Simon Campbell

Posted at 1816 hours on 10/12/08 | Posted in Diving, Guest articles

Twin Ten’s: trails and tribulations

As always, excitement got the better of me I was off for some diving training in the Isle of Man with fellow Tritone, Simon Campbell. I was up and packed by 0630 Friday morning to catch my ferry from Heysham at 1315. Early wasn’t in it, it only took 50 minutes to get there! A guest article by my fellow Tritone, Jackie Dixon.

Within an hour of being on board I had been invited to a party in Douglas with the ferry crew and passed the remainder of the trip with an interesting chap who was to set off around the world on his boat. I knew from this point, I was going to like the Isle of Man.

Once there, the first job was to put my shiny new twin set kit together which comprised of: 2 x Apeks DS4, 1 x Apeks TX100, 1 x Apeks XTX50, 1 x Apeks twin gauge, 1 x FROG wing and backplate, a multitude of black Miflex hoses, twin 10L Faber cylinders fitted with Beaver manifold and bands.

With Simon’s help the kit configuration day went according to plan, bar a few minor discrepancies. I was informed my bolt snaps where ¾” not 1” and therefore totally inadequate, my suit inflate was too long, my gauge hose was too long and my hood made me look like a cone head – not cool. And why did I need a bloody depth gauge? To my dismay the length of my 10 litre cylinders also meant that I couldn’t fit my cylinder boots back on. This is bad for two reasons (1) my cylinders don’t stand up (2) people might think that I am DIR when I am quite clearly not.

The DIR readers may also question my choice of twin 10’s. Well, I am petite (short) and twin 12’s are almost as big as I am…

Reasonably happy with my set up, Simon and I jumped into the Triton LandRover and went over to Port Erin to see if we could have a gander around the break water. Unfortunately, it was too rough so we went for a pint.

On Saturday night I was shipped off to a local dive quiz organised by Steve Cowley’s Discover Diving. The earlier few pints took the nerves away from not knowing anyone and the worry about whether or not I could answer these questions. I was hopefully to train with Steve later in the week so I figured I had to be on the ball. After the introduction to my team ‘Novice Divers’ the quiz began… Famous divers, famous ships, famous fish, famous diving films, famous sea anemones, etc. We would have come last if ‘Dave’ hadn’t been assigned to us half way through; we rapidly became redundant as team members, so we got drunk.

The Pool session

After a lazy Sunday day Simon and I were off to the local pool to try my new kit. We started with a bit of buoyancy and trim. Now I have tried twin sets before and have been told by numerous people how wonderful and easy wings are to dive with so I knew something wasn’t quite right. As I tried to don the critical horizontal position I found myself in a slightly uncontrolled forward roll, this wasn’t a good start.

Next was the shut down procedures. I was worried about doing these shut downs but they really aren’t that bad. It is just a case of remembering which side you have turned off and which regulator you have in. I got this wrong once, so I learnt quickly.

Next was the S Drill or out of gas drills. I had my primary regulator on a 2100mm black Miflex hose around my neck. I am also supposed to have a light canister which the long hose should loop around keeping it all tidy but I do not have one. I have never used this configuration before but the actual procedure is very easy. What wasn’t easy was controlling the 2100mm super flexible hose that had a mind of its own. Simon very nearly lost his buoyancy through laughter as I wrestled furiously with my hose, which I feared had grown and was about to consume me whole. I emerged from the water slightly deflated and was positive that I would not be ready to go any further with advanced training this week. I had too many problems to sort out.

We discussed with Steve the possibilities of getting out on his boat the Endeavour later this week, but he laughed in our faces. The weather up until Wednesday was due to be horrendous however; Simon and I were determined to dive. Everyday we kitted up, jumped in the Land Rover, drove to the dive site, and jumped out. Everyday we shook our heads and ended up in the pub.

During our extended surface time I managed to get through some chart work training and we also sat down to study the ‘Introduction to Tech’ DVD produced by 5thD-X in an attempt to master our helicopter turn. The video proved very helpful, identifying further steps to be included in our drills and aiding Simon in his development of the new BSAC Twin Set Course. The guys on the video are really quite impressive and I would suggest that anyone getting into this technical world take a look.

Dive one

Wednesday finally arrived. We checked the tides, checked the weather, and everything was good… today was the day, today we were going to dive. Our first dive was at high tide off Fort Island just around the corner from Simon’s house. We were very excited although doubtful about the quality of the dive.

The dive was great; we had stumbled upon a fantastic place to train. Depth of 10m, sandy bottom, good vis, lobster everywhere and loads to see. Unfortunately, my drysuit opened up a whole new world of problems. My forward rolling problem had reached a new level. Once I had air in my dry suit feet I was rolling round like a baby seal. Luckily I discovered that if I swam at an angle slightly less than vertical, I could dive reasonably happily albeit quite ungainly. I just about managed all the drills, though my neoprene suit is a problem when it comes to shut downs.

Dive two

During our surface interval I added two kilos of weight to my harness and moved my cylinders down slightly to see if I could counter act this forward rolling action. Much to Simon’s disgust I do not dive with jet fins but it was decided that the extra weight of the fins would help, so I was to wear his spare pair.

Off we popped back to Fort Island 4 hours later as low tide approached. There was now a 50 yard walk down to the waters edge with a choice of route. Either we walk down the eroding concrete jetty complete with huge steps or over the slippery seaweed. We voted for the jetty, kitted up and carefully wandered down to the water.

I had limited my forward rolling and managed a reasonable position in the water; but now I couldn’t reach my valves. We mooched around for about 45mins practising the S Drill and hunting lobster for tea. We didn’t find any big enough. It took a team effort to get back up the jetty to the Land Rover. Needless to say I was further disheartened.

It was decided that my dry suit might be the problem because it is so stiff. So off we popped to Discover Diving to get a fill and see if we could borrow a dry suit. We were in luck; we got 280 bar fills and a membrane suit for the next day.

Thursday

Up early again, hopeful that the new equipment will solve my problem and nervous that it might not. We decided to dive in the bay directly outside Simon’s house (what a great place to live!). With the new dry suit and jet fins on, finally things were going right. My constant efforts to stabilise my position in the water was causing some discomfort in my legs and back but I was able to enjoy this dive free from pain. Although there are still minor adjustments to be made, I managed all the drills confidently.

Following another dive later in the evening my trip came to an end. Unfortunately we never managed to catch any lobster, but for our final feast of the week the long suffering Angela Campbell cooked us up a sea food platter. A great end to a great week!

1 comment

1. Hayley McDonald on 17/12/08 at 1706 hours

   A great account of early stage tech diving.
   I think this undeniably proves that practice and pure determination is all you need to progress in diving. (even with 3/4 inch hoses!)
   Whatever your prefence be it twin sets, single cylinders, technical or just for fun; dont be afraid to try new gear and different configurations. Its vital to know your equipment, make it your best friend,  get stuck in, GET DIVING! and reap the rewards of a smooth sail with the fishes!

   Good job Jac!

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