Planned deco on a recreational dive?

[scubadada]

I've been diving since 1970 and have seen many changes, some have made me safer, some have improved the quality of my diving. I'll take diving today. I still occasionally dive my MK5/R109 I purchased in 1972, breathes quite well.

Tank with a J-valve to the SPG
Navy tables to PADI tables with safety stops, to the dive computer
Air to nitrox
Single regulator (we learned buddy breathing) to a 2nd regulator
Manually inflated vest (never tried the CO2 cartridge) to a Scubapro vest with an auto inflator to the BC

 

[lermontov]

newer gear or ideas shouldn't be presumed to be improved or safer.

can you give an example of newer gears or ideas that are not safer?

 

[boulderjohn]

According to the information on the ScubaPro site, the Pilot regulator was only made for one year. Their hype says it was a great breathing regulator at depth, but it was replaced after a year by a model that was not as complicated and difficult to maintain. So an organization that favored replacing the Pilot was ScubaPro.

 

[packrat12]

I've been diving since 1970 and have seen many changes, some have made me safer, some have improved the quality of my diving. I'll take diving today. I still occasionally dive my MK5/R109 I purchased in 1972, breathes quite well.

Tank with a J-valve to the SPG
Navy tables to PADI tables with safety stops, to the dive computer
Air to nitrox
Single regulator (we learned buddy breathing) to a 2nd regulator
Manually inflated vest (never tried the CO2 cartridge) to a Scubapro vest with an auto inflator to the BC

Most of these listed are a penetration into the market issue and less about existing by the mid 1970's. My old USD 1974 regulator, which was a J valve also, had ports and was used with an octopus. SPGs were also introduced in the 70's. Nitrox, for instance is not safer then air. It is has different times and depths built in. For the same dive, yes it is safer. Push Nitrox to the same limits as air, it is not safer but the same. BCs were entering the market in the '70s. Early 1980 jackets are very similar to today's.

Before the 1970's, all diving was new and coming of it own. I agree that the 80's and beyond are the modern epoch. The issue of early adopter risks are in almost any activity. Think airplanes of the 1910's - 1950's. Think skydiving etc. The problem is that once the early issues were worked out, have we really improved safety overall?

My overall point is that safety is not so much from better gear but rather better utilization of what we have. Overall, I would still love to see rate of death stats through the years which I have never found. I think overall, every one is just expressing an opinion about safety.

 

[scubadada]

Most of these listed are a penetration into the market issue and less about existing by the mid 1970's. My old USD 1974 regulator, which was a J valve also, had ports and was used with an octopus. SPGs were also introduced in the 70's. Nitrox, for instance is not safer then air. It is has different times and depths built in. For the same dive, yes it is safer. Push Nitrox to the same limits as air, it is not safer but the same. BCs were entering the market in the '70s. Early 1980 jackets are very similar to today's.

Before the 1970's, all diving was new and coming of it own. I agree that the 80's and beyond are the modern epoch. The issue of early adopter risks are in almost any activity. Think airplanes of the 1910's - 1950's. Think skydiving etc. The problem is that once the early issues were worked out, have we really improved safety overall?

My overall point is that safety is not so much from better gear but rather better utilization of what we have. Overall, I would still love to see rate of death stats through the years which I have never found. I think overall, every one is just expressing an opinion about safety.

Right, that's why I said 1970. Essentially nobody had an SPG then, I was cutting edge when I had one in 1972. My MK5 had 2 LP ports, you could not have an auto inflator and a 2nd regulator. There were no modern BCs then...

 

[Bob DBF]

Early '50's j-valve available
Late '50's SPG available, in the '60's they cost around the price of a reg set.
'60's Change from Mae West life preserver to horse collar BC, first oral and later power inflater
1970 ScubaPro stab jacket. Jacket BC
1971 AT pack. Wing BC

So I would revise packrat12's availability of modern gear back to the '60's even though it was cost prohibitive and therefore not used by most divers. Some of the older design regs had no hp port and no (double hose) or one or two LP ports, for which some work around solutions were made later.

There have been improvements over the decades, however it has been a matter of incremental changes and changes in materials and production rather than a new breakthroughs.

The biggest improvement I have seen is in training materials, and that is still limited by the diligence of the instructor, as it was in '62 when I learned to dive SCUBA.



Bob

 

[boulderjohn]

that is still limited by the diligence of the instructor, as it was in '62 when I learned to dive SCUBA.

My cousin learned scuba about then. I recently asked him about is instructional path. He said 100% of his instruction was provided by the salesman at the sporting goods store that sold him his gear. The instruction was done on the sales floor as the sale was being consummated.

 

[scubadada]

My cousin learned scuba about then. I recently asked him about is instructional path. He said 100% of his instruction was provided by the salesman at the sporting goods store that sold him his gear. The instruction was done on the sales floor as the sale was being consummated.

Where was this? This is after the formation of NAUI in 1960

 

[boulderjohn]

Where was this? This is after the formation of NAUI in 1960

New Jersey.

There was no certification. Just scuba instruction on the sales floor.

 

[scubadada]

New Jersey.

There was no certification. Just scuba instruction on the sales floor.

I trained in Los Angeles, there was certification available, perhaps not required, since 1954, the year I was born