Is one dive computer enough for 4 divers?

[lord.harshil]

You should never hand over your safety responsibilities to another.

Dives don't always go as planned.

Small differences in profile can matter (depth, time, surface interval, ascent rates).

If something bad happens, you (not someone else) pays the price.

Agreed on all points.

However...

Sometimes you shouldn't bend certain rules, sometimes I feel its the same as a LDS telling you to service your reg every year giving you the run of the mill excuse "because your life depends on it".

Yeah if you dive everyday, go ahead and service it more than once a year. If you do 30 dives a year and rinse your reg well, don't bother servicing it for a couple of years. Thats what I think. Shrug.

Same thing with the DC. You're doing repetitive dives everyday for a week, then have your own DC or use tables and be more conservative than what they say you need to be. You're doing tech and deco, nuff said. You're doing shallow dives of less than 20m and only 2 dives on this particular trip, then I think you can stretch the one diver one DC rule a little bit, provided the diver skills are good enough to stay close enough and the conditions are very favourable.

New divers? Use the tables. But even so, new divers rarely have the buoyancy required not to have a see sawing profile, so even if they use tables to plan, the dive may not go according to plan.

If all the conditions are favourable and divers are skilled enough and there is only one DC (ridiculously rare scenario) keep the diver with the DC a few feet below and all the other divers stay at his depth or slightly above. The DC becomes a more accurate version of the tables by calculating your profile more efficiently.

Don't get me wrong please, I'm not recommending it. Just saying chances are, its not going to be the last thing you do provided you keep the basics in mind.

For those who don't keep the basics in mind, no DC/tables/instructor can keep them alive no matter how many of them there are and how good they might be.

 

[Abaco24]

If all the conditions are favourable and divers are skilled enough and there is only one DC (ridiculously rare scenario) keep the diver with the DC a few feet below and all the other divers stay at his depth or slightly above. The DC becomes a more accurate version of the tables by calculating your profile more efficiently.

That was pretty much my idea, however after reading the entire manual and getting up to speed somewhat, my plan is to a) plan my dive and dive my plan using the RDP first to look at options, b) use my wrist DC (for all members of my my team) C) confirm that plan manually if needed d) download data to learn from the actual more liberal ABT provided from the computer vs the older assumptions of ABT at max depth.

 

[lord.harshil]

I think that might be best. Don't push the limits and its all good.

Besides, if you're diving with not so experienced divers (maybe your kids?) then I highly doubt that you'll be doing repetitive dives to the 35m wreck anyway.

 

[iztok]

I won't be using a BP/W, to me that's retro anyway, like a horshshoe on a plate. I'd prefer a soft lumbar support now anyway.

Hehe, mark this words carefully! We'll talk in a couple of hears (hopefully you will be diving 50+ dives a year (I plan the 100+ mark for my first year and I am well on my way with 52 dives since end of June when I got my OW).

Next plans? Need underwater camera for my trip to Thailand in November. When I return I will also get me a drysuit - diving season never ends!

 

[Abaco24]

Well this just brings the topic around full circle........we had our PADI OW Final tonight and the last answer on the test #50 was..........A) all divers should have their own dive computer

I bone headed 2 questions........96......but I introduced two family members to the wonderful world of SCUBA, my last daughter starts in Oct. We hit the pool tomorrow, 2 new first face wets, I can't wait....

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Oh, for goodness-sake... It was answered in the first 10 answers... Now, it's just redicule... Out of courtesy to the OP, can we have this thread closed?

 

[Steve50]

Oh, for goodness-sake... It was answered in the first 10 answers... Now, it's just redicule... Out of courtesy to the OP, can we have this thread closed?

looks like the OP is having a pretty good time..

 

[Abaco24]

CoolTech, ever heard the term.........."lighten up Francis" I was only reflecting that it brought this whole thread to a close in a nice way as the last answer on my PADI OW test with my wife and daughter.

You should have seen the look on her face when she passed, my heart soared

CoolTech.........leave my thread.

MODS - I agree the thread is now offically closed and answered, thanks to PADI, maybe a sticky for new divers since afterall with me getting up to speed today it was a valid question and educated us all with the great responses.

 

[TSandM]

Well, if we closed all threads after somebody got a good answer, there'd be a lot less conversation going on here!

 

[ScubaSteve]

Well, if we closed all threads after somebody got a good answer, there'd be a lot less conversation going on here!

Exactly. We need a new diver (or perhaps even a ya never know) to stumble on this in a couple of years and resurrect it with their take on it. Sometimes good comes from that and sometimes it doesn't. Either way, I look forward to somebody breaking the :shelli: