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The OP references a computer dictated stop at 50'. That may not be decompression, but it sure sounds like it could be.

If you haven't planned your dive, and the dive team is in the situation where their computers are as dictating different ascent profiles (which can happen with the same computers & algorithms if one diver hangs 5 or 6 feet shallower than the other for most of the dive, ascends first and waits...

I am not solo certified, but do dive solo. Way back when I started my tech training and started using redundant gear there were no solo or self-reliant diver courses & processes. Would a solo course have been helpful at the time? Absolutely. I learned a lot of things the hard way (but not...

I prefer drygloves with a silk weight liner as base, and a felt liner. You definitely lose dexterity and any fine tactile sense, especially if you get any air ballooning in the gloves. But I've dived in 2C water (and -20C surface conditions) and have not lost feeling from the cold. And...

I'd suggest that being precise with breathing gas management is an excellent habit to get into, and to maintain. Particularly, but not only if, a diver is entertaining any thoughts of technical training in their future.

I use a set of twin HP 130s, and build everything at home, lie it down and tie it down in the back of the truck. Then gearing up is simple, pressurize, stand it up and don it, walk into the lake. Since it is fresh water diving, I often skip rinsing my gear. Afterva dive, I depressurize it...

I have used a number of commercial options, and they were all decent, but I always come back to using tire inner tube. To make it user friendly in cold water with dry gloves, when you cut it, leave a "tail" that can be easily grabbed. Wider (3" to 4") will really hold a regular hose tight to a...

82F is a lot colder than 98 F, so you'll be dumping body heat the entire dive in a futile attempt to warm up the ocean. The first dive or two won't be too bad, but after a week, you'll feel it and chill fast. Especially if you have a lower body fat percentage. On the plus side, burning...

I highly endorse the previously mentioned "nav board". Tracking bearings & swim times to make a map as you go, or working off a pre-existing map really helps prevent getting lost. I also find the getting the compass off your wrist of console and out in front of you also helps hold a bearing...

You could also look into paddling shorts, the kind kayakers use that have a neoprene lining & look like a board short. They are relatively comfortable, manage some heat loss, and meet the modesty test.

I was going to answer "yes, completely capable of diving without supervision after OW certification", but I don't know if that is true. After my 4 OW training dives I had the fortune to rack up another 10 dives (I was on a 2 week vacation). After getting home from the Caribbean I signed up...

My experience from diving year round in the Canadian Rockies is "multiple layers" (above aND below water). I am a fan of 1 or 2 base layers of merino wool undergarments (go MEC), and then drysuit insulation (there are many brands, all decent). I layer socks too. Wool baselayer and big camp...

I am completely in agreement with the hypothesis that a wide range of experience trumps a narrow range of experience, all else being equal, and support plans to gain that broader experience. That said, I'd suggest that the first step is to just get out and dive. Focus on racking up bottom...

I think I understand now. Is this feature the VR3 calculating a GF line or graph in the background and letting you deco on the "slope" rather than a "staircase" (thinking of 30', 20', 10' as steps on the staircase)? I have not done that (never had a VR3, or regularly dove with anyone who...

I think I may have done "continuous deco" of the sort the OP is talking about. I call it "rolling deco" (don't know why, or where I picked up the term). After a deep dive (170' for ex.) it is a very, very, very slow ascent starting 10 or 20 feet shallower than your first stop - and by the time...

I have a small kit with wrenches, Hex keys, lots of o-rings, spare batteries, port plugs, aqua seal & zipper wax. Usually a roll or two of duct tape as well (in my bin or bag, not the waterproof tool box). If I am driving to my destination, I load (way too much) lots of other tool & spare part...

Yeah, when you are 1,000 km from the nearest ocean, and the Great Lakes are farther away, any body of water becomes more interesting. I wish we had some quarries around here - it would be a nice change from the monotony of the silty bottom of mountain lakes. The nice thing about fresh water...

Right now 40/75, but I haven't decided if that will be my "normal" GF. I am only a dozen dives in on the Perdix, and getting a feel for how the GF plays out with altitude & cold compared to my "normal" expectations with the Duo.

I have been diving a pair of DR Nitek Duos for about 15 years (800+ dives on them) and they are finally giving up the ghost. I treat them roughly (just pitch them in my gear bin), and they are scratched and battered to hell. I just bought a Shearwater Perdix, which I love, but I am still...

While I find a 40 cf is much more pleasant to slog to & from the shore, I would much rather have excess deco gas, and often carry an 80 cf of O2 rather than a 40 cf cylinder "just because". I like knowing I can "probably" do multiple deco dives off the one cylinder (obviously depends on the...