500 psi on the boat?

[fisherdvm]

This is a silly rule, especially for a new scuba diver who can't swim. I remember a man who went through his tank. When asked why, he said, "I surfaced too far from the boat, and burned through my 500 psi." As I understand, some shop might charge you extra if you ran a tank dry.

Then you ask, why 500 psi? My reason is: 1. It keeps salt water from getting into the reg and tank, especially if you dive with atomics. 2. It gives you enough air to use your regulator while boarding the boat in rough sea. 3. It gives you enough air to assist another diver, who might be in trouble.

So, if you got certified as a non-swimmer like myself (passed the 200 yrd swim on my back). I would suggest surfacing from your safety stop with at least 800 psi. Use your snorkel on the swim to the boat, or carry an SMB so they can pick up up later. The extra air is invaluable to assist you in boarding the dive boat in rough sea. And if you lost your snorkel, that extra air is like valium if you are floating in 5 ft waves.

 

[Katamuki]

Why not do the Rock Bottom from either the "recreational" OW limit of 60ft and or the 15ft/3min safety to see what the actual demand is for either one or a buddied pair of divers using and average 1ft3 "beginner" SAC rate?

 

[fisherdvm]

Nah, I am just trying to make a point that at the surface, non-swimmer needs more air than swimmers. Don't want to confuse folks with "rockbottom" business. Most OW divers don't even know what SAC means. The logic of saying 500 psi might need to be extended when we are certifying essentially non swimmer. To me, a non swimmer is one who would panic in rough sea without their snorkel and fully inflated BC.

 

[Pearldiver07]

Any rule of thumb, when used as an absolute without consideration of the individual, the environment, and the dive, is silly.

And as they said in a recent movie "It's not so much as a rule as a guideline..."

 

[fisherdvm]

I suggest the "guideline" be increased to 1000 psi, until the diver learned how to swim, and got 50 dives under his belt, in any environment other than a flat clear lake with no ripples.

 

[TSandM]

My personal feeling is that it is almost ridiculously dangerous to be traveling on a small boat for the purposes of diving, if you are someone who would panic in the water without a fully inflated BC and a snorkel. What happens if you fall overboard?

I agree that in rough seas, having a regulator is a nice thing. If I surface with 500 psi in my 95s, I've got over 30 minutes of gas on the surface. If I'm in really heavy seas and it takes the boat longer than 30 minutes to pick me up, somebody has made a significant judgment error (probably me).

I have read a story about an experienced diver and instructor who got blown away from the boat in heavy current in the Galapagos, and surfaced where two currents intersected, and the seas were six feet or more. He breathed his tank absolutely empty, and then tried to use his snorkel to help. He was a couple of hours in the water before they picked him up by his EPIRB. That's a pretty terrifying situation, but no new diver should be in the water in anything close to those conditions.

I'm a believer in reserves and gas management/planning, but telling new divers to keep a third of their tank in case they have to breathe it on the surface is a little overkill in my opinion. Learning to swim, however, is NOT.

 

[ReefHound]

I think boats use 500psi as a compromise. If they don't set an amount then they'll have divers coming up with 100psi or less, if they set it higher then divers will complain the boat is cutting short their dives unnecessarily.

 

[simcoediver]

What do you need a snorkle for?? useless thing thats just in the way and serves no purpose, I got rid of mine right after I finished my OW.

 

[fisherdvm]

I think it is good for swimmers to practice in the surf. I learned a good deal swimming in 4 - 5 ft waves in the ocean when the red flag was up. There is a learning curve in reading the waves, and how to position your head so you see the next wave coming. The nice old man who was a lifeguard was right on the beach watching me... I think he was thinking I'll be his first rescue of the day. Boy, it was rough getting back in. The swim out is easy, but when the waves are coming from behind, it was hard.

 

[fisherdvm]

What do you need a snorkle for?? useless thing thats just in the way and serves no purpose, I got rid of mine right after I finished my OW.

Our discussion here is focusing on nonswimmers - those who has not mastered rhythmic breathing, and have a hard time dealing with waves.