The NSS-CDS Board of Directors has approved the final wording of a standards change pertaining to gas sharing during training. In short:
- Students may, if they choose to do so, practice actual gas sharing during NSS-CDS training dives. This, however, must be entirely voluntary.
- NSS-CDS Instructors may not compel or coerce any student to put another diver’s second stage in his mouth.
- Instructors are to explain to students that they have this option along with the risks and benefits of doing so.
This affects gas sharing practice both before and during training dives.
- Students should always test their long hose for deployability before every dive.
- However, unless students choose to do so, any practice of gas sharing should go no further than the point where a donor presents a second stage, right-side up, with the mouthpiece facing the receiver.
- At this point, the receiver can take the offered second stage and clip it to a shoulder D-ring. The receiver should then switch between his own two second stages to demonstrate that he can do so while maintaining buoyancy and trim.
- Gas sharing practice can then proceed as it normally would with divers assuming the correct positions and swimming while maintaining contact with one another.
- This, of course, does not pertain to any actual emergency that may occur during training.
You can download the updated standards from the NSS-CDS website. Refer any questions you may have to the Training Chairman.