Yes, the only reason I can see to close the isolator would be in an emergency situation ... then again, I'm not "officially" trained in the use of the manifold .. .
I think this is an excellent point. In my personal experience with DIR, they are not open to discussing merits of other setups? (Except among themselves, because I've noticed they make adjustments in their official procedures and gear config from time to time as they come up with what they feel are better ways). My impression is it's more of a "Our way or the highway" kinda thing. Or maybe "Our way or the funeral home". And for me, on the lighter side of diving (open water perfect conditions stuff), I think the gap between traditional system and "better" way is pretty small. One example that comes to mind is the DIR emphasis on streamlining and body position. Chuck a tourist off the boat in 85F water temp, 100' viz 30fsw, relatively calm, no current, where he might swim as much as 50' away from the boat while poking around the reef ... is he really going to notice the extra drag of his less than ideally routed hoses? Then they will say "teach 'em right from the beginning!" and I suppose there is something to be said for that. But those divers may never go beyond that once a year vacation diving. Does he have great risk of dying because his hoses stick out too far? Probably not as big a concern as the fact that he is out of shape. I am not rambling ...Originally Posted by BamaCaveDiver
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