How Deep is Too Deep for You?

[lamont]

but it's the part that comes *before* mandatory deco dives, right?

yes. i think its just overemphasized a little bit. its also just like a BOW card in that its a learners permit -- I'm not going to take tech 1 and then immediately start doing high current scooter diving with wreck penetration in the straights of juan de fuca at the edge of the tech 1 limits...

 

[Thalassamania]

You know all the terminology talk can drive you nuts. A Master Chief once told me that the term "stage" has nothing to do with "stage-one" followed by "stage-two." It refers to the thing the hard hat divers stood on while decompression, the "Dive Stage." Don't know if it's true or not, but sounded good to me.

 

[limeyx]

yes. i think its just overemphasized a little bit. its also just like a BOW card in that its a learners permit -- I'm not going to take tech 1 and then immediately start doing high current scooter diving with wreck penetration in the straights of juan de fuca at the edge of the tech 1 limits...

good. I fully understand there's a crossover between classes, but I definitely think it's vital to take training before doing mandatory deco dives.

However, between the Tech 1 (one slung bottle) and tech 2 (bottom stage + 2 deco bottles), I definitely see room to dive a bottom stage and single deco tank for instance.

The class just gives you enough knowledge/skills to get yourself into even more trouble if you dont let your experience catch up with you...

 

[JeffG]

However, between the Tech 1 (one slung bottle) and tech 2 (bottom stage + 2 deco bottles), I definitely see room to dive a bottom stage and single deco tank for instance.

Of more use IMO is to carry 2 deco bottles (50 and 100), than a stage and a single deco bottle.

You really don't need a stage until > 200ft and with 2 deco bottles you can get out of the water in a reasonable amount of time for those 200ft dives.

Its not a huge step from going from 1 deco bottle to 2. The first real big step is when you start carring bottles on a leash and you bring the transition of bottles from shoulder <-> leash into play.

 

[caymaniac]

So far I've hit nearly a thousand feet........I was in a sub of course. Diving on air , one tank. 200ft. would be too deep.

 

[lamont]

Of more use IMO is to carry 2 deco bottles (50 and 100), than a stage and a single deco bottle.

You really don't need a stage until > 200ft and with 2 deco bottles you can get out of the water in a reasonable amount of time for those 200ft dives.

Its not a huge step from going from 1 deco bottle to 2. The first real big step is when you start carring bottles on a leash and you bring the transition of bottles from shoulder <-> leash into play.

Around here we like to do scooter dives along the shore at 100-120 fsw and tech 1 divers will usually build up experience doing 6k out / 6k back 60 min round-trip dives using a stage. It builds dive complexity in non-current intensive shallower (but longer duration) dives.

The guys who do the 320 fsw dives practice doing 9k, 12k and beyond dives at 100-120 fsw... They're all tech 2 / cave 2 at a minimum though and basically they're grown-ups...

 

[JeffG]

Around here we like to do scooter dives along the shore at 100-120 fsw and tech 1 divers will usually build up experience doing 6k out / 6k back 60 min round-trip dives using a stage. It builds dive complexity in non-current intensive shallower (but longer duration) dives.

Similar to what we do, but we are doing it with an avg depth of ~60ft, dive times in the 90min range. We use stages, but we haven't been bringing deco, but we have talked about it. When we scooter to the townsite (underwater town in lake minniw anka), we will take both. We will be in the water for ~2-2 1/2 hrs.


But other than those types of dives, 2 deco bottles vs 1 stage and 1 deco usually has more uses. Usually in diving wrecks in the 170-200ft ish type of range its nice to have 2 deco bottles.

 

[Meister481]

I went to 127' on 28% a few weeks ago in lake michigan. I did notice slight narcosis, had to think about my compass a little too long. I used 32 for travel gas and 28 for bottom mix. Went down with 3 cylinders, 80, 40 and my trusty 19 pony. The idea of going that deep with a single 80 and an insta buddy seems foolish. Most people only consider their own training.

My last deep dive was done with a guy I have been diving with most of the summer. We adopted an insta buddy on the boat who was diving air. He chose to follow our profile and we blew our plan when we got caught up looking at the contents of the hold. The way back to the line put us in deco. My buddy and myself had enough gas to get us on the boat with plenty to spare. Insta buddy ends up sucking drop tanks and gets on the boat before my stop time is burned.

Diving deep is more than comfort, it's planning, training and discipline. I'm good to 130' until I get more training.

 

[Ice9]

Interesting....did everyone hear the wah, wah, wah?

Ya, we used to call it the "muah muah's."

 

[Ice9]

I used to work in a lab that had a buch of nitrous laying around that some guys used to breath. After one of them convulsed and was hauled off in a ambulance they locked it up so the burnouts couldn't get to it. LOL

Ah yes. The light convulsions would hapen after someone passed out on it. Our old saying was, "you just don't know what life is all about until you can take the bag off your own head!" Heh.. Its amazing I lived though my youth..