First dive at 40 meters - Newbies recreational

[scubadada]

Hi @Dody

Did you post what kind of dive computer you are using?

 

[Dody]

Hi @Dody

Did you post what kind of dive computer you are using?

Aqualung 750

 

[scubadada]

Aqualung 750

Aqua Lung computers have an optional deep stop, yours must be on. I can't think of any way your computer would have given you a stop at 12 meters. Do you have an explanation for that stop?

 

[Dody]

Aqua Lung computer have an optional deep stop, yours must be on. I can't think of any way your computer would have given you a stop at 12 meters. Do you have an explanation for that stop?

Not for now. I haven’t finished RTFM yet.

 

[J-Vo]

Hi @Dody, I lot divers/instructors with way more experience than myself have given good advice in this thread.

What strikes me, as your apparent skill level given that you have done 40 dives with a paid DM/instructor. Either these two individuals have been taking you for ride to get your money, or they lack the knowledge and experience to impart their skills on to their students. I highly recommend, that you consider trying different individuals as your guide/mentor.

Even when I higher guides for deep Trimix or Cave dives, I specifically request they "practice" there instruction skills and give me any critiques they believe will help me improve my diving.

 

[Dody]

Hi @Dody, I lot divers/instructors with way more experience than myself have given good advice in this thread.

What strikes me, as your apparent skill level given that you have done 40 dives with a paid DM/instructor. Either these two individuals have been taking you for ride to get your money, or they lack the knowledge and experience to impart their skills on to their students. I highly recommend, that you consider trying different individuals as your guide/mentor.

Even when I higher guides for deep Trimix or Cave dives, I specifically request they "practice" there instruction skills and give me any critiques they believe will help me improve my diving.

If you were in their shoes, what would you criticize specifically and advise specifically?

 

[Blackcrusader]

No. It was the last SSI deep dive before certification. But I have the tendancy to never fully trust anyone with my safety so I even plan my training dives and cross check with the instructors.

Let me ask you this? How did your instructor advise you about your SAC rate for pre dive planning and on what basis does he base it? You said your new average is 11/lmin down from 20l/min which you based your calculations on. As we know you claim 14l/min average on the dive.

 

[Blackcrusader]

If you were in their shoes, what would you criticize specifically and advise specifically?

Not criticize but ask about things that happened.

OK , you are on your first training deep dive to 40m why was your instructor not with you?

Why did your DM allow you to exceed the max depth allowed as you exceeded 40m?

Why did your DM allow you to get to 1 min to NDL before you started ascending? You could easily have exceeded NDL as you said there was a down current. My dive computer will alert me when I get to 5 mins to NDL.

You can ask these questions to them yourself and hear their reasoning.

 

[Dody]

OK , you are on your first training deep dive to 40m why was your instructor not with you? Why did your DM allow you to exceed the max depth allowed? Why did your DM allow you to get to 1 min to NDL before you started ascending as you could easily have exceeded NDL. My dive computer will alert me when I get to 5 mins to NDL. You can ask these questions to them yourself and hear their reasoning.

Jvogt talked about my skills. The fact that a DM was with me and not an Instructor has nothing to do with my skills but I will ask the Instructor. We exceeded the maximum depth by 1.25% come on! I am not even sure that it is higher than the absolute error margin of the watch. Way lower than an analogic depth gauge. That’s 0,05 bar. I have a PhD in Physic and Fluid Dynamics, remember . 1 minute was a near miss I agree. I am taking more safety margin now.
I still make some mistakes and I guess it is not over but nothing proved to be life threatening.
My wife surprised me. We were out for a weekend in Tarrafal but she prepared a diving week-end, just the two of us. We designed, executed and evaluated the 4 dives we have made between yesterday and today. Between 58 and 41 minutes. Max depth between 32 m and 18m in a place we did not know and the orientation was perfect. One of the dives was a drift dive from the club to our hotel and everything went as planned. So, I am asking. I still consider myself as an apprentice and in learning but in what should we be such bad divers after less than 2 months and 42 dives?

 

[Dody]

Let me ask you this? How did your instructor advise you about your SAC rate for pre dive planning and on what basis does he base it? You said your new average is 11/lmin down from 20l/min which you based your calculations on. As we know you claim 14l/min average on the dive.

My pre-dive simulation was based on 15l/ min. In fact, before I managed to perfect my buyancy control, my SAC was anything between 15 and 25. It has never been above 14 since (partially thanks to the Perfect Buoyancy course that some say is useless). The calculation based on 12 was the one I made during the dive to calculate remaining. I am not sure that most of the divers could have done it in less than 5 seconds but I agree that I should have used at least 24. It would have given me 15 min at 40 m where we did not plan stay any longer.