I'm not concerned. . .but should I be?

[ScubaSteve]

In my opinion aren't we obligated to give the best advice possible?

That right there is the problem. WHAT is the best advice? No matter what your answer is, there is a hundred different version of the answer with others. I do agree with your post in general, I do know that in an imperfect world, perfection is not possible.

 

[Phishie]

Many of you have jumped on the band wagon in defense of diving practices that are contrary to safe teaching. I thought we were suppose to use this site to help or coach new divers in good and safe ways to enjoy our underwater world and come back safely.
Can you make dives without being fully geared, sure,not fully trained, absolutely, woefully unprepared, happens all the time, but does this make it right?

I am a fairly new diver. However reading more complete answers like lamont's earlier are what have helped me learn way more about diving than I did in my PADI whirlwind certification. And those answers are what inspire me to learn more and more about diving to be as good a diver as I can.

An answer that tells me "What you learned in class isn't quite accurate because of A, B, and C and you don't necessarily need to cancel the dive because of a computer" is much more useful to me than "Never dive after a computer failure or you're gonna die!"

Knowing A, B, and C give me the knowledge of when I should thumb a dive and when I don't need to given a computer/gauge failure and my current dive profile. It's when I'm given blanket safety warnings with no reasoning that I'm more likely to ignore them.

 

[martzak]

less talking/writing and more diving--that's what the OP needs...and so do I.
The only way you're going to get more comfortable in the water is by spending more time in it, unless, of course, you have an anxiety disorder in which case you need xanax and/or therapy.

 

[DESIGNERDIVER]

sounds like something was growing on the line............fire coral perhaps. my fiance never dives with gloves and almost always gets this..............think he'd learn

 

[Deep-6]

Cosmo, Glad you're doing better. My advice goes along with the whole don't dive without a reliable computer mentality. The only exception would be if you are really good with your tables and have a reliable depth gauge and bottom timer. Which in that case requires excellent dive planning and discipline. I would advise against diving below your max depth for your current certification level. You however are the ultimate decision maker for how you conduct your dives. When you're a diver, you live and die by the decisions you make. Just my 2 cents brah.

 

[KLETCO]

Personally, I wouldn't continue diving with a broken computer for a number of reasons:

1. My dive buddy may not have kept the EXACT same profile as me throughout the dive thus far.
2. Dive computers recalculate down to 1 or 2 feet. In order to stay on the same profile, you'd have to be basically connected to each other. This is difficult.
3. If this is a repetative dive, my buddy must have dove all previous dives with the same profile as me.
4. If my buddy's computer then fails and there is no other depth / time gauge, safety stops would be problematic.
5. I don't have the tables memorized, and don't intend to memorize them. Mixing computer diving and table diving is a bad idea anyway.

Does it mean that if you dive with 1 computer for 2 divers, you'll "die" (as someone stated) or even automatically get bent? No. Call me conservative, but I don't bend the rules or cut corners. I feel that diving conservatively means that I will be around to dive another day.

 

[Diver Tim]

How about this as a quick fail-safe? Know the max depth before you dive; look up the NDL for that depth before you splash. Note the time before you descend. If your computer fails, note the elapsed dive time... Already longer than the NDL for the max depth? Time to head north. Got some no-deco time remaining? Hang out until you get to the NDL (or rock bottom pressure), then ascend normally. Assuming, of course, that you have some way (backup SPG? Buddy?) to monitor your ascent rate and identify your safety stop depth...

Would that work, or am I out to lunch?

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah, my home bud's computer flooded the first dive of a Cozumel trip so he said "I'm staying above you for the rest of the trip." :silly: Not a good plan. Since he had stayed close to me for the first dive, I just removed my secondary PDC and loaned it to him.

Having a spare computer on a trip is pricey, but not having one is very limiting when one fails.

How about this as a quick fail-safe? Know the max depth before you dive; look up the NDL for that depth before you splash. Note the time before you descend. If your computer fails, note the elapsed dive time... Already longer than the NDL for the max depth? Time to head north. Got some no-deco time remaining? Hang out until you get to the NDL (or rock bottom pressure), then ascend normally. Assuming, of course, that you have some way (backup SPG? Buddy?) to monitor your ascent rate and identify your safety stop depth...

Would that work, or am I out to lunch?

Sure, that's the original approach as taught in your OW course: Use the RDP to plan your dive, then dive your plan - with a couple of notations...

By "Time to head north," I assume you mean ascend, and I suppose everyone would assume so - but don't get people confused here. This thread has plenty of that already.

Your SPG will be of no use in monitoring ascent rate that I can think of. Stick with your buddy.​

 

[Diver Tim]

Time to head north.

Yes, I did in fact mean ascend.

Assuming, of course, that you have some way (backup SPG? Buddy?) to monitor your ascent rate and identify your safety stop depth...

My bad... I meant "depth gauge" and working timepiece. Staying with your buddy (with a good computer or depth gauge) would work as well.