Have training standards "slipped"?

[Thalassamania]

There is a new phenomenon and it's called Nitrogen Narcosis. Your bovine index increases exponentially with your depth. When you hit 130 fsw you have the reasoning abilities of a cow. Even cows have enough sense to not dive this deeply on air.

Asked, answered, and referenced up the wazoo. You make claim after claim and ignore anything inconvenient.

To repeat:

I would submit that it is rather strange to argue that nitrogen narcosis can not be reduced and managed. It is well know that nitrogen narcosis is influenced by things, including mood, Body Mass Index, dive fitness, frequency of diving, workload, anxiety, cold, rate of compression, elevated CO2 level, darkness, and diver confidence, to mention just a few factors that to one degree or another are amenable to diver mediated changes. Change those factors and you reduce narcosis.

With respect to individual diver susceptibility, Abraini and Joulia (Psycho-sensorimotor performance in divers exposed to six and seven atmospheres absolute of compressed air. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 65: 84-87, 1992) demonstrated that, "for divers exposed to 50 msw (167 ft) that changes of performance in visual choice reaction time, manual dexterity, and number ordination might range from +5 to -21 %, +5 to -8 %, and +6 to -22 % respectively. Similar results were obtained at 60 msw (200 ft), showing changes of performance in visual choice reaction time, manual dexterity, and number ordination that ranged from +3 to -11 %, +2 to -9 %, and +3 to -26 % respectively."

They go on to state that, "... emotionally stable subjects seem to be affected to a lesser extent than less stable individuals. Furthermore, both qualitative observations and quantitative studies supported that experienced divers and subjects of high intelligence are less affected by nitrogen narcosis."

Bethan Thiviergey in the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Dec. 2002 states: "Some evidence exists that certain divers may become partially acclimated to the effects of nitrogen narcosis with frequency-the more often they dive, the less the increased nitrogen seems to affect them."

Bottom line: bright, well adjusted, well trained, experienced divers who know how to titrate the factors that influence narcosis against the task at hand, are able to do so.

It's proof that SOME agencies evolve their standards to EXCLUDE dangerous protocols. I would hasten to add that our understanding and application of bubble models has also advanced. Computers have aided our ability and our enjoyment of our diving.

If it wasn't for us you wouldn't have computers or nitrox, the training agencies and diver operators would still be running around yelling about how dangerous they are.

 

[underwasser bolt]

It's proof that SOME agencies evolve their standards to EXCLUDE dangerous protocols. I would hasten to add that our understanding and application of bubble models has also advanced. Computers have aided our ability and our enjoyment of our diving.

I agree standards have changed, even evolved. I see my 12 year old son doing SDI training now and wonder when or where he will ever use some of those skills. On the other hand, his instructor apparently does not believe in dive tables, as he has not received one, has not trained on one, and is now in day 2 (final day) of his confined water training. Computer ONLY training is foolish in my book.

 

[daniel f aleman]

I see my 12 year old son doing SDI training now and wonder when or where he will ever use some of those skills.

He'll use them.

 

[DivingsInMyBlood]

I agree standards have changed, even evolved. I see my 12 year old son doing SDI training now and wonder when or where he will ever use some of those skills. On the other hand, his instructor apparently does not believe in dive tables, as he has not received one, has not trained on one, and is now in day 2 (final day) of his confined water training. Computer ONLY training is foolish in my book.

Seems scary without using dive tables, atleast understanding them. 2 days seems WAY too short for a OW course.

 

[Mako Mark]

These standards were the Alpha of diving, pre-dating military and recreational use of OCS and today seems to be the Omega when it comes to minimizing diving risk.

If standards were slipping so badly, fatality rates in recreational scuba would be rising not falling, as they have steadily for the last 20 years or so.

 

[Thalassamania]

If standards were slipping so badly, fatality rates in recreational scuba would be rising not falling, as they have steadily for the last 20 years or so.

A bogus statistic based on the idea that everything else has remained constant. It hasn't. You'd be hard pressed to find an "escorted" dive 20 years ago, and that's now the norm. Maybe that's a better system, I'm not against it, but let's be realistic and stop "certifying" divers who in reality are only ready for an escorted dive.

 

[Diver Dennis]

There is a new phenomenon and it's called Nitrogen Narcosis. Your bovine index increases exponentially with your depth. When you hit 130 fsw you have the reasoning abilities of a cow. Even cows have enough sense to not dive this deeply on air.

Now this is a bit of an exaggeration Pete.

 

[bookboarder]

Hi Nicole, Were you trained by NAUI? Your experience was similar to mine whch was NAUI. I am not aware of what the differences might be in PADI or others.

Yep, I was trained by NAUI.

 

[bookboarder]

Do a search. I believe Walter produced a rather comprehensive skills comparison some time ago. Last year? Year before. I don't recall. Sorry

Bjorn

I'm curious, would I search for 'skills comparison' or something like that? Or use 'Walter' or eh? I dunno, I'm new here, and I'm afraidto be bogged down by 234,564 posts!

 

[daniel f aleman]

Here you go Nichole:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?p=2599913