I have been diving for 38 years and consider myself to be a solid old school DM... Then again, humility is not a trait shared in large quantities (particularly among divers and pilots) and very few human beings consider themselves to be below average at anything they do routinely. A recent poll of Americans found that 96% considered themselves to be "well above average" automobile drivers... Obviously impossible... Obviously self delusional... and now I am forced to admit I am probably one of them! :cool2: !
Which brings me to the very large dose of humble pie served to me by my new dive computer with its' digitally downloadable dive log that includes graphs of my dives broken into 10 second intervals. Wow, did I have a lot to learn about bouyancy and depth control.
In particular, what truly humbled me was the amount of feedback the computer provided me about variations in my depth and rates of ascent. It is one thing to read -- and intend to observe -- the guidelines for rates of ascent and safety stops taught in your open water classes... It is quite another to recieve detailed post dive feedback that shows how you really performed in intervals broken down into seconds!
It has really been both a humility pill and a positive challenge. Maybe I had grown complacent after 3 decades of diving or maybe I never was as good as I thought I was (remember the poll of US drivers!). However, now after every dive I know exactly how stable I was at depth and how rapid/smooth my ascent rates were. Receiving that constant feedback has made me a much better diver. It has reminded me to pay attention to the basics and, as a result, I am much better at monitoring my depth, rates of ascent and safety stops. Converting to a dive computer with a digital downloadable dive log has changed my approach to diving in much the same way that converting from a donut to BC did a few decades ago...
I strongly recommend it!
P
P.S. Every major manufacturer of dive computers has several models that provide downloadable feedback and functionality similar to what I get from my Sherwood Wisdom 2. This particular make and model works great for me because my 50 year old eyes need big numbers! The good news is, no matter what brands your local dive store carries, you don't have to spend a lot of money to buy a piece of humble pie... You will love it and be a better diver for it!
Which brings me to the very large dose of humble pie served to me by my new dive computer with its' digitally downloadable dive log that includes graphs of my dives broken into 10 second intervals. Wow, did I have a lot to learn about bouyancy and depth control.
In particular, what truly humbled me was the amount of feedback the computer provided me about variations in my depth and rates of ascent. It is one thing to read -- and intend to observe -- the guidelines for rates of ascent and safety stops taught in your open water classes... It is quite another to recieve detailed post dive feedback that shows how you really performed in intervals broken down into seconds!
It has really been both a humility pill and a positive challenge. Maybe I had grown complacent after 3 decades of diving or maybe I never was as good as I thought I was (remember the poll of US drivers!). However, now after every dive I know exactly how stable I was at depth and how rapid/smooth my ascent rates were. Receiving that constant feedback has made me a much better diver. It has reminded me to pay attention to the basics and, as a result, I am much better at monitoring my depth, rates of ascent and safety stops. Converting to a dive computer with a digital downloadable dive log has changed my approach to diving in much the same way that converting from a donut to BC did a few decades ago...
I strongly recommend it!
P
P.S. Every major manufacturer of dive computers has several models that provide downloadable feedback and functionality similar to what I get from my Sherwood Wisdom 2. This particular make and model works great for me because my 50 year old eyes need big numbers! The good news is, no matter what brands your local dive store carries, you don't have to spend a lot of money to buy a piece of humble pie... You will love it and be a better diver for it!