WJL
Contributor
This is a short report on the GUE Triox class held at Gilboa Quarry, Ohio, on August 6, 7 and 8, 2004. The instructor was Mike Kane, assisted by Brandon Schwartz. The class is intended to teach safe diving techniques for depths up to 120 feet, including the use of appropriate nitrox and helium mixes.
The class began Friday morning. The first day was devoted to academics. (This was not how the typical class is run - usually the lectures are split up over the three days). Much of the initial discussion Friday morning was similar to material covered in the Fundamentals class, but in more depth and with greater emphasis on metabolic and physiological issues associated with breathing gas under pressure. As the day progressed, we covered the evolution of decompression theory and modelling, and discussed the limitations of decompression algorithms. We reviewed gas planning and rock bottom calculations, gas consumption rates, GUE "tank factors", and reviewed MOD computations. We went over the complete formulas for computing OTUs and CNS limits, and then the "battlefield" methods for quickly approximating the same results. We learned gas blending procedures, with emphasis on the partial pressure method, and were shown quick methods for making 32% and 30/30 mixes. We went over the theory and practice of deep stops, and were given rules of thumb to use for dives up to 120 feet. We were also given GUE NDL tables for air, 30/30 and 32%. The lecture material covers about 100 Powerpoint slides, and this description is only a brief summary of everything that was presented. I found the information presented to be interesting and valuable, and filled 10 pages in my wetnotes with useful notes and tables.
We started the in-water part of the class on Saturday morning in shallow depths with a checkup of our basic Fundamentals skills - "basic 5", air shares and valve drills. We practised rescuing a toxing diver, which was the first time I had actually tried it. I learned that this is something that requires a lot of repetition to get right. We then went through some "simulated" deep dives, in which we had to deal with multiple tasks introduced by the instructors - air sharing, lost masks, entanglements, reg failures, etc. - while maintaining control of our buoyancy and hitting our stops on the way up. The real purpose of these drills, IMO, is to teach you to avoid narrowing your perception to the immediate task at hand, to be aware of the entire situation, and to think through the problem methodically. In the interval between dives on Saturday we practiced running a reel, and following a line in zero visibility. In the afternoon we went through more simulated deep dives, with the video camera recording our performance for that evening's video debrief. The biggest lesson I learned was to employ the closed fist hold signal with my team members, and deal with the problem as it arose in an orderly way. When we didn't do that, the failures and problems were piled on until things went into a complete cluster - all in all a very effective teaching technique to drive home the point.
On Sunday we again simulated deep dives. We practiced shooting bags from 40 feet, and then did the dreaded timed ascent and descent drill. Again, I think real purpose of this drill is to get you so concentrating on watching your timer and depth gauge that you stop paying attention to your team. Having learned from previous experience, we moved away from those bags we had shot to do the drill, but somehow that line grew fins and swam over to where we were and unerringly wrapped itself around a manifold. We managed to deal with that problem on the way down in the drill, and were still maintaining our schedule, but on the way up, one of the team members started to "tox" at 25 feet. We ended up at 40 feet before we got sorted out, and then we missed our stops on the way up. Not a proud moment. We ended up the day on Sunday doing another simulated deep dive. Somehow by this time we had gotten more relaxed, and we actually had some fun dealing with all the problems as they inevitably arose. Most of the standard stuff happened, but we had turned a corner of sorts and it just seemed like we could solve the problems presented without anxiety. By the end of the dive, I was wearing my buddy's mask, which didn't fit me that well, and he was wearing my backup, which was fogging constantly, but it still was more fun than anything else as we made a nice controlled ascent to the surface sharing air.
We ended up feeling as if we had come close to doing a reasonable job with the class, but we were weak enough that we never did the "experience" dives to @100 feet that would have concluded the class on Sunday if we were stronger with our basic skills.
Overall this class gave me a much better understanding of the theory and practice of GUE methods and protocols for diving to recreational limits, and helped me refine my skills in the water. I'm hopeful that with a little more practice we'll be making those "experience" dives sometime in the near future.
The class began Friday morning. The first day was devoted to academics. (This was not how the typical class is run - usually the lectures are split up over the three days). Much of the initial discussion Friday morning was similar to material covered in the Fundamentals class, but in more depth and with greater emphasis on metabolic and physiological issues associated with breathing gas under pressure. As the day progressed, we covered the evolution of decompression theory and modelling, and discussed the limitations of decompression algorithms. We reviewed gas planning and rock bottom calculations, gas consumption rates, GUE "tank factors", and reviewed MOD computations. We went over the complete formulas for computing OTUs and CNS limits, and then the "battlefield" methods for quickly approximating the same results. We learned gas blending procedures, with emphasis on the partial pressure method, and were shown quick methods for making 32% and 30/30 mixes. We went over the theory and practice of deep stops, and were given rules of thumb to use for dives up to 120 feet. We were also given GUE NDL tables for air, 30/30 and 32%. The lecture material covers about 100 Powerpoint slides, and this description is only a brief summary of everything that was presented. I found the information presented to be interesting and valuable, and filled 10 pages in my wetnotes with useful notes and tables.
We started the in-water part of the class on Saturday morning in shallow depths with a checkup of our basic Fundamentals skills - "basic 5", air shares and valve drills. We practised rescuing a toxing diver, which was the first time I had actually tried it. I learned that this is something that requires a lot of repetition to get right. We then went through some "simulated" deep dives, in which we had to deal with multiple tasks introduced by the instructors - air sharing, lost masks, entanglements, reg failures, etc. - while maintaining control of our buoyancy and hitting our stops on the way up. The real purpose of these drills, IMO, is to teach you to avoid narrowing your perception to the immediate task at hand, to be aware of the entire situation, and to think through the problem methodically. In the interval between dives on Saturday we practiced running a reel, and following a line in zero visibility. In the afternoon we went through more simulated deep dives, with the video camera recording our performance for that evening's video debrief. The biggest lesson I learned was to employ the closed fist hold signal with my team members, and deal with the problem as it arose in an orderly way. When we didn't do that, the failures and problems were piled on until things went into a complete cluster - all in all a very effective teaching technique to drive home the point.
On Sunday we again simulated deep dives. We practiced shooting bags from 40 feet, and then did the dreaded timed ascent and descent drill. Again, I think real purpose of this drill is to get you so concentrating on watching your timer and depth gauge that you stop paying attention to your team. Having learned from previous experience, we moved away from those bags we had shot to do the drill, but somehow that line grew fins and swam over to where we were and unerringly wrapped itself around a manifold. We managed to deal with that problem on the way down in the drill, and were still maintaining our schedule, but on the way up, one of the team members started to "tox" at 25 feet. We ended up at 40 feet before we got sorted out, and then we missed our stops on the way up. Not a proud moment. We ended up the day on Sunday doing another simulated deep dive. Somehow by this time we had gotten more relaxed, and we actually had some fun dealing with all the problems as they inevitably arose. Most of the standard stuff happened, but we had turned a corner of sorts and it just seemed like we could solve the problems presented without anxiety. By the end of the dive, I was wearing my buddy's mask, which didn't fit me that well, and he was wearing my backup, which was fogging constantly, but it still was more fun than anything else as we made a nice controlled ascent to the surface sharing air.
We ended up feeling as if we had come close to doing a reasonable job with the class, but we were weak enough that we never did the "experience" dives to @100 feet that would have concluded the class on Sunday if we were stronger with our basic skills.
Overall this class gave me a much better understanding of the theory and practice of GUE methods and protocols for diving to recreational limits, and helped me refine my skills in the water. I'm hopeful that with a little more practice we'll be making those "experience" dives sometime in the near future.
