A little inattention goes a long way

[jepuskar]

Wow, at 70 feet with 260psi....that might have been interesting 5 minutes later if you weren't there....adding the 12 minute deco obligation...thats a mess.

I am completly ANAL about checking my computer...if I dont do it atleast once a minute i feel like I'm not doing something right. Sometimes i'll look at it and then look at it again within seconds...its like an obsessive compulsive thing.

 

[Wreck]

jepuskar, how many dives do you have beneath your belt? How many have you had the computer along on? I was just wondering if you felt you paid more attention to your computer because it was a newer item in your kit or whether you used it for quite some time.

I typically glance at mine about at least every 30 seconds now. 5 seconds if I feel the pressure in my ears changing a bit - just keeping an eye on ascent rates when we arc around a wreck. If I'm stationary and watching something, a minute may pass by before I take a look. But when I'm getting close to NDLs, it's more like 10 seconds, especially if we're not back to the anchor line yet. I'm guessing the general time span may lengthen a little as I get more experienced and train a part of brain to be constantly aware of all those readouts at once and and how they are interacting with what I am doing at the moment.

 

[ABQdiver]

I am completly ANAL about checking my computer...if I dont do it atleast once a minute i feel like I'm not doing something right. Sometimes i'll look at it and then look at it again within seconds...its like an obsessive compulsive thing.

Ya, you and me both. Have to admit it is a lot easier to check the computer/gauge when it's on your wrist than a console and have to make a reach and a pull to read it. I like wrist mounted gauges!!

 

[inter_alia]

Boy, Rick, I'm glad that wasn't me you had to save. I've been on so many Gulf dives with you I wondered at first if your story was about something stupid I had done... ignorant noob and all. I have to say that your instruction/ guidance over the past year has done quite a bit to scare me straight, though. Compound that with all your advanced training you provided for my permanent dive buddy -- I think my basics are pretty well covered but then "complacency" does sound like the big issue in your post. It's nice that this diver is candid about this after the fact.
Good job, sir, as usual.

 

[divenut2001]

Great job Rick! You're a real pro and a credit to the industry! You definitely saved that guy some serious time in the chamber.

IMHO he needs to break out the owners manual and "learn" what his computer is telling him. He and his buddy also need to review and practice buudy skills.

 

[Rick Inman]

I did it... went into deco on the 3rd dive of the day at 102', but didn't even know it until 3 months later going through the dive log on my computer. Of course, the celling disappeared as we played around at 40' then 30' for remaining majority of the dive. Still, I didn't even notice it on the dive! Not good, and a major wake-up call for me.

 

[rricks90254]

Concur on the way-to-go Rick,

I'm also slightly anal about checking my puter and gauges - namely because I'm still an air hog. And I can definately attest to the couple of feet makes a difference. MY dive buddy uses almost no air so when we were in Cozumel on one of the reefs I typically stay about 10 feet above her so I can last a little longer. The closest we ever cut it was finishing the safety stop with about 250# left. Really makes youwatch the rest of your dives.

Side note: I finally beat her on air consumption, but I had to give her an engagement ring at 60 feet - Boy did she start blowing bubbles.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Side note: I finally beat her on air consumption, but I had to give her an engagement ring at 60 feet - Boy did she start blowing bubbles.

The Lovely Young Kat sez... "Cheater, cheater!"
Rick

 

[rricks90254]

The Lovely Young Kat sez... "Cheater, cheater!"
Rick

hey, all's fair in love and diving.

 

[FreeFloat]

The closest we ever cut it was finishing the safety stop with about 250# left.

While we seem to be on the topic of Stuff Newbies Fail To Keep Track Of, anyone else want to share their "closest" calls?

I'll start -

Finished a dive once, with the needle on my pressure gauge barely off the "zero". Now about my gauge, the area between "0" and "500" is compressed to about half the size of the gap between "500" and "1000" etc - because the maker of the gauge figured no diver would ever go below 500, right? Back at the LDS, I borrowed their digital pressure gauge for a quick read just prior to a refill........ it read 150 psi.

Sure encouraged me to look waaaaaaay more often.........guess I had been getting rather complacent.