Almost to deco... your first time?

[TSandM]

Bretagus, you sound a lot like me! I took Fundies to get better skills, but I took 5thD-Xs Rec 2 class because I wanted some additional training just for diving in deeper recreational depths. 120 feet is a LONG way from the surface, and some of these "solve it underwater" skills seemed like they'd be awfully good to have if things went sideways down that deep. (After taking the class, I was sure of it!) I took a recreational helium class (actually, as it turned out, two of them) to have that in the armamentarium, and learned a lot more about decompression strategies from two different approaches. I figure I'm about as well-armed from a training standpoint for dives within recreational limits (and to handle it if I run over the limits because of an unforeseen problem) as I can be. (Whether the skills are actually there or not is another question, but I've had all the training there is!)

 

[Meng_Tze]

So... the bottom line, I keep hearing, is the NEED to deal with it under water. Indeed, deco IS a cave... although you "can" escape to the surface, you're betting on being minutes away from a chamber. I will take this attitude to heart as I begin this season....

Beyond the 'fix it' yourself mentality, knowing what you are doing and making (sometimes hard) decisions is also part of that.

I certainly agree with all of y'alls warnings about too much, too fast. I'm only considering tech as my buddies and I are starting to consider some local chartered dives ~100ft mark. It just gets me thinking... "what happens when you surpass your NDL?" I guess thats my 'theme' for this coming season... being prepared for the worst. Again, I've been "trained" for that (basically, "don't go past your NDL!" and "make sure you do a safety stop!") and I've done beyond that depth, but... my lack of knowlege bothers me.

Finding good buddies is also a MAJOR factor. Buddies who know , trust each other and have the attitude and training to also help each other. There will be times when you come to a dive and it does not feel right. Calling the dive without any peer pressure/repercussions is part of it as well. As for going beyond ones training levels, that is a very personal choice. Knowing you lack knowledge is good, getting that training and knowledge is building up to becoming a good tech diver. But no matter what, always be honest with yourself when it comes to actually doing or calling a dive.

 

[MBH]

It just gets me thinking... "what happens when you surpass your NDL?" I guess thats my 'theme' for this coming season... being prepared for the worst.

At the very least- you should have a copy of the US Navy Air Tables and know how to calculate your deco obligation.

 

[lamont]

As Rick says, the key is that you HAVE to be able to cope, with almost anything and in wicked and stressful combinations, because you no longer have the option to quit. And a good instructor will make you WANT to quit, believe me!

Not sure I agree with this. I never felt like I wanted to quit in cave1 in the slightest...

OTOH, nothing an instructor can do beats getting hit in the face with a lions mane jelly while scootering and having your face explode in pain...

 

[cmalinowski]

...OTOH, nothing an instructor can do beats getting hit in the face with a lions mane jelly while scootering and having your face explode in pain...

Hard to argue with that logic... you know, unless the instructors start using lions mane jellies in their training scenarios

 

[TSandM]

Well, I haven't done Cave 1, but the midwater training I've done has all too often ended up in a situation where I've said to myself, "Man, I'm really tired of this, I wish I could just go to the surface and take a breather." But neither that nor a "time out" was an option, although occasionally my dry suit took matter into its own boots and took me to the surface anyway

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Not sure I agree with this. I never felt like I wanted to quit in cave1 in the slightest...

OTOH, nothing an instructor can do beats getting hit in the face with a lions mane jelly while scootering and having your face explode in pain...

Damn, that sounds as bad as the tree that jumped out in front of my truck on dark and rainy night.

 

[flareless]

Great thread folks! There are many useful suggestions here. My ultimate goal is Technical Diving. I just got my AOW but I still have a long way to go. I've moved from a traditional BC to a Backplate/Wing configuration in preparation for the switch. I figure that it's best to begin diving with a configuration which I'll ultimately be using. It will also help be become familiar ("intimately familiar" as someone mentioned) with my gear. I want to be able to handle any aspect of it in zero viz situations should the need arise.

The task loading information imparted here is also hugely helpful. I can see a huge need to be able to resolve several issues at once in the high stress environment. The ability to not "freak out" when things go wrong is critical for Technical Diving (as it is too in Recreational Diving) and the ability to work calmly and rationally through problems is paramount. Hopefully, having hundreds of skydives and dealing with heavy task loading under stress will help me in my underwater endeavors.

Finally, the "take it slow" advice is one I plan to follow. While I have semi-decent boyancy control I have a lot of work in fine tuning it. During a trip last week with far more experienced divers I noticed the amount of effort they expended in boyancy and in movement was far less than I was putting in. The added effort on my part contributed to my (much) higher air consumption. This season I plan to dive a lot and focus on the fundamentals, practice dealing with problems and then finally move into the Technical Diving realm.

Thanks to everyone who contributed some excellent information to this thread!