Andy may not have understood your point, although I am not sure.
I would edit if I could, as I can see how it could be (has been) interpreted. I attempted to encapsulate a point of view, and failed. Thanks for the questions.
Let me see if I have a handle on it. I created an approved Distinctive Specialty in Dive Planning that goes into emergency deco in much more depth than does the OW curriculum. I explain in more detail why the RDP procedures are as punitive as they are and why they must be so if a diver is to use those tables for dive planning. Is that what you mean by taking a conservative approach to violating limits in terms of the tables?
That gets covered, yes. But by "taking a conservative approach" I meant something more like the following, which is the core of what I actually say in class . . .
After we have discussed the "emergency deco procedure" notes that are printed on their tables (SSI) and after emphasizing the importance of mastering a dive computer's displays so you can follow its instructions, I will add:
In your diving you may do group dives led by divemasters which don't seem to involve any planning beyond "tell me when you're at half a tank." Or you may hear divers on your boat talking about going into deco, about their dive computers' deco obligation clearing (or not) as they ascended, and other things that sound like violations of the basic no-deco rule you've learned: keep depth and time within the limits so that a controlled ascent to the surface is always an option.
There is a range of attitudes out there among recreational divers, and it's up to you how you conduct yourself. You can continue to learn and practice and apply the basic principles. I think of this path as similar to a martial arts career. Respect for the discipline and self-respect are key. Taking shortcuts will lead in time to the situations we talked about with the "comfort zone" and "incident pit" concepts.
Not all my students are strangers to diving. Some have been on resort dives before deciding to take OWD. Often they have questions about why the principles they're learning were ignored or violated in their experiences. We also talk about how one might deal with the ubiquitous "trust me" resort dive, but that's outside the current topic. I'm trying to let them know that the planning principles and buddy agreements we stress might not always be followed but they have a choice in every case. This is usually a good and lively discussion.
Then I explain why a computer (or other tables like the Navy tables) have a different procedure for unplanned deco, and I explain why the same dive that is so punitive with the PADI tables is much less of a problem with those other dive planning tools. I worded all of this carefully after being inspired by several SB threads in which divers made a panicked ascent to the surface when they saw they had approached or surpassed NDLs. I had just such an experience myself when a very experienced dive buddy suddenly rtook off to the surface because he had come close to deco. On the surface, he described--wild eyed--how close he had come. I therefore worded my academic materials in such a way that they told divers to be very careful to avoid deco but, once in it, to react calmly and follow the appropriate procedures. Is that what you meant by saying "I try to steer a coure between 'you're gonna die' and 'it's no big deal'"?
That's very eloquent and yes, that is what I meant. Thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone
Bryan
PS. Also: by "conservative with students" I did not mean "while diving with students" but that is certainly how it reads.
