Is Master Scuba Diver "worth it" in your opinion

[Centrals]

That seems quite conservative, 35 bar seems more reasonable.

It is but no one dies from having too much gas!

Average gas consumption is different from SAC measurement carried out in ideal conditions.

 

[boulderjohn]

If you are doing 8 minutes at 130 you should have a lot more than an aluminum 80, and true gas planning is almost certainly called for.

Run the numbers. The 8 mins includes the descent. Even at a SAC of 0.7 cuft/min (20 L/min), you have more than half the tank left for a stressed/shared ascent.

Using tables, 8 minutes is the maximum time for a dive that reaches 130 feet at some point--you don't have to be at that depth the entire time before you ascend. It is also using air, not nitrox. People diving to 130 feet today are likely using an appropriate nitrox mix and using a computer. Nearly every day of the year in Cozumel multiple dive groups go down the Devil's Throat breathing a nitrox mix in AL 80's, exit it at 130 feet, and then begin a leisurely ascent, exploring the shallower reef features as they go, having been between 120-130 for only a minute or two. The last time I did the dive (June 22, 2022), I was using a larger cylinder than an AL 80, and my total dive time on that multilevel dive was 83 minutes. If I had been using an AL 80, I probably wouldn't have been able to go much more than 45-50 minutes, but that would still be a reasonable dive time.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

It is but no one dies from having too much gas!

Hmmm ... almost happened.

When I first got my CPAP a couple decades ago, I put it on the floor by the bed as I had no nightstand. My Saint Bernard slept by the bed. She was, let's say, gassy. Great big dog farts. The CPAP sucked in said dog fart. Pressurized it. Further humidified it. And pumped it down a hose straight into my nose. It woke me up. I was convinced I was dying.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Using tables, 8 minutes is the maximum time for a dive that reaches 130 feet at some point--you don't have to be at that depth the entire time before you ascend. It is also using air, not nitrox. People diving to 130 feet today are likely using an appropriate nitrox mix and using a computer. Nearly every day of the year in Cozumel multiple dive groups go down the Devil's Throat breathing a nitrox mix in AL 80's, exit it at 130 feet, and then begin a leisurely ascent, exploring the shallower reef features as they go, having been between 120-130 for only a minute or two. The last time I did the dive (June 22, 1022), I was using a larger cylinder than an AL 80, and my total dive time on that multilevel dive was 83 minutes. If I had been using an AL 80, I probably wouldn't have been able to go much more than 45-50 minutes, but that would still be a reasonable dive time.

Dang John, How old are you?
Was that before, during, or after the Battle of Hastings?

 

[boulderjohn]

Dang John, How old are you?
Was that before, during, or after the Battle of Hastings?

Ooooops!

 

[VsubT]

Here’s a PADI perspective on MSD, right from the agency:

How to teach the MSD Course

Worth a quick look, to see the slides if nothing else. Seems to focus much more on marketing than skills (Specialty of the Month, drip-drip, Holiday Blitz, etc.). That said, a lot of folks do plateau right after OW / AOW / nitrox classes and drift away from diving. At least the MSD path keeps some of those new divers engaged and active.

Lance

 

[Centrals]

If you think the specialty course appeal to you, do it. There is no need for anyone to approve/disapprove. It is your time and money.
I had done the course. Worth it? Does it matter. I had completed a few evening classes of various topics that I felt interesting.
If you want the badge then complete the require number of course.
There is no right or wrong.

 

[Diver-Drex]

If you want to do deep, you're going into deco. It's best to know more than you need, than to get bent due to ignorance.

I’ve done plenty of 100-130ft dives within NDL. If you can’t, as a diver adhere to a table or your computer and stay within NDL, you shouldn’t be technical diving.

I do agree with you that things do happen and it’s best to be prepared. I teach Deep with gas planning, carrying contingency gas and a discussion on emergency deco procedures. But I emphasize staying with NDL. It would be helpful to a pressure pot to be able to run a simulated deco dive on anyone’s computer so they can see what it looks like before they actually need to.

 

[USdiver1]

Get the training, skip the card.

 

[Belzelbub]

Just got my 4th, 5th and 6th specialties (ice, advanced ice and altitude) and have rescue and plenty of dives. Is it 'worth it' for the piece of (not really) plastic to get the MSD cert? I think the only remaining step is to ask and pay ~$100, unless Padi does another waiver this year.

For me, getting my MSD card (and challenge coin) was worth every cent I paid for it. In my case, that was 0 cents. I got the MSD recognition after completing Stress & Rescue. There was value in that class, and the other specialties I'd taken before. SSI doesn't charge extra for the recognition certs. If they did, it's highly unlikely that I would have paid for it.