In water support
- Thread starter rjack321
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I think that if you take a team with GUE-F (or perhaps RecTriox using 30/30) qualifications, show them a little bit of bottle handling, and possibly some scooter skills that it would be good experience to let them be support on T1 dives. They could meet the T1 team at the 70ft stop with a spare 70ft bottle and ride out the deco with them to the surface. Is it needed? Probably not, but it could be some good experience for both the T1 team and the GUE-F team.
OP
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It might be good experience, although why not just do ascent practice? Or a recreational scooter dive with midwater ascent?
Having someone who's still learning doubles in midwater with no bottom (for them due to a MOD). Who could have their own equipment issues during the dive seems like more a liability than its worth to me for ~20mins of deco. I know plenty of rock solid DIRF level divers who could serve as support. Most of them don't dive doubles though and I'm not sure a single tank support diver is a good idea.
There are quite a few pre-DIRF, DIRF, or Tech1 divers around here. My preference would be for these divers to build their own experience base, not spend alot of time as support (potentially in lieu of doing their own dives). A time or two is cool. But there can be too much of a good thing.
So far, for my dives with up to ~50mins of deco, I don't feel a need for in-water support. I will do ~20mins deco just me and a buddy (or 2). Beyond that it needs to be a shore dive or have a boat tender.
JeffG
Contributor
Why do you have to have doubles for a support diver?
OP
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If your T1 team is already equipped to handle the dive without support, your support team are proficient at carrying a single stage/deco bottle and have enough gas to handle the deco part of the T1 dive from 70' up, then why does it matter? If one of the support divers is having issues with gear or something else, then another member of the support team should be able to assist the diver having issues. The T1 divers shouldn't need to get involved with the diver having issues. The support divers main purpose would be to hand off a deco bottle if needed, keep an eye on the T1 divers, and possibly take notes to the surface quickly.
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You would bring more than one support diver per deco team?
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Generally speaking, only one support diver is used per team ... at least on the dives I've done. This introduces another difficulty for using a GUE-F level diver, in that until the support diver hooks up with the team coming up the ascent line, they're basically a solo diver. Admittedly if everything goes according to schedule, that's for a very short time but it still is something to consider.
I think Richard has some valid concerns about using a non-tech trained diver for support ... but I also think it would depend on the diver and circumstances. If you're diving from a large enough boat, and the support divers are sharing expenses, then I can see using two GUE-F trained support divers for purposes of letting them gain some experience. In fact, I can see value in doing so. But if you're diving from a smaller boat, or if expenses are a concern, that's just a luxury that most will not be willing or able to accommodate.
Like most things in diving, the ultimate answer is going to be "it depends" ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I think Richard has some valid concerns about using a non-tech trained diver for support ... but I also think it would depend on the diver and circumstances. If you're diving from a large enough boat, and the support divers are sharing expenses, then I can see using two GUE-F trained support divers for purposes of letting them gain some experience. In fact, I can see value in doing so. But if you're diving from a smaller boat, or if expenses are a concern, that's just a luxury that most will not be willing or able to accommodate.
Like most things in diving, the ultimate answer is going to be "it depends" ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Personally, as someone who needs all the midwater time she can get, I think it would be a lot more satisfying to do support for a tech team than just to go out to do ascent drills AGAIN . . . but I don't know; I'm only GUE-F, so Richard probably wouldn't have me 
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