DIR Answer Required

[Cacia]

IF you are supposed to "Plan the Dive and Dive the Plan" and you are not wearing a computer, how do you do this assuming you are diving a totally unknown profile?

For instance, last summer, a group of us took a boat inter island from Hawaii Kai, Oahu across the channel to Molakai, Lanai, and Maui. We dove 17 sites over a few days and never tied off to a bouy....meaning we "explored" various locations, all drifts. Most times we guessed walls and reefs based on shore topography, and went where the current took us.

We all dove off of computers, and basically just made the dives up as we went along...
Since GUE has "exploration" in the name, how does one explore new reefs, walls, etc using the DIR method of planning?

 

[TheRedHead]

I've asked that question in the past.

 

[Cacia]

oh, great minds....

fancy meeting you in here. well, did you get an answer?

 

[JeffG]

Set limits.

No deeper than X
No longer than Y

If you find something that warrants changing the plan and you have all the right equipment...then change the plan. Otherwise, note what you find, come back for another dive with the right equipment.

 

[Cacia]

oh. well I am not sure I am smart enough to do all that computing in my head. maybe you could come out here and demonstrate. (smiling)

can you really do that? I will have to think about that. so, you are saying, plan an "open ended dive". So, if you see a huge manta at a depth outside of the limits you have set, then you need to pass on going deeper. You can't drop deeper and then cut your dive time to compensate?

What do you mean the right equipment if we are speaking about depths above 130?

Are you using wet notes or calculating all the contingencies mentally?

 

[TheRedHead]

oh, great minds....

fancy meeting you in here. well, did you get an answer?

Not to my satisfaction in regard to multi-level exploratory dives. Although setting limits, as Jeff suggests, is a good idea whether or not you're diving DIR.

 

[JeffG]

can you really do that? I will have to think about that. so, you are saying, plan an "open ended dive".

There are limits to what can be done. If you plan a 100ft dive and you have AL80 w/32% nitrox and it turns out that you see something deeper (Lets say, you see a wreck at 130ish). You would probably better off, not going to the wreck but maybe doing some other poking around at 100ft.

You could come back later with doubles with 21/35 and a bottle of 50% to deco with.

on the other hand...lets say you have a fish finder that says 80 ft. So you plan on a 80 ft dive, but then you find a wall very quickly after descending. Pull out the wet notes, communicate with the buddy, change the plan to go over the wall to 100ft but cut back the dive time.

 

[Cacia]

okay, thanks.

yes, I always know my MOD, so I guess I have a rough plan. I use golf pencils on fish tally sheets...what do you guys use on wet notes and where do you stash them? Oh...drysuit/pockets, never mind. I have zero pockets (unless I have my buddy's.) tell me again where you types stash the SMB? I think here they stash behind the backplate but that is not very easy if you are using it a lot.

 

[JeffG]

Oh...drysuit/pockets, never mind. I have zero.

You can get a pair of X-Shorts if you want pockets.

and yes pencils for the wetnotes

 

[JeffG]

tell me again where you types stash the SMB? I think here they stash behind the backplate but that is not very easy if you are utizing it a lot.

I put a small smb (already attached to the spool) in my pocket. Behind the backplate is usually used for liftbags or SMB's that can't fit into the pockets.