200 psi is unacceptable for any diver.
Bad scuba advice you've received
- Thread starter stretchthepenn
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200 psi is unacceptable for any diver.
Even for hanging out for a long safety stop?
You do you.
Single tank, non-tech, I usually try to end a boat dive such that I am on deck with 500 psi min. For a shore dive, 700 psi. However this depends on circumstance, if shore diving in a local where entry and egress require for safety from boats a long underwater swim, I would reserve 1/3 tank. In DaHab, a shore dive, just a couple of days ago, after hitting 120 feet max depth and a 107 minute long dive, 5 minute safety stop at twenty feet, the same dive, I came out with 200 psi in my tank standing on shore. The issue was that it was a long walk to and from and it was windy and there was some longshore current and waves. On the (long) walk out I missed the clip on my primary regulator and it fell into the water and of course quickly free flowed violently draining the tank down. Rookie move, missing the clip and not turning the lever to pre-dive. But, I was just trying to get my Nauticam secured in case I fell or tripped so as not to smash it on rocks. Rookie move.
Boat diving I will sometimes complete my safety stop with still 700 psi on tap and then drift still underwater to the rear of the boat and just hang out at about 10 feet until all the mayhem subsides. If I breath off the 700 psi during that time I just am not going to get excited over it. As long as I have enough air to keep my regulator in my mouth while going up the ladder and not drain the tank completely I feel okay about it.
This being an Advanced (and not solo) and not a Tech forum my above statements reflect no deco diving within recreational limits maximum 130 feet without hard or soft ceiling or penetration, kelp and boat traffic and similar being an exception to be considered for planning.
Boat diving I will sometimes complete my safety stop with still 700 psi on tap and then drift still underwater to the rear of the boat and just hang out at about 10 feet until all the mayhem subsides. If I breath off the 700 psi during that time I just am not going to get excited over it. As long as I have enough air to keep my regulator in my mouth while going up the ladder and not drain the tank completely I feel okay about it.
This being an Advanced (and not solo) and not a Tech forum my above statements reflect no deco diving within recreational limits maximum 130 feet without hard or soft ceiling or penetration, kelp and boat traffic and similar being an exception to be considered for planning.
Having 500psi on shore or on the boat after a dive is not a great measure of your safety margin...you will need a different gas reserve for different dives, and in many cases it will differ at different points on the same dive.
As a shorthand calculation, you should probably have about 3x as much gas as you think you need to safely ascend and exit the water. This is a lot of gas at 120', but not terribly much at 15'. If I have an emergency at depth and I use that gas, then great! That's what it was there for.
If I dont have an emergency at 120', I might surface from a wreck dive with 1000psi still in my tank. That might even be low. If it's a near-shore wreck with interesting stuff in the shallows, I can use almost all that 1000psi checking out the shallow areas. Draining a tank to zero isn't the greatest practice, but if im in 15fsw near a ladder on a resort shore dive, I dont work about leaving a reserve...dont piss off the dive staff, but also dont stress if you only have 1-200psi when you de-kit (in these specific scenarios, you want enough to work your power inflator to get someone buoyant, but anything more doeant have a lot of use in an emergency.)
As a shorthand calculation, you should probably have about 3x as much gas as you think you need to safely ascend and exit the water. This is a lot of gas at 120', but not terribly much at 15'. If I have an emergency at depth and I use that gas, then great! That's what it was there for.
If I dont have an emergency at 120', I might surface from a wreck dive with 1000psi still in my tank. That might even be low. If it's a near-shore wreck with interesting stuff in the shallows, I can use almost all that 1000psi checking out the shallow areas. Draining a tank to zero isn't the greatest practice, but if im in 15fsw near a ladder on a resort shore dive, I dont work about leaving a reserve...dont piss off the dive staff, but also dont stress if you only have 1-200psi when you de-kit (in these specific scenarios, you want enough to work your power inflator to get someone buoyant, but anything more doeant have a lot of use in an emergency.)
Green Frog
Contributor
I have always been something of an air hog, so getting back on the boat with 500 psi left was something I felt was very important… I actually cut my dives short sometimes to come in with 700 psi+.
Last month, diving with Stuart Cove’s in Nassau, I pretty much stayed with the group and did everything they did. I was amazed that at the end of all my dives but one, I was on the boat with ~1000 psi. I must be getting more conservative after the long Wu Flu layoff.
I still think the 500 psi minimum is a rule I can live by!
Last month, diving with Stuart Cove’s in Nassau, I pretty much stayed with the group and did everything they did. I was amazed that at the end of all my dives but one, I was on the boat with ~1000 psi. I must be getting more conservative after the long Wu Flu layoff.
I still think the 500 psi minimum is a rule I can live by!
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
I’m fine with coming back to the beach with 300-500 psi. 200 is a little low but using a steel 72 they don’t have a lot of air so hitting the beach with 200 is fine as long as it’s a nice day and I know the likelihood of something bad happening is minimal.
Chavodel8en
Contributor
I would be lying if I said I've never taken a tank down to 200 psi. For much of my shore dives, the end of the dives are basically swimming safety stops, or slightly lower in depth, so there's no real danger to going below 500 psi. I can surface whenever I want.
However, I would never advise anyone to ignore the 500 psi standard. It may sometimes be overkill, but its a good bright line standard that folks should generally keep.
However, I would never advise anyone to ignore the 500 psi standard. It may sometimes be overkill, but its a good bright line standard that folks should generally keep.
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