Bluewater Ascents

[Rick Inman]

The OP brought this up because last weekend we were diving in literally 2' brown muddy vis and doing blue (actually, dark brown) water ascents. To be honest, we were doing such a great job, it even suprised us. At the 20', I was thinking of tossing an OOG at him, and just as I was about to, his light started waving and he did on one me, the dog. I don't think we moved more than an inch.

On the next one I shot a bag at, I think, 50'. Even just letting it hang there in front of me made the the ascent a lot easier in the bad vis. It's common for us to do zero reference switches.

We did all our deco's with the scooters off, until the last dive at a location that had 10' vis, then when we hit 20', we couldn't stand it anymore... it was too much fun zipping along the rocks and wall. On a tech 1 type dive, if you plug the numbers into whatever deco software you want, you're not going to see a significant difference in 20' to 10' during the final stop, so I don't have a problem scootering at that range should conditions permit.

But what Al said was correct. Our IANTD instructor didn't like doing brown water ascents with an obligation without shooting a bag. He thought that, if something went sideways, in the heat of things, it was too easy to lose control before you knew it. Still, we do these all the time, and throw things at each other on purpose (usually before 70' or after 20'), like valve drills, OOG or bottle hand-offs. We were discussing what the actual DIR take on this is.

 

[allenw1972]

Humm... interesting typo.

Just bumbling fingers... I only happend to be diving with you Rick/risk.

 

[allenw1972]

Yeah you'll end up doing no reference ascents with valve failures and a maskless OOG buddy while keeping on the deco schedule in Tech-1.

Rick,

You ready for that?

 

[BarryNL]

There is no reason not to shoot a bag, and to do a blue water ascent without reference. In both Fundies and Rec Triox, I was taught that ANY time you have to ascend off the upline, you are to shoot a bag.

Yeah, I don't think you should be planning to do blue water ascents in a dive (except a training dive) but it's a skill you need to have in case everything goes pear shaped and you need to do one.

Not doing blue water ascent practice is kind of like not doing OOG drills because no-one should be running out of gas

 

[rainman_02]

Yeah, I don't think you should be planning to do blue water ascents in a dive (except a training dive) but it's a skill you need to have in case everything goes pear shaped and you need to do one.

Not doing blue water ascent practice is kind of like not doing OOG drills because no-one should be running out of gas

Um, why should you not plan on an open water ascent? That's a pretty silly statement.

 

[Sloth]

Um, why should you not plan on an open water ascent? That's a pretty silly statement.

I think he means an open water ascent with no visual reference like a line on a SMB/lift bag.

I really don't understand the big deal on needing some reference but whatever.

 

[Rick Inman]

Yeah you'll end up doing no reference ascents with valve failures and a maskless OOG buddy while keeping on the deco schedule in Tech-1.

Rick,

You ready for that?

Sure. Tomorrow night?

 

[Rick Inman]

I think he means an open water ascent with no visual reference like a line on a SMB/lift bag.

I really don't understand the big deal on needing some reference but whatever.

Not saying you haven't done them in poor vis, but, doing zero ref ascents in Hawaii or other clear water is a totally different deal than in zero-ish vis. I just got back from Fl, and doing those drifting ascents from 200' with no reference was a breeze. The only reason to shoot a bag was for the boat to follow us. But doing them in 2' of dark vis... completely different ball game.

Still, I very much enjoy doing them without a reference.

 

[TSandM]

Still, I very much enjoy doing them without a reference.

You're a sick man, Rick . . .

 

[cfenton]

I agree that there isn't too many times that you would do a blue water ascent without shooting a bag. But isn't the point of the bag to mark your location to boats on the surface - your boat or other boats? I don't see how the visual reference of a piece of vertical cave line in the water helps a diver keep track of buoyancy, unless perhaps if it is knotted, but even then you have better references, your gauge, your ears, the air in your dry suit/wing. I think if anything shooting a bag complicates a blue water ascent, even if marginally. IMO at a Tech 1 level blue water ascents should be second nature.

The rare time I wouldn't shoot a bag would be, as previously mentioned, when scootering on deco. There are a number of dives up here where you are scootering home in blue water (ex. Semanus Island is a lengthy scooter ride across the Saanich Inlet in blue water). But if I was going to surface in blue water I would still shoot a bag.