Hey Hoover ~ Did you ruin someone's dive?

[mempilot]

I normally wouldn't say this, but I doubt a 240+ lbr is going to require, let alonge use, less gas than a physicaly fit 170 lbr. They may be a fit 240, but I'm sure they are packing a lot more blood in that package that needs to be oxygenated.

If they are a 240lb running back for a professional football team, I'll retract my comment.

I know several "240-240+ pounders" who would likely be watching you call your solo dive before they call a dive of the same profile. In my experience SAC is more about comfort & technique than it is appearance & physique.

You can't always judge a book by its cover.

 

[mempilot]

First of all, I live in dive training central. You have every agency, every kind of facility, and every kind of student right here in the back yard.

I'm not saying don't cut them slack if they don't know better. I'm saying dive a bigger tank. I'll say it again, dive a bigger tank.

You obviously don't live in an area where there are agencies that offer "cheap" club-based courses. Commercial agencies have to contend with that as well.

Still, most beginners look upon diving as just another action sport. It should be easy to learn and it musn't take up too much of their time.

The ones that get hooked on diving WILL take follow-up courses. The rest of them will probably take the "been there, done that, got the T-shirt" approach.

So why not cut the ones who get hooked some slack?

'm Off to bed. G'night.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I normally wouldn't say this, but I doubt a 240+ lbr is going to require, let alonge use, less gas than a physicaly fit 170 lbr. They may be a fit 240, but I'm sure they are packing a lot more blood in that package that needs to be oxygenated.

If they are a 240lb running back for a professional football team, I'll retract my comment.

I'm not a big fan of stereotypes.

FWIW - I'm 5'9" and about 250 lbs. But I manage to hold my own pretty well when it comes to gas consumption ... I usually dive with younger, smaller buddies and typically come back with more gas than they do.

If you've got good technique, recreational diving requires about as much oxygenation as laying on the couch reading a good book ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[OE2X]

I normally wouldn't say this, but I doubt a 240+ lbr is going to require, let alonge use, less gas than a physicaly fit 170 lbr. They may be a fit 240, but I'm sure they are packing a lot more blood in that package that needs to be oxygenated.

Hey I resemble that. I've been known to have a sac at or just below .4

Not all of us are 170 lb buffed single studs.

 

[mempilot]

Amen! If I were a complete newbie reading this thread, I'd be rather put off. I mean, poor "Hoover" in the sea with all these Dive Gods!

That's the attitude that perpetuates the problem. Why be put off. You should read about divers who use all their air and run low early. This should prompt you to think, maybe I should figure out how to plan better. Maybe I need a bigger tank.

I don't care that someone is a newbie. Nowhere in this thread has anyone posted their SAC. An excuse for not knowing your gas consumption should never be your dive buddies tank.

 

[wedivebc]

I'm saying dive a bigger tank. I'll say it again, dive a bigger tank.

Right and you can always sell it for 1/2 what you paid for it after you learn to breath and swim correctly.

 

[Mo2vation]

You are a hoover. You suck down half your al80 before even getting to the bottom. You discover your needle is in the red 15 minutes later and only then bother to inform the poor person assigned as your *buddy* what your air status is. You thumb the dive and expect them to accompany you to the surface. They do but still have 2/3 of their gas left. They paid $$$ for the dive trip but you've ruined it for them.

Do you feel any responsibility to recompense them?

Its easy to fix this:

1) Get in shape. Mix in a salad. Work out, drop some lard. I did. It worked.

2) Get a grip. Stop diving with your hands. Get horizontal and stop being a friggen roto-tiller. Practice. Get some game. I did. It worked.

3) Get a waterheater. In my case, an HP130. If 1 and 2 above don't work for you, or if you're not motivated enough to get in shape and get a grip, then get a silo.

However, when 1 and 2 above are locked in, and you got the Saturn V, forget about it. Now you're the team back up supply.


As to getting paired up with a hoover, that's what the pre-dive interview is all about. If hoover lies, then kick her to the curb and get another buddy on the next dive.

We just did some dives this weekend with a newbie, on a 4 person team. It was part of the plan - newbie drains can, we escort newbie to the boat, watch their safe ascent to the step, and the three of us continue diving for another 25 - 30 minutes. Worked fine.

Knowing your consumption is as important as knowing how to clear your mask or how not to pee in a drysuit. I mean, c'mon. If you're a hoover, and you don't know it, that's just scary.

Pairing a hoover with a sipper is just lame. Its like pairing a photographer with a hunter... they'll go in together but never see each other again. You gotta take the time and pair yourself with an appropriate buddy - unless you simply have that "joy of being wet thing" and it overrides the "quality of dive" thing - then you're probably fine with anyone. Rock on. I can't do that - quality of dive is #1 here.

---
Ken

 

[mempilot]

Right and you can always sell it for 1/2 what you paid for it after you learn to breath and swim correctly.

Righteo myman!

 

[JasonH20]

I'm not a big fan of stereotypes.

FWIW - I'm 5'9" and about 250 lbs. But I manage to hold my own pretty well when it comes to gas consumption ... I usually dive with younger, smaller buddies and typically come back with more gas than they do.

If you've got good technique, recreational diving requires about as much oxygenation as laying on the couch reading a good book ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Hehe, just like last Wednesday night. You got 2 dives on one 95(?) to my 2 80's. I'm 6'1" 170, and a fairly active runner. You'd think a young punk like me would do OK, but your SAC blew mine out of the water!

BTW, I hope OE2X will let me borrow his 130's for the Orca Bait boat dive on the 19th!

 

[OE2X]

Hehe, just like last Wednesday night. You got 2 dives on one 95(?) to my 2 80's. I'm 6'1" 170, and a fairly active runner. You'd think a young punk like me would do OK, but your SAC blew mine out of the water!

BTW, I hope OE2X will let me borrow his 130's for the Orca Bait boat dive on the 19th!

Yup. No problem there. Why do you think I have so many of them?

It actually works well for me to have a bunch of 130's for my friends who don't have large tanks. This way if they use mine, I still get to dive the profile I want. Personally I think everyone should be using 130's.