deco buddy

[Soggy]

First of all, if your buddy runs out of deco gas (and has to switch to a back gas deco contingency), and you continue your deco with your planned gas, you will not be at the same depths at the same time. You would not be able to hand off your deco gas unless you descended back down to his deco level. You do not want to be doing that.....

Why not? You do your deco on your deco bottle, when your time at that stop is done, hand the deco gas off to your buddy and switch to back gas until they have completed the stop. Just because your time is done at that stop does not mean that you need to move right then. When you have *both* completed your required stop time, you move.

EDIT: Or, better yet, do half your deco at that stop, switch to back gas, hand off the bottle, let your buddy do half their deco, do the rest on back gas. You have now only spent 1.5x your normal stop time and not abandoned anyone. Note: this will only work with certain gas combinations....otherwise you just do "what time is left" on your backgas at that stop.

 

[matt_unique]

Why not? You do your deco on your deco bottle, when your time at that stop is done, hand the deco gas off to your buddy and switch to back gas until they have completed the stop. Just because your time is done at that stop does not mean that you need to move right then. When you have *both* completed your required stop time, you move.

EDIT: Or, better yet, do half your deco at that stop, switch to back gas, hand off the bottle, let your buddy do half their deco, do the rest on back gas. You have now only spent 1.5x your normal stop time and not abandoned anyone. Note: this will only work with certain gas combinations....otherwise you just do "what time is left" on your backgas at that stop.

To remain at a depth beyond the plan and switching to back gas (with less 02 content) will change your profile and result in additional deco requirements. No need to do that if your buddy is prepared for lost deco gas.

--Matt

 

[Soggy]

To remain at a depth beyond the plan and switching to back gas (with less 02 content) will change your profile and result in additional deco requirements.

I knew you were going to go there....

Fortunately, that's not really true and it *is* just as simple as sticking around on your backgas. You need to stop and think about it. Say I had 10 minutes at a stop if I were breathing 50%. My back gas is 21/35 and I've determined that I need to do 20 minutes at that stop in a lost-gas scenario. By doing 5 minutes on 50% and 10 minutes on 21/35, I have accomplished roughly the same decompression and I haven't left my buddy alone (there is never a reason to do that).

To steal someone else's line: "close counts with horseshoes, hand grenades and deco"

 

[matt_unique]

I knew you were going to go there....

Fortunately, that's not really true and it *is* just as simple as sticking around on your backgas. You need to stop and think about it. Say I had 10 minutes at a stop if I were breathing 50%. My back gas is 21/35 and I've determined that I need to do 20 minutes at that stop in a lost-gas scenario. By doing 5 minutes on 50% and 10 minutes on 21/35, I have accomplished roughly the same decompression and I haven't left my buddy alone (there is never a reason to do that).

To steal someone else's line: "close counts with horseshoes, hand grenades and deco"

Sogman - what you described IS changing your deco profile my friend! If your profile calls for 50% for 10 minutes, and you switch to back gas with less 02 before that time is reached, you need to account for it as you know to maintain your deco obligations. You are accounting for that change by increasing your time at depth.

You may choose to do that to maintain your team responsibilities but I prefer to stick to plan unless a change is absolutely necessary. I would not consider this situation a reason to change the plan. I would be much less inclined to ballpark it on the fly if you've been breathing "the mix" as in your example above.

--Matt

 

[JeffG]

If your profile calls for 50% for 10 minutes, and you switch to back gas with less 02 before that time is reached, you need to account for it as you know to maintain your deco obligations.

He is.

 

[Soggy]

If your profile calls for 50% for 10 minutes, and you switch to back gas with less 02 before that time is reached, you need to account for it as you know to maintain your deco obligations. You are accounting for that change by increasing your time at depth.

I obviously misunderstood what you were saying. I thought you were suggesting that it was not possible to adjust the plan on the fly like this. I was not suggesting that you just do the same deco on 21/35 that you would do on 50%. That would result in getting out of the water with only half your deco done...never a good idea.

You may choose to do that to maintain your team responsibilities but I prefer to stick to plan unless a change is absolutely necessary. I would not consider this situation a reason to change the plan.

This philosophy is one of the many reasons why you and I do not dive together. When diving with a buddy team, the team has priority over everything else. Individuals in the team don't follow different plans. That is solo diving, not team diving.

 

[matt_unique]

I obviously misunderstood what you were saying. I thought you were suggesting that it was not possible to adjust the plan on the fly like this. I was not suggesting that you just do the same deco on 21/35 that you would do on 50%. That would result in getting out of the water with only half your deco done...never a good idea.

This philosophy is one of the many reasons why you and I do not dive together. When diving with a buddy team, the team has priority over everything else. Individuals in the team don't follow different plans. That is solo diving, not team diving.

We're all cleared up.

Let's hope team deco decisions, that may include ballpark on the fly deco calculations, would not lead to team DCS consequences

I'm just busting your balls with the last one. We've been virtual guests on SB a long time, we know our feelings about DIR_Team vs. Solo and I agree these fundamental differences would prevent us from diving together.

--Matt

 

[matt_unique]

He is.

Thank you for your contribution....

 

[JeffG]

Thank you for your contribution....

Your welcome.

 

[wedivebc]

Thank you for your contribution....

Jeff is a man of few keystrokes thats how he racks up over 3600 posts