Holistic Hogarthian - a working document (Part I)

[DRE]

The Holistic Hogarthian Approach to Diving

By David R.E. Ramael
February 6, 2003



Holistic Hogarthian is an all-encompassing approach to diving, which in-corporates a clean and streamlined gear configuration with a thorough under-standing of diving physics and physiology, proper dive planning, and team execution. Furthermore, the Holistic Hogarthian diver makes sure he/she is in good physical and mental shape to execute the dives, whether it is a 30 ft reef dive or 300 ft wreck dive. H2 evolved from the Hogarthian gear configuration de-veloped by numerous deep-exploration Florida cave divers, and which was dis-tilled into a system by Bill “Hogarth” Main. His primary philosophy was “less is better,” if you don’t need it – don’t bring it. H2 opened this approach to all as-pects of diving, not solely the gear configuration.



The Hogarthian gear configuration

   At the center of the Hogarthian gear configuration is the back plate har-ness setup. This system is simple and rugged, yet extremely versatile. The alu-minum or stainless steel plate is strung with 2inch nylon webbing, preferably a single piece of webbing or with a quick release. A minimum of three D-rings is added: two shoulder D-rings and one hip D-ring at the diver’s left-hand side. A wing sandwiched between the tank and the back plate provides the buoyancy. For single tank diving, the 35 to 45# range is optimal, for doubles diving a 55-65# bladder is recommended. Anything more than a 65# bladder is considered overkill, and it will only enlarge the diver’s profile, thus creating more drag. The Hogarthian gear configuration also does not recommend the use of dual blad-ders, as it only adds more drag, is one more failure point in the setup and is ab-solutely unnecessary when using a balanced rig. The diver should be neutrally buoyant at 15ft with no gas in the wing when using a wet- or drysuit, but has the option of ditching enough weight at depth (whether it is a light canister or actual weights) to be able to swim up to the surface. This also implies that a diver never uses heavy steel tanks in combination with a wetsuit.
The diver breathes a long-hose regulator, and donates the regulator from which he is breathing in case of an Out-Of-Gas emergency. The hose length can be as short as 40” for open water, but a seven-foot hose is recommended. The seven-foot hose goes straight down from the regulator’s first stage, across the diver’s chest, loops around the neck into the mouth. The backup regulator is worn in a bungee loop around the neck, and hangs directly underneath the diver’s chin. In case of an OOG, the donor always knows where his backup is, and just has to put it in his mouth, without having to unclip anything. At the same time, the OOG diver has a clear visual reference as to where his gas supply will be coming from (the exhaust bubbles!), and she/he also knows the regulator she/he is about to receive actually works. The pressure gauge, which is a simple gauge and not a bulky console, is clipped off to the left hip D-ring.



Technique

   Proper technique is one of the key elements in the H2 diver’s repertoire. The same basic technique gives her/him the enjoyment of cruising on a tropical reef dive, as it does on a deep cold-water wreck dive. Proper technique starts with proper posture: the H2 diver moves horizontally through the water, reducing his overall profile (hence better gas consumption) and facilitating the gas trans-fer ability of the lungs. Careful consideration is given to the use of proper finning techniques: the H2 diver strives for minimal impact on the dive site and for maximal thrust. This is accomplished by using the frog kick and a variety of modified kicks, all designed not to kick up any silt. Therefore the kicking motion is always directed back- and upward – never downwards. The last main compo-nent of proper technique concerns the mastery of buoyancy. Without proper buoyancy the H2 diver would be extremely inefficient. Good buoyancy technique minimizes the diver’s impact on the environment (no bumping into fragile coral), while it also enhances the joy and ease of diving. The H2 diver also has impecca-ble equipment skills, such as donating the long hose in an OOG situation, and in more advanced settings, the proper use of dive reels and spools, efficient lift bag deployment, and effortless gas switching. All of these skills are honed through constant practice. It is not only important to develop the diving repertoire, but also to maintain it. The H2 skill set should become second nature to the diver, in order to be able to react instantly to a possible emergency situation. Therefore, OOG drills, lift bag and reel deployment, etc., should be practiced on almost every single dive.