Proper utilization of the safety rock

[clevelanddiver]

My dive buddy finally sent me a batch of photos from the summer and I found one covering my favorite vintage diving trick..... the safety rock.

I dive a 2 piece 5mil with my vintage gear in the summer. It works great with 8lbs of lead and no BC in 20 - 40 feet of water. Much deeper and I don't need a weight belt. Shallower, I pop up like a cork. In the zone, I am dialed in.

So what happens when the dive is over an I am 4-5lbs lighter due to air consumption? I call on the sacred safety rock to slow my ascent.

Picking the correct weight in rocks can be tricky, because they are 45 feet down where I am starting to become negatively bouyant with just the weight belt.

Works like a charm even if my buddies get a laugh out of it.

Other details.... the thing on right wrist is an old princeton bottom timer and that's an old scubapro compass on my left wrist. No computer. No spg, just a j valve. The suit is open because the surface temp is 70+ degrees with a bottom temp of around 58 degrees.

[OystrPir8]

That's pretty funny - I have used that when DM-ing open water classes. Not diving vintage but when a student was under weighted and I had lent them mine to get them down. I picked up rocks and shoved them into my BC pockets. Its amazing how little weight you get out of a big rock. It never occurred to use it as a safety when diving without a BC. These are the kinds of tricks I want to learn. With twin 38s id imagine it could get interesting to say the least.

[William]

Great Example again by a Vintage Double Hose Regulator Diver just doing things the old Fashioned way, ha, ha. Thanks.

[dot]

When diving say a wreck, we use to have our weight belt correct for after the dive with empty tanks, you went down nicely (fast) then we left our belts at the down line and were pretty good, if you were still just alittle to heavy we just kicked faster LOL LOL. Then to go up we put our belts back on and kicked up until we hit our good area which was usually 10-15 feet, no safety stops then. We didn't have horsecollars or anything.

[duckbill]

I never saw Mike with a "safety rock".

Needless to say, that is NOT a recommended practice. I'd rather be negative at the bottom and safe all of the time, rock or no rock.

All I can say is- DON'T DROP IT IF YOU HAVE A GOOD NITROGEN LOAD!!!!!

[clevelanddiver]

I never saw Mike with a "safety rock".

Needless to say, that is NOT a recommended practice. I'd rather be negative at the bottom and safe all of the time, rock or no rock.

All I can say is- DON'T DROP IT IF YOU HAVE A GOOD NITROGEN LOAD!!!!!

Seeing as it is a quarry that literally hundreds of divers use, I doubt they'd appreciate me mucking up the bottom by overweighting myself.

It being a ROCK quarry kind of makes safety rocks an abundant resource. The rock is only needed to hold the safety stop an slow the ascent. It is also only needed above 20 feet. If I start to float up a little at the end of the dive I can always kick down and grab a rock.

Mike did his diving in the warm waters of Florida, not the frigid waters of Ohio. Put a 2 piece 5mil or 7mil on him with no BC and then ask if he wants to be a) severly overweighted at the bottom or b) utilize the safety rock.

[Nemrod]

I am actualy a geologist so I like rocks. I often pick one and up and then I spy another so I pick that one up, sometimes I grab trash to, one time I found a nice ditty bag . Then I had something to put all my rocks in. I clipped it to my RH D ring. I still have the bag, thanks whoever lost it.

Nemrod

[captain]

"I clipped it to my RH D ring"

Oh such blasphmey!

[ivan's mermaid]

Hi Guys:
I've had Rob hand me a safety rock or two towards the end of my dives.
I have struggled to get my weight right.
We went diving the St Lawrence with our buddy simon beans and this time Rob was over weighted at the bottom.
Rob picked up a Safety Bucket, turned it upside down and used it as a bc to hold him up off the bottom.

[simonbeans]

Ah yes, the bucket. When we were diving the Islander from the shore at Alexandria Bay, NY last summer, Rob would go under part of the wreck searching for artifacts. After 5 minutes or so Rob would emerge from the search with a billowing cloud of silt following him. Within this cloud was a small white bucket. I thought he was using this bucket for his treaures. We then swam down river at a depth of about 50 feet. Everytime i wanted to take a nice vintage style photo of him he had that stupid bucket. It was only after the dive did I find out that he was using it for bouyancy control. So along with the safety rock (always in my dive kit) we can now add the Bucket BCD. Another stroke of genius from the T-shirt king. Here is a poor shot of our hero with "the Bucket".

[OystrPir8]

Wondering what is attached to Robs tank at the back - it looks like something wrapped in foil.

[swimjim]

Those are the cam buckles on his backpack.

Jim

[simonbeans]

Actually they are the cam buckles on the bands of his travel harness. These bands can be adjusted to any size tank. His travel harness was one of the prototypes that was made. Here is a photo of the lastest version that was made for Nemrod and Standingup (which was in USD Blue):

[standingup]

The harness I received is fan freakin tastic. I will be giving it a wet test on monday or tuesday. If anyone is sitting on the fence about simonbeans harness jump already you will be happy.

[1969ivan1]

Yep, that travel harness is the deal. I have used it on AL80s(yuch), 72 steels, and 80 steels with no problems. It is not truly vintgae, but it is a heck of a lot better than a plastic back pack, and comfy also. I am going to get another from Allan before all his travel cams are gone. Don't forget to hold one for me ALLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!