Diving recreational depths w/o computer...

[jagfish]

For technical dives, this seems easy enough since there are excellent programs such as V-planner to plan the dive, cut tables, allow for depth and time contingencies.

For those of you who dive at recreational depths w/ bottom timer only, what method do you use for single and repetitive dives...

 

[H2Andy]

i know of the method Uncle Pug described a while back

use Nitrox 32 and spend as much time above 33 feet as you did below 66 feet
(time spent between 33 and 66 cancels itself out). the shallower the better
at the end of the dive. use up all your gas shallow if possible.

longish surface interval (one hour or more)

you start out clean

(i am going from memory, so please don't rely on this as other than a rough
guide until more experienced divers chime in)

 

[Jason Ooi]

I used Citizen Aqua-master Dive watch as my depth/bottom timer for recreational "NDL
" minimum 3 hours SIT, deep water more than 30m I will consider use dive computer.

For those of you who dive at recreational depths w/ bottom timer only, what method do you use for single and repetitive dives...

 

[cdtgray]

I parted ways with my last dive computer about three years ago when it stopped working and have been using only bottom timers since.

For recreational dives I will either cut tables using deco software in the same manner as for technical dives or I will simply step back and use normal dive tables.

Factors such as number of dives, number of days diving, multilevel dives, if the other divers are using computers, and whether or not I will throw in a deco dive at some point all determine which method I will use.

 

[vkalia]

*Why* would you use tables for recreational diving anyway?

I am not trying to get into a "which is a better tool" kind of argument. I am curious as to what factors specifically led to your deciding on tables as being a better tool:
- easy to plan profiles?
- cost savings over a computer
- reliability

V.

 

[gcbryan]

I suspect that many divers can dive without a computer, still have a computer and sometimes use it and sometimes don't.

This is my case anyway. I think it's more like the 747 pilot who flies with the auto piliot engaged most of the time but who sometimes turns it off for manual flight to keep his skills current.

Not using a computer engages your brain. I usually have a computer on my wrist. Sometimes I have two with one in gauge mode. Some times I only use gauge mode.

Most people dive a similiar profile over and over. Try doing your standard dive but put your computer where you have to look hard to see it. Do your normal dive and check occassionally to see if you are exceeding the NDL's. In most cases you probably aren't. In other words you probably already don't need your computer.

I do each dive as if I'm going to need to do 10 minutes or so of deco and yet I dive in such a way that I don't incurr deco. Doing this technically I don't need a computer. I still carry one and refer to it sometimes but my dive profile is mainly in my head.

 

[OE2X]

i know of the method Uncle Pug described a while back

use Nitrox 32 and spend as much time above 33 feet as you did below 66 feet
(time spent between 33 and 66 cancels itself out). the shallower the better
at the end of the dive. use up all your gas shallow if possible.

longish surface interval (one hour or more)

you start out clean

(i am going from memory, so please don't rely on this as other than a rough
guide until more experienced divers chime in)

This accurate Andy.
The only other thing to add is to try to get to the deepest part of your dive near the very begining of your dive. I know, that's what everyone says, but I see a lot of shore divers drop into 10' feet of water and very slowly swim down to 100'.

The way Pug likes to "shape the curve" is when you graph your dive it would nearly straight line to the deepest part of the dive in the first few minutes. Then gradually curve upwards with at least as much time spent above 33' as below 66'. Generally when he and I dive together, we spend twice as much time above 33' as we did deep.

As Andy said - we also spend a very solid hour above water and generally much more time for our SI and we dive 32%.

 

[neil]

Not using a computer engages your brain.

That's a stretch, IMO. Using tables you have to watch your depth and monitor your time with a watch or timer. Using a computer you have to monitor your time and depth by looking at the computer. I fail to see where either of those is quantitatively different from the other unless having to watch two devices instead of one is "engaging your brain".

 

[victor]

I plan my dives using tables, but I always dive with a computer and a backup max depth and time (citizen dive watch).

I try and log each dive as soon as I complete it. This gives me the chance to think about surface interval, next dive etc.

I do use the surface interval and no deco times on my computer to plan the next dive.

I am planning to do a nitrox course shortly. This will complicate the process as I will not be familliar with the numbers when I start.

 

[OE2X]

Nope. I don't need to watch my computer. It beeps, flashes and throws a fit if I go into into deco or come up to fast. The only thing it challenges the brain to do is when you have to figure out how to change your gas mix or figure your average time. Also when you have to remember what some of the funny animations like a plane with a circle and line through it mean...

I own three computers. I don't use any of them beyond depth and time...

Now what was that task I was doing before posting in this thread?