Air management for beginner.

[daniel f aleman]

A lot of fatalities, accidents and near-accidents involve OOA situations that would be avoidable through gas management.

I agree. What are you going to do about it?

 

[lamont]

I agree. What are you going to do about it?

here's my contribution:

http://www.scriptkiddie.org/diving/rockbottom.html

 

[Jasonmh]

This is not directed at anyone's post, I am just going to throw it out there.
It seems to me that part of the problem is with the words "gas management". It makes it seem to some people like it is a tech thing, not needed or "too much" for the average diver. I think that if any instructor, while teaching, turned to the class and said "ok, when you are diving and you want to make sure that you have enough air for you (and buddy) to make it back to the surface, here are some basic rules to follow:" Followed by a 5 minute talk about some basic principles, etc., I have a feeling that it would be well received. It does drive me crazy that an instructor (or DM) would say "be back on the boat with 500psi" and not give that student the information to understand HOW to make it back to the boat with 500 psi.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

This is not directed at anyone's post, I am just going to throw it out there.
It seems to me that part of the problem is with the words "gas management". It makes it seem to some people like it is a tech thing, not needed or "too much" for the average diver. I think that if any instructor, while teaching, turned to the class and said "ok, when you are diving and you want to make sure that you have enough air for you (and buddy) to make it back to the surface, here are some basic rules to follow:" Followed by a 5 minute talk about some basic principles, etc., I have a feeling that it would be well received.

It is well received ... even by people who aren't quite certified yet.

I gave a lot of thought to what to call it, and one reason I decided to stick with "gas management" is because of the introductory analogy I use ... which is planning a driving trip across the desert. Seems to connect with a lot of people.

It does drive me crazy that an instructor (or DM) would say "be back on the boat with 500psi" and not give that student the information to understand HOW to make it back to the boat with 500 psi.

Always stuck me as kind've like giving someone directions to your house and telling them to turn left six blocks before they get to the fire station ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ClayJar]

It does drive me crazy that an instructor (or DM) would say "be back on the boat with 500psi" and not give that student the information to understand HOW to make it back to the boat with 500 psi.

Always stuck me as kind've like giving someone directions to your house and telling them to turn left six blocks before they get to the fire station ...

I believe I may have to use that myself.

 

[ArcticDiver]

...It comes across as if the approach that some of the folks are championing is "the heck" with gas planning and if things go sour, do a CESA.

Is that really the message?

Not from me it isn't. I have never advocated, nor posted that gas planning should not be done.

First of all, my comments are mostly in the context of the original post. That is for a Beginning Diver.

Then I amplified to the diver infrequent vacation diver. That diver is unlikely to progress much beyond the "beginning diver" level. From what I've been told this group is probably the largest group in the hobby.

For these people another method of achieving the goal must be adopted. A couple of things have been mentioned that will do that.

I wholeheartedly subscribe to the gas management method taught by Bob. It is elegant and effective. But, I've been diving long enough I can use some pretty good numbers. Then when conditiions aren't as planned I can make some adjustments on the fly. There are many divers who do this a whole lot better than I can. But, none are "beginning divers" of whatever length of time certified.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Wow. And this diver was certified with that kind of ridiculous SAC? They would have to change tanks in an 8 ft deep pool after about 23 minutes. Who the heck would certify someone that uncomfortable in the water?

Even if that is the case, chances are, after a few dives it would settle down to something more reasonable. You might as well give them some planning tools and teach them how to figure out their SAC rate. Be on the boat with 500 psi certainly won't work any better, nor will 1/3rds, which is completely insufficient for any dive below about 80 ft.

Actually a large muscular person who has a lot of muscle tissue to feed and who has large lungs can, when working against a strong current, easily use this much air. In the cases I know of that was the situation. Had nothing to do with comfort level; had everything to do with those individuals physiology and workload.

Side note: I work out with a bunch of infantry types who recently got home from Iraq and are resetting for their next tour. Some of those guys are huge. In the gym when they are lifting you can almost feel the vacuum when they breathe in and the overpressure when they breathe out. But when they aren't working you can't even see their abdomen or chest move when they breathe. They are efficient gas users but their bodies demand a lot of it.

 

[neil]

I agree. What are you going to do about it?

I teach basic gas management in OW classes.

 

[daniel f aleman]

I teach basic gas management in OW classes.

Of course you do. Good instructors are where you find them.

 

[MikeFerrara]

You need to invert that. A lot of fatalities, accidents and near-accidents involve OOA situations that would be avoidable through gas management.

We seem to run about one fatality or diver hospitalized due an OOA a year here in Seattle at one of our most popular dive sites. There are lots and lots of successful dives as the crowded conditions in the parking lot suggest, but the unsuccessful ones seem to be leaning towards OOA as the cause.

Clearly, they don't count. You need piles and piles of bodies before anybody counts them...BMI, that must be the real problem.

The agencies are right. All you have to do is watch your gauge. In most cases the poor buoyancy control lands the diver back on the surface long before gas supply gets to be an issue anyway...the agencies know what they're doing. LOL