Backing off from technical diving

[AfterDark]

How would you practice these skills? What about the skills to safely do / simulate gas switches? Or are you talking about sitting at various depths.

Does anyone have any good resources to learn how to plan dives? An use the software (VPm dive planning) software but obviously using air?

How does one practice anything? By doing. He posted: Begin doing single gas decompression at rec depths. What part of gas switches do you wish to practice? Reading the labels? Reading the computer? Taking one reg out of your mouth and putting another in? Reading the plan?
You don't even need to be wet to practice those.

 

[DaleC]

How would you practice these skills? What about the skills to safely do / simulate gas switches? Or are you talking about sitting at various depths.

Does anyone have any good resources to learn how to plan dives? An use the software (VPm dive planning) software but obviously using air?

I don't want to advocate deco diving to someone on the net but using a slung pony and using a stage bottle is the same, other than the discipline using various mixes. Sling a 40cuft pony. Switch to it on ascent (deploy reg, trace back to bottle, confirm MOD). However, doing gas switches is not simple air decompression, it is accelerated deco - take a course.

Learn how to do gas volume/consumption calculations, remove your mask under water, do a dive with one fin, disconnect you wing inflator, shoot bags, take off your gloves, take off your rig, turnoff your lights and dive in the dark, turn air on and off... If doing very basic air decompression dives these are the sort of things that you need comfort with; dealing with failures at depth, not complicated gas physics. Note I say very basic air deco dives.

Why use a computer to plan your first deco dives. Get a set of tables. Cut a conservative plan. Here's one of the first ones I did using DCIEM tables:
30 minutes BT at 100' using 32% EAN as air. This gives a 16 minute theoretical obligation: 6minutes @ 20', 10 minutes at 10'.

The above dive is safe (in the sense of being considered an NDL dive) but gives you all the experience potential of a very simple deco dive. If one can execute those sorts of dives as planned, and enjoys the boredom, then deco diving may be for you. Now spend some money.

 

[DevonDiver]

You don't even need to be wet to practice those.

And yet, so we read, the single biggest killer of technical divers... I guess there must be more to it than just the physical mechanics

One thing that mystifies me, is how...when self-training...the wannabie tech diver manages to evaluate their own performance and measure it against a known standard of excellence?

It's easy to convince yourself of anything, including your own competency..fumbling around in a pool by yourself with no true idea...

I think it'd be hard for a DIY tech wannabie to replicate the sort of task loading, demand for precision and insightful/critical feedback that are essential components in technical diver development.

Get a course.... unless you think you're one the .09% who might find tech training "a cinch"... and if so, test your presumptions with a technical instructor...

 

[Slamfire]

A facebook friend of mine posted this 2 hours ago:

I was there when an Open Water diver popped to the surface and screamed for help, saying he saw diver go unconscious on the platform. This is why EVERY diver needs to advance to at least the Rescue Diver level. It took another 4 minutes for another diver to get in the water and surface the unconscious diver.

NJ scuba diver found dead in eastern Pa.
Read more at NJ scuba diver found dead in eastern Pa.

Seems like a very crucial skill to me and it is missing from the toolkit of divers that are supposed to be qualified to go out without supervision from anybody more experienced or advanced than they are.

 

[DevonDiver]

gives you all the experience potential of a very simple deco dive. If one can execute those sorts of dives as planned, and enjoys the boredom, then deco diving may be for you.

ALL the experience, Dale?

I think there is a considerable danger in doing a few adventurous dives, not experiencing a problem and then 'qualifying' yourself as competent to conduct those dives.

It's easy to conceptually over-simplify technical diving... especially when failing to consider that the majority of tech training focuses on risk management, contingency and emergency protocols. Conduct a few 'lite' or simulated deco dives...and nothing goes wrong... what have you really learned from the experience?

Maybe do the "simple deco dive" then bleed half your tank away whilst at depth, or toss your mask away, or work yourself into a state of hyper-capnia, or turn your computer off just before ascent, or...or...or...

Technical divers are training to survive the "what if's"... enjoying some fantasy simulation and patting yourself on the back doesn't quite achieve that.

What can I suggest? Just do some PROPER recreational dives. Be anally retentive with respect to precision dive and gas planning and following your plan to the closest second of bottom and ascent time, the nearest 10cm of depth and within 10 Bar or 100 PSI of predicted gas usage. Use V-planner, or RDP or whatever... but follow that plan with an OCD-like compulsion for accuracy. Deal with anything and everything that arises - lambast yourself if it causes any deviation from your plan. Keep your horizontal trim and neutral buoyancy slick throughout. Maintain owl-like awareness of your surroundings, your gas, your depth, your time, your team every second of the dive. Apply every preparation and protocol you've been taught as per the textbook... no excuses, no compromises, no short-cuts.

In short, make sure you're a damned fine recreational diver. If that seems pedantic... then reconsider going into technical diving.

 

[boulderjohn]

When I was in Truk Lagoon, the depth and repetitive nature of the diving was such that most divers went into deco at some point - even the pure rec divers. The crew suggested on the first day, for the last dive of the day if you weren't familiar with deco to set your computer to "air" whilst breathing nitrox just to get comfortable with the idea of short deco hangs whilst knowing you were not actually at risk.

Worked pretty well. By the end of the week some of them were doing some pretty long deco hangs, but that is another story...

I had the same experience when I was there. They told us the same thing. It worked pretty well with us, too. We only had two DCS cases all week. Of course, some people might not consider that "pretty well."

 

[flots am]

Preventing an ugly situation before even getting wet is as good as it gets. Good advice. Unfortunately not all ugly situations can be foreseen before you actually get in the water. I think divers should strive to be able to face any unexpected ugly situation with fortitude.

After I vented my feedback to my OW instructor/shop owner said that they stay away from mentioning anything fear related at least until a diver progresses into the Rescue Course. And yet OW certifies them to dive alone with another OW that is just as green and unexposed to anything fear related underwater.

It all relates back to whether or not they can manage to restrict their diving to situations they're currently trained for, and whether they actually learned everything taught or just managed to pass the written test and not die during the OW dives.

As far as "fear" goes, I don't teach fear, however I do mention specifically that the skills are keeping them alive and that failure to perform them properly could easily result in injury or death.

It's mentioned in the Risk Awareness video once, for about 5 seconds. I mention it in 5 out of 7 classes. I also tell them that fear means they're about to/are doing something that they're probably not ready for and that it's a good time to end the dive.

flots.

 

[AfterDark]

And yet, so we read, the single biggest killer of technical divers... I guess there must be more to it than just the physical mechanics

One thing that mystifies me, is how...when self-training...the wannabie tech diver manages to evaluate their own performance and measure it against a known standard of excellence?

It's easy to convince yourself of anything, including your own competency..fumbling around in a pool by yourself with no true idea...

I think it'd be hard for a DIY tech wannabie to replicate the sort of task loading, demand for precision and insightful/critical feedback that are essential components in technical diver development.

Get a course.... unless you think you're one the .09% who might find tech training "a cinch"... and if so, test your presumptions with a technical instructor...

Since you quoted me you must be talking to me. In light of the fact that I've been tech diving since the 1970's before we had names and courses for it and probably before you started diving, I've done OK. At 59 and full of screws, staples and plates I don't do much of that kind of diving anymore I just don't trust my body to hold up under those conditions anymore. My latest injury was caused by climbing a dive ladder! So it would appear I've learned enough to know what I can't anymore. Thirty five years ago it was a very different world. And of course most of my post you quoted was posted tongue-in-cheek.

 

[DevonDiver]

Since you quoted me you must be talking to me.

I was just 'building' a point you raised. I guessed your post was tongue-in-cheek, but thought that might not be evident to all readers.

Conducting a formal gas switch is a ridiculously simplistic skill. Doing the same thing, consistently without deviation or compromise, when otherwise highly task-loaded... or worse, when complacency starts to set in.... is much harder (as, I am told, the accident statistics illustrate).

 

[tracydr]

A facebook friend of mine posted this 2 hours ago:



Seems like a very crucial skill to me and it is missing from the toolkit of divers that are supposed to be qualified to go out without supervision from anybody more experienced or advanced than they are.

Depends on which agency you train with, some agencies still require that you learn to recover a diver from the bottom during OW training.
I think it's SDI but I'm not positive.