Computer Usage

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by Ontario Diver
So guys, what is the best way to learn about deco diving

Forget Deco diving for now....
Wait...I forgot....all diving is deco diving....
Forget staged decompression diving for now....
Start by learning situational awareness....
Don't let your computer make you stupid...

Put the computer into gauge mode and pay attention to:
Your surroundings.... Depth, time, temp., viz, current, location, ect.
You body & buddy.... psych/physio condition, exertion level, ect.
Your gear.... air supply, danglies, bubblies, ect.

Plan your dive and dive your plan use tables....
Do one minute stops as described above for even the weenie dives....
Shoot for spot on buoyancy control and horizontal trim during ascent....
Learn to stop and hold at 10' increments....
Learn to *know* what your SPG reads before you look at it...
Guess your profile (average depth) and check it for accuracy later with the Vyper's download....
Most importantly...from my perspective...find/develop a buddy that will take this serious too.....

Now if you don't ever plan on doing staged decompression diving then forget the above.....go ahead and put your computer into air/nitrox mode and let it tell you what to do....jump in and have fun.... let the dive reveal itself.... with all its surprises. That works for most folks.

BTW was that profile a crosscut saw or a ripsaw???

 

[Lost Yooper]

An overhead environment is no place for things to go wrong, but you'd best count on them going wrong .

Where to learn deco? I've been learning from Irvine, Jablonski, and other WKPP and GUE nutt cases for a several years (everything informally). I've painstakingly forced myself to read and comprehend papers written by Maiken, Baker, Younte, Hamilton, and Weinke (to name a few). None of these guys have let me down yet and my level of diving enjoyment is continuing to grow as the result of learning from them. I don't have all the links to all this stuff at my present location, but if I remember, I'll e-mail ya when I get home a week or so.

There's a lot that can be learned about deco. The more you learn, the more you realize there's a lot of unanswered questions. Many times science and real life don't see eye to eye either. Decompression doesn't have to be complicated. There's a few unbreakable rules that you must follow in order to live through it -- no biggie! Learn the rules, be disciplined, and eliminate problems before they become real problems.

Nuttin' to it.

Mike

 

[monster]

Agree with Tommy, don't let the computer turn you into a "deco" diver. I've seen it happen far too many times. Bear in mind, for example, that the Vyper is not designed for decompression diving -- its decompression profile output is an emergency mode, and ultra conservative.

I ran a simulation once on the Vyper and compared it to the GAP Planner program, and whereas GAP got me out with only 37 minutes of hang time, the Vyper walked me through 88 minutes of staged deco.

Like UP says, plan your dive on tables, dive your plan. And when it comes to learning about deco diving, there are several courses that you can take: TDI, IANTD, DSAT, GUE... whatever you decide on, just make sure they teach you what you're paying them to teach you.

 

[Ontario Diver]

Guys;

I am not a not repeat NOT a deco diver and no single piece of equipment will make me one. Especially a computer. I work with these dang things for a living, I don't trust em.... They can remember more than I can, but they only think as well as the program designer and he aint with me.

As for playing macho... like the man says "Been there, done that, have the scars"

I need more experience, more training, and more money i mean equipment ...

I guess the advice I need is which/how to get the training and equipment.

 

[TheWetRookie]

Tommy,
Starting right now.....
On each dive.....
Keep track of your depth every 5 minutes.....
At the end of each dive guess what your average depth was....
Does your Mosquito give you an average depth logbook readout???
How close did you come in your guess as to your average depth???
If your mosquito doesn't give you this try to figure it out some other way.... down load the profile and average on paper....

This average depth is your *Dive Profile* .....
Figure your dive with this profile as your depth and you will be very close to what your computer is doing with multilevel averaging...

"But" you say, "This is only after the fact - what about planning - or even more important - during the dive!"

This is why I say start now....
You will become skilled at *knowing* what your profile is and adjusting your time accordingly.... on the fly....

The other day we did a 105 fsw dive for 56 minutes with the *computer* in gauge mode only....
And never exceeded NDL...

How? Profile was 58 fsw... (I know the new tables only allow 50 at 60 but the old 120 rule has always worked for me.)

I realize this is an real old thread but I was wanting to know what 120 rule UP refers to is?

Thanks

 

[rjack321]

I realize this is an real old thread but I was wanting to know what 120 rule UP refers to is?

Thanks

120 minus depth = air "no deco" limit for that depth.
e.g.
120-100ft = 20mins
120-80 = 40mins
120-60ft= 60mins

I use slightly more conservative estimates myself, the rule above is roughly similar to the Navy tables.

 

[TheWetRookie]

Thanks