical reason why they need to change their practices and will allow them to then pass that on to others easier.

Debriefs as early as confined water ensure basic diver skills can be learnt and mastered.

Debriefs need to be encouraged at all levels, the benefits of appropriate debriefs are huge, sadly many training dives are being conducted without them let alone non training dives. One aspect of the Cave and Technical training we are conducting emphasizes team diving, and within that debriefs take an incredibly important role. This is something that can and should be introduced early into people’s diving lives to try and maximise progression from dive to dive. Sadly it appears to be repeatedly forgotten and the progression is lost, we need to assure that debriefs are being done and importantly real value being given to what is being said and practiced whether in a training dive or a fun dive.

Khao Sok - Photo by John Cafaro

Cave diving in Thailand is not something new but it is becoming more popular due to the development of detailed overhead environment training programs.  Some of the oldest survey information we have record of dates back almost 10 years ago.  At this time there was a small select few of adventurous individuals mapping and exploring the cave systems of Southern Thailand.  After failed attempts to contact and gather information related to cave diving locations in Thailand we have figured out we pretty much had to start from scratch.  Several reasons have motivated these people to exercise caution with who they brought to these karst locations; lack of experience, lack of formal training as well as the desire to keep their secret playgrounds for themselves.

Tham Sra Kaew

Not too long ago I had a student attend an Intro to Cave course that had previously attended a ‘cavern’ and open water technical decompression course with a different instructor.  Immediately after the course their instructor sent them alone into a 65m deep cave with absolutely no training or experience for this type of environment… Luckily the old school go for it attitude is starting to phase out.

If you check around cave and technical diving courses have been available for quite some time.  The stories of the TCDP ‘Thailand Cave Diving Project’ are still floating around however the website is offline and the yahoo group is pretty much empty.

Over the last few years we have been cave exploring in Thailand as well as the Philippines.  The more we explore the more we find to explore.  We are quite excited about what the future of cave diving in Thailand is capable of.  There are thousands of noted caves in Thailand, discovered and explored by dry cavers.  Our mission for the next year is to progress with SRT and technical dry caving and rescue techniques to be able to truly explore the mysteries of the hidden part of Thailand, underground.

The Full Cave diver course consists of three training levels and 16 dives.  Brand new for 2012 TDI released the Stage Cave diver course.  TDI Instructor Craig Werger was actually the first instructor to teach this course in SE Asia!  The break down looks like this:

Cavern – 4 dives, 2 days

This is the first level of overhead training that can be done on a single cylinder with no previous technical training.  This would be a similar program to that of the wreck diver course however the dives would take place inside a cavern.  A cavern is the entrance to a cave that is within the natural light zone.  This course teaches the fundamentals of overhead diving including how to use a reel and deploy a guideline.  By the end of the course students will be familiar with simulated loss of visibility skills including exiting under simulated zero visibility as well as air sharing procedures without visibility.  Again, this is a course accessible from Advanced Open Water and 25+ logged dives so anyone with the desire to increase their skill base and try something new is welcome to attend.

Intro to Cave -  4 dives, 2 days

Intro to Cave is where the skills learned on Cavern will be mastered.  You’re going to do similar skills as you did on Cavern however we will start to incorporate the use of a permanent guideline as well as some self and buddy rescue scenarios like lost diver and lost line.  Intro to Cave is to be taken before Full Cave in a redundant technical rig.  I usually recommend divers starting this program have previously attended Advanced Nitrox and/or Deco Procedures however it is not a course prerequisite.

Tamara May at Khao Sok National Park

“Caves are better!! This is basically what it comes down to for me.  Khao Sok is a totally unforgettable place from those huge stalactites and stalagmites, amazing flowstone, swimming between tree branches and that giant catfish!  On the same trip we did two Tec 45 fun dives exploring the hillside for the underwater village, unfortunately we didn’t find anything but adjusting to using a twin set in fresh water was a challenge in itself.  Dodging tree branches and swimming past leaves is so surreal.  Craig demonstrated most of the ‘TDI Intro to Cave’ skills in the restaurant and then gave us a go, how it was so easy on land..  The most challenging skill I believe for Matt, Jake and I was the lost line.  Blind folded, feeling your way around a cave for a nylon line is hard but we did it.  A challenge was what I expected and the caves were also as beautiful as I expected.  I learnt so much from Craig and fine tuning these skills is my new goal, bring on Song Hong for Full Cave!!!”, Tamara May – TDI Intro to Cave, PADI Tec 40, PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer

Craig Werger at Song Hong - Photo by John Cafaro

Full Cave – 8 dives, 4 days

Full Cave is the icing on the cake so to speak.  This is where it all comes together; complex navigation, penetration limited only by turn pressure as well as mandatory full technical rig.  A Full Cave diver can do decompression inside the cave environment to a max depth of 40m if they have had previous decompression training.  If you are serious about discovering places few if any will ever see this is the program for you.  For any of the exploration missions we organize and conduct this is the minimum training level as it is designed to train you specifically on the skill set used during Cave Diving in Thailand.

If you wish to attend Cavern, Intro and Full Cave the 3 programs can be combined into a 7 day course.  I always recommend students having some decompression training before this course so that we can finish off at the deeper cave locations around Southern Thailand.

Stage Cave – 3 days

The Stage course or commonly referred to as ‘multi stage’ cave diving course is designed to train divers how to extend bottom times and/or penetration distance through the use of stage cylinders.  This program will educate the diver on motivations, equipment and techniques for multi stage diving.  Cylinder staging techniques as well as multiple cylinder manipulation will also be covered during this program.  Stage Cave will allow the diver to cave dive to their current technical training level and not be limited by the 40M Full Cave max depth.  This means Extended Range and Trimix will open up a whole new world of cave exploration in Thailand.

Jack Wylie at Khao Sok National Park

“The trip to Khao Sok and Song Hong was one of the most incredible trips of my life. We started the courses in amazing conditions in Khao Sok.  At the start it was very challenging, but as I progressed it all came together, and when we got to Song Hong I felt fully prepared for the Stage Cave course and the deeper dives.  Diving in Song Hong was exhilarating, especially the last dive where I led the traverse from the small pond to the big pond.  Mind-blowing!!  Many thanks to Craig for his teaching and patience, and I am really hoping I get another chance to go back!,” Jack Wylie – TDI Stage Cave, PADI Tec Deep and PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

A lot of cave diving internationally is done in shallow clear water.  The fresh water caves of Thailand are deep!  The deepest cave ‘Sra Keaw’ in Thailand has been recorded to be up to 240m deep.  Song Hong has not been bottomed out yet, its penetration distance has been recorded up to 900M at a max depth of 140M.  Stage Cave and Trimix diving in Thailand will open up a whole new world for cave divers!

Operation tECO

A couple of days ago Tony Tso and I conducted a technical training dive on the beautiful dive site “Chumphon Pinnacle”.  As we were coming around the south end called “Barracuda Rock” we saw something that is just as painful every time, fishing net wrapped over parts of the reef.  Since the net was located at 36m no recreational divers had the chance to execute such a dive in a safe manor.  The bottom time needed to remove the net far exceeded the no decompression limit for the given depth.  When dealing with nets, ropes or anything alike, there is always the risk of entanglement.  That’s why a cutting tool is required for any type of recreational diving.  In technical diving how ever we are required to bring a minimum of 2 cutting tools, in case of entanglement or an emergency we would be adequately prepared to deal with this.  One of them, mounted on the waist strap of the harness located behind the buckle accessible with both hands. The backup may be located in a leg pocket or wrist mounted.  A common misconception of divers is that a knife should be worn on the leg.  Under no technical diving scenario would a leg mounted knife be appropriate.  Often these excessive large knives are more of an entanglement hazard then a help.  Small and sharp beats big and dull every time.

Our dive plan allowed us 30 minutes of bottom time at 36 meters average depth. It was 4 minutes into the dive that we stumbled upon the net.  After our first risk assessment a plan was formed.  We estimated that the task required at least 20 minutes of work witch did fit in our dive plan.  Once removing the net we folded it up into a ball and secured it with a finger spool. With the net clipped off to my rear D-ring we started our ascent. We noticed many confused looks from other divers as we went trough our required decompression stops.

Next time you are diving and you find some trash take a moment to make sure that no marine life has inhabited the object.  Glass bottles are often shelter for smaller fish, even car tires will become a house one day if not removed quickly.  Coral will start to grow on top of nets and by trying to remove it we could accidentally damage the coral.

If you see debris in the water make sure that you can remove it without putting yourself or your team at risk. There is nothing down there worth dying for.

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”-Eleanor Roosevelt.

Appropriate dive planning has come a long way as a result of Accident Analysis.

We all make mistakes from time to time, whether simply forgetting to charge your phone or tripping over something. Both the examples above on their own taken out of context are very innocent mistakes to make, however once they are made they create a weak link in a possible chain of events that could lead to an accident. Mistakes happen they are inevitable in all aspects of life; the important thing is how we then treat these mistakes. We have the choice to simply ignore them as another one of those things, or really look at the aspects of each incident so that in the future we can try and reduce the likelihood of these things happening again.

Accident analysis has been around for a while now and has a very well documented history in many professions and fields. The most notable of these probably being in Aviation and Medicine; these two areas we can all agree are pretty useful. Accident analysis is now an integral part of both of these professions and is widely documented meaning the profession as a whole can progress and try and minimize any further incidents.

Now let’s take Scuba Diving, there are some good resources out there, though still not enough. Considering the amount of divers that are out there the amount of information that is available is minimal, and it’s not that there aren’t incidents in diving as some people may have you believe or the sugar coating of “freak accident”. Sadly there are many scuba related accidents around the world every month let alone every year, yes the industry has an impressively low incidence rate. However for those accidents still happening we can use them all as studies to help move the practices and standards within the industry forward.

Simple things such as analyzing gas is an example of where things have been improved.

Within the  cave diving community accident analysis has been fundamental in the progression of the sport and in reducing accidents. This approach should be taken across the board and all new professionals should have a thorough look at accident analysis, not only to lower accident rates but so they can give the things they are teaching real value. It doesn’t take long after looking through a few incidents to see the real value behind the skills that most of us do every dive with no problems. This is incredibly obvious within the cave community in the form of the 5 rules that have been developed of Training, Guideline, Air(Gas Management), Depth, Lights(equipment) these have been extended on a little from their inception. All these points are directly assessed on the planning stage of the dive and constantly during. Why this approach is only really practiced by cave divers and technical divers I do not know, it should be included in all aspects of professional training within the industry so professionals can encourage divers under their care to do the same.

Assessing where things have/could go wrong should be an integral part of diver training beginning in the classroom.

One of the problems we face is that diving being a hobby for most of it practitioners means a lot of the time when diving is being conducted it is in the sense of a couple of dive buddies away from the eyes of their certifying agencies; meaning that a lot of incidences are not actually being documented. When it’s not recorded there is nothing for the rest of us to look at and learn from. If however, it has been documented it can be rather tricky to gain access to the information due to the large number of diving agencies and organizations and the lack of streamlining with regards to their reporting and publication process. There are definite steps in the right direction already in place and reports are being done and information being gathered yet it can still be rather tricky obtaining these due to the way they are being published. Organizations such as DAN and BSAC make their reports very public which is immensely useful but I still can’t help but feel that there is still a huge amount of information being gathered that the diving community doesn’t have access to.

When all is said and done we all benefit from greater accident analysis, it encourages better practices, better education and ultimately will result in fewer accidents which is invaluable. We have already seen the successes of accident analysis in aviation and medicine which have driven both those professions forward. It’s about time we took the same approach within our own.

Here are a couple of useful resources for looking at some reports.

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/report/

http://www.disrc.com/

http://www.bsac.com/page.asp?section=1038&sectionTitle=Annual+Diving+Incident+Report

In October 2011 Ban´s Technical Diving set up an cave exploration project in Mindanao, Philippines.  You can check out some of the video footage of our cave expedition here.  As a small bonus the opportunity of diving world famous WWII wrecks came to us.  It was on the way back towards Manilla we decided on our detour.  With  a local bus we made our way to Subic Bay.  An old American naval base that was shut down in the early nineties.  During the second world war the base operated as an out post towards japan.

One of the main attractions in Subic is 110 metres long and 8150 ton armored cruiser USS New York, built in Philadelphia in 1893.  Before she was decommissioned in 1933 she had served as flagship in many campaigns, one of them The Battle of Santiago on July 3rd 1898.  USS New York was scuttled in December 1941 to avoid the risk of being captured by the Japanese.  Her 17” guns on deck combined with the fact that she is mostly intact makes this one special dive.  The USS New York is up there with one of the worlds top dive wrecks.  Laying in only 27 meters of water makes this perfect for long bottom time and long penetrations.  Utilizing the advantages of the standard gas blend EAN 32% you get a 30 min NDL.  For those divers with training in cave and wreck diving such as the TDI Full cave diver course can penetrate the wreck beyond the recreational limits.  This gives you access to the engine room and machinery areas.  Massive pipes, vales and wheels all of which are in excellent condition makes this scenery spectacular.  It would take you a serious amount of dives to get the complete picture of the outside of her. Double that number of dives and maybe you have covered most of the walkways, galley, cabins and the 20ft high engine room. The opportunities are endless in this wreck.

Equipped with the new version of the Razor Sidemount system there were no restrictions that were too narrow.  With the tanks along your side and with the opportunity to undo the tail clip of a cylinder and move it in front of you lets you squeeze through anything that you as a person can.  The equipment is not the limiting factor anymore.

Visibility is often very limited in Subic Bay however the vis inside the wrecks is often greater then outside.  One of the reasons might be the busy port located in the bay with massive ships sailing in and out every day stirring up the bottom.  The temperature is a bit colder then what we were used to, 26´C felt a bit cold even with a full length 3mm wetsuit and hood.  Currents were never really present which made the decompression portion on the dive easy.

Another wreck in Subic located a bit further out from the bay is the LST. The LST operated as an landing ship tank during the war supporting

The U.S.S. New York at the bottom of Subic Bay. Composite rendering from dive photos in "National Geographic" blue. Source: Misho Katulic Copyright Misho Katulic - All Rights Reserved.

the amphibious operations by carrying large number of troops, vehicles and cargo straight on to the rugged shoreline.   The LST offer some good penetration, but not as complex as the New York. We managed to lay down roughly 80 metres of line before we reached our turn. Tight walkways with an extremely fine layer of silt prompts all divers to have good environmental awareness and proper propulsion techniques.

El Capitan was the last stop on our wreck safari.  As the Captain went down she rolled over to her port side which offers some fun penetration as you are moving trough the levels side ways.  One point of interest is the cargo hold, since she is empty the size of the vessel becomes clear. Floating around inside the major compartments with the beam of your primary torch just reaching across to the other side is great.  This was the perfect ending to our trip.

As we were flying out I believe we all felt satisfied with the wrecks of Subic bay.  But after more then 2 weeks of exploring I´m sure we were all happy to return home to Koh Tao.

Technical Sidemount Diving

I would like to start by congratulating Patrick Tassin and Robert Brookes on completing their TDI Sidemount course on Koh Tao!  Both of these divers are experienced technical divers and cave divers.  Patrick is a Padi Tec Deep Instructor Trainer and Rob is a Padi Tec Deep Instructor.  They both dive backmout configuration on a regular basis and have quite a clean set up.  When Patrick first contacted me about coming back to the island he told me he was interested in doing sidemount training.  His first question was, “what unit are you using?”.  This seems to me quite a popular topic for sidemount divers and wannabes at the moment.  Rob had been busy teaching plenty of backmounted technical diving courses (Tec 40, 45, 50) and has tried sidemount on several occasions in the pool but just hadn’t had the time to complete a full training course until now.

Left and Right handed valves recommended for sidemounting

The program started out in the workshop where we drained and split up 3 sets of doubles to be used as sidemounted cylinders with left and right hand valves.  We also converted 3 sets of back gas regs to sidemount regs.  One thing we all agreed upon was the use of Apeks DST or UST first

UST with 5th port conversion kit

stages.  These first stages with the 5th port conversion kits are the only Apeks regs that can be used with ANY configuration.  We highly recommend these for anyone looking to buy a regulator because of their ease of compatibility with any diving system.

One of the biggest changes to come to technical diving in the

Long hose configuration on RH cylinder

last few years has been the development of sidemount specific systems.  When people first

start looking at some of the different systems on the market it can seem a bit overwhelming.  It seems that most training agencies are starting to develop their own sidemount courses.  The two different courses available will be Recreational Sidemount and Technical Sidemount.  Depending on what your current level of training is and where you choose to take it there is a clear and viable path for you.

As an advanced diver you can start sidemount diving without having any previous technical diving experience.  Some of the major benefits of sidemounting as a recreational diver would be the increased gas volume, breathing gas redundancy as well as increased streamlining.

Sidemount cave diving at Khao Sok National Park

For a diver that is already tech trained they can take a technical sidemount course that will qualify them to dive to their previous training limitations as an open circuit diver.  If someone wants to start sidemount and technical training it is possible to start both at the same time.  Both the Padi TecRec and TDI technical diving courses can be conducted in sidemount\ (if the instructor is a sidemount instructor).

The main buoyancy cell on a properly designed sidemount system will be mounted in

Adjusting the Razor 2 harness

the divers lower back bringing their center of buoyancy closer to their center of gravity.  This provides the diver with the ideal head to toe balance that is often left to be desired in most back mount configurations.  When underwater, sidemounting is a very relaxed and streamlined setup that always surprises those starting up; whether recreational or technical background.

There are several types of sidemount systems available on the market today, some being sidemount specific and some being multi purpose.  After

careful consideration I choose to purchase a few ‘Razor 2′ systems with the newly designed ‘Bat Wing’.  In order to obtain these systems I ordered them to an address in the states and had my friend John Cafaro bring them over in his luggage when he returned from a short visit back home.  There were several other cheaper and more readily available units but I chose the Razor because of its readiness for tech and cave diving.  I have seen several multi-purpose units on the market but after reading several reports it seems they have been classified into the ‘not exceptional at anything’ category.  As a Stage Cave and Technical diving instructor I wanted something that would suit all the courses I offer including recreational, not just the recreational market… “A mini-van would be classified as an all around useful vehicle, a Porsche would be classified as high performance.  Being that you aren’t swimming any kids to soccer practice why sacrifice with your diving equipment?”

It’s with pleasure us at Ban’s Tec welcome Andy Mathieson AKA Geordie back to Koh Tao, Andy has just finished Tec 40 with us.
“After a few days (and nights) back on the rock i was found wondering the streets by Chopper. He sent me down to Ban’s Tec to meet Instructor Rob, and so the Tec journey began.Here are a few words from the man himself on how he found it.

Having already done a Tec DSD about a year ago memories of inventing ‘new’ Trim positions came flooding back. I’ve probably never surprised myself so much after 30 mins working on body position and fin kicks I’d say i was 70% there (Rob might tell you otherwise). (Apologies to the Spanish Open Water students i back-kicked in the head!)

As far as the course i’d say sort out your trim and bouyancy and the rest will follow. For sure the pressure ramps up when you’ve got 5 or 6 things going on at once but after 4 course dives and 3 extra training dives everything seemed to fall into place. Huge thanks to Rob for being a top bloke and going above and beyond the course requirements.

Reckon I turned out alright, Tec 40 is a challenge but definatley something every diver should have a crack at” Andy Mathieson Aka Geordie Febuarary 2012.

A massive thanks goes to Geordie who has turned out alot better than alright, when he remembers which way his valves roll that is. We’re very much looking forward to doing some more diving with Geordie when he starts his Tec 45.

Regulator configuration for doubles

Diving with the correct hose lengths is something that is repeatedly being overlooked by many divers now a days.  It is topic being discussed early as the second chapter in PADI´s open water course, the importance of streamlining yourself and you equipment.  Still technical divers conduct dives in overhead environment or even open water with a non streamlined hose configuration that expose the diver to an unexceptional risk of entanglement let alone looking ridiculous.  An y of the tech diving courses in Thailand should cover these basic aspects.

The following lengths are standard for back mounted twinsets.

If we start off with the long hose.  A 7ft (213cm) hose is considered standard in technical diving, however if dives are conducted in open water a slightly shorter 5ft (150cm) hose is acceptable.

Your Backup regulator is supposed to be on a 22” (56cm) hose if using the Scuba Pro

Backup Regulator Location

MK25 or an Apeks regulator with the 5th port.  Otherwise the slightly longer 24”

(61cm) will be sufficient to allow the regulator to hang neatly under your chin in the necklace.  It is best to avoid commercially purchased silicone back up regulator necklaces that locates the second stage way down on your chest!  Simple 5mm bungee cord locked under the mouth piece cable tie secured by a knot on either end is the best.

The low pressure inflation hose also routed from the 5th port of the right post is of 22” (56cm) length, same as with the backup regulator.

A 24” (61cm) high pressure hose should be used for the submersible pressure gauge. The hose should be routed in front of the wing and then attached with a 3/8″ bolt snap to the divers left hip D-ring.

For the stage or decompression bottle a 40” (102cm) hose is the best option. This length will allow the hose to be routed from the left side, up and around the neck and then into the divers mouth.  Nothing looks and feels as amateur as using the standard ‘short’ hose the

Hose routing for Apeks 5th port conversion kits

regulator comes with, twisting the second stage in the divers mouth!

High pressure hose for the stage or decompression cylinder should be of 6” (15cm) and be bent around into a U-shape and tied up with cave line for easily monitoring of the gas supply.

Lately on the market upcoming brands have been launching double braided hoses that weigh less and are said to be more prone to the wear and tare.  One thing that should be noted are the buoyancy characteristics; they tend to be slightly more positively buoyant then the standard rubber hose.  This overy buoyant hose materials tends to annoy the majorety of divers if used on the long hose, however the other applications tend to work out alright.

Hopefully this can help as a small guide for you the next time you are thinking on upgrading your existing rig or buying regulator set for double configuration.

Something simple as an old mask box with a few o-rings and zip ties or a big pelican case with everything from O2 lube to power bars. A good kit can be the difference between memories for life, or just sitting on the boat and fantasizing about the dive you could be doing.

Not all diving in the world is run through big dive resorts and centres. Small dive clubs or just heading out with your buddy is how most of the diving in Europe is being conducted. During the short summer months that I spend in Sweden nearly all the diving I do is with 2 buddys and a small RIB. On every trip we bring our communal save a dive kit. So far it have saved us a couple of times and has in my eyes already paid for itself.

A good start can be:

O-rings, zip ties, mask strap, fin strap, mouth piece, spare batteries, bolt snaps, port plugs, hoses, BCD inflator head, multi tool, hex wrenches, adjustable wrenches, dental picks, wire cutters, lighter, cave line, duct tape, silicone grease, zipper wax, dry suit repair kit.

All you have to do is to buy a nice dry box, put whatever small bits and pieces you already have laying around. And then over time you will have your very own Save A Dive Kit.

a small section before we started.

One of our newest projects here at Ban’s Tec was the unveiling of operation TECO and the introduction of the “Eco Interval” to one of our last cave trips. One of our favorite local spots is a sink hole named “Song Hong” in mainland Thailand that provides us with some amazing overhead dives. How ever we did start to notice a rather large build up of rubbish over a few trips. Mainly rubbish from the locals using the area as a beauty spot, old food packaging and a huge amount of empty/broken beer bottles, also sadly some rubbish from other divers that also dive there, tank contents stickers etc.

On the way there on our last trip we had a little stop off at a hardware store and we bought a couple of rakes and a shovel and eyed up our first set of “Eco Intervals”. We arrived, unloaded, geared up and started the first of our dives for the 40 metre circuit, a bit of early morning deco and we were back up on the surface. After we’d fired up the compressor, had a bit of grub and a small rest we set to work.   Quickly the rubbish started to pile up, lots of glass, plastic and empty polystyrene containers mixed in with natural waste such as dead leaves.

Let Op TECO Begin.

Soon the interval was over so back in we went and again after we surfaced we carried on cleaning the local area, we continued this for a couple of days and realised it was going to take longer than a few surface intervals to really clean up the area. So it is definitely an ongoing process every time we get a trip out there we try and encourage all the divers to lend a hand. While we were cleaning every now and then a few locals would stop by and watch with a puzzled look they all seemed very positive though. Especially the few we could manage a broken conversation with as to what we were doing here and why we were cleaning. Even after our first trip there was clearly a difference and also clearly still work to be done.

It’s not a subject I’d say many tech divers really touch on too much, the “Eco” side of things which is a shame, as with all diving it cannot be ignored. Of course as with everything we do, we want to try and minimize the impact we have on the environment and as divers we have a number of ways we can do this with huge emphasis on correct Buoyancy and propulsion techniques.

Our tools, oh and a couple of rakes and a shovel.

We have to remember there are also other reasons than purely environmental reasons for the clean up, we want to keep the caves/wrecks/any diving environment clean for us and other divers in the future, also so we can keep continued access to all the sites we enjoy. It is also a way we can set a good example with the local community so they are happy for us to keep returning and also aim to have as something we can all get involved in. This applies to every single diver out there whether it be technical or recreational and if the environmental reasons are not enough for you to get involved then maybe the thought you might ruin the site for your and others future diving enjoyment should spurn you to help. Many ways you can help by simply cleaning up after yourself, to participating in clean up events which there are a huge number of these going on around the world at all times. Most dive centres will have schedules for when these are taking place, and for the dive community as a whole are a wonderful thing to get involved in.