COMPUTER or TABLES

[GDI]

What dive tables do you most commonly use for NDL diving. PADI (DSAT), DCIEM, USN, others, or do you just dive by the seat of your wetsuit on a diving computer?

 

[scubasean]

What dive tables do you most commonly use for NDL diving. PADI (DSAT), DCIEM, USN, others, or do you just dive by the seat of your wetsuit on a diving computer?

Can we vote "both"?

I use the (PADI, NAUI, or YMCA) tables to plan the dive, and use the understanding I gain from the plan to know if the computer is telling me valid things.

If the dive is one I do often, I omit the first step.

 

[Rick Inman]

One week ago today at Alki: 3rd dive of the day, down to max 112' for 5 mins (lookin' for the Octo on the logs), slow back to 75' for 3 mins to look under a plank for same, then slow to 47' to search the wreck for same, poke around there for a while, then to the rocks at 15' - 20' for 15 mins. Total dive time, 47 mins. Thank you, Mr. Computer. Thank you, Mr. Buhlmann. Of course, this was all in the pre dive plan.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

What dive tables do you most commonly use for NDL diving. PADI (DSAT), DCIEM, USN, others, or do you just dive by the seat of your wetsuit on a diving computer?

I dive 2 computers...and carry a set of tables with me. I have several thousand dives on computers..never a problem.

I have several thousand more dives on tables...bent once.

 

[grazie42]

I´ll look at tables before a dive to get a feel for bottom-time etc so that I´ll know if my divecomp goes haywire...so both, I guess...

 

[TKOS]

I use my ACUC dive tables and that is it. Perhaps when I start diving past 60-70 feet then I will look into investing in a computer. Plus so far I have been sticking to shore dives and decomp stops aren't a woory and I slowly work my way along the bottom.

 

[jeadiver]

I usually dive with two computers, but always have the Tables to fall back on and get a feel for the NDL

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Most of my diving is at altitude and in a mountain lake with very shear shorelines. Much of the diving is multilevel type wall diving and depths go to 150 ft.

After my first few experiences without a computer figuring my RNT on arrival (as you arrive at the lake as a group C diver), figuring the correction for depths at that alitude and then trying to pre-plan a multilevel dive with a PADI wheel, I decided a computer made a lot of sense.

I do dive with a backup computer and have had both a battery failure and a computer failure over about 10 years and a 1000 dives. I also use the very nice simulation and planning features on my current computer to plan the dive and develop contingency planning for the deco dives I do in the event both computers fail.

In my situation a dive computerallows a lot more bottom time, a lot more flexibility during the dive and and increased level of saftey over tables where errors and estimations can accumulate compared to the real time, real world calculations used by a computer.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with using a computer as long as you do not get lulled into being dependent on it and continue to use proper dive planning procedures.

 

[Lead_carrier]

and carry a backup. I can plan the dive in the plan mode so I know what my NDL is according to what I'll be diving.

 

[Lead_carrier]

, figuring the correction for depths at that alitude and then trying to pre-plan a multilevel dive with a PADI wheel, .....

Just wait until someone tells you that with the PADI wheel they can plan a dive, execute it, with no bottom timer, and be safer than using a computer. And he does it with a straight face. :lol: Not a knock on PADI, a statement about this guys mentality.