LA County Advanced Diver Program (ADP)

[Mr Carcharodon]

Sorry, no floating.

In the video I saw from a previous year, a few people would stop to float and got the call from one of the instructors, "No floating."

I just rewatched it. They were also tossing a 5 pound weight back and forth. :11:

Personally I think a lot of the swim and treading water requirements are a carry over from the days of yore when people taught things in diving classes that did not really know better.

Really when was the last time you had to swim 300 yards without your fins? Not once in my diving career. And when did you last have to tread water? Again for me not once. These are just out dated ideas that only make sense to liability lawyers.

Now if they discussed deep stops, VPM and RGBM they would really have something!

A.

 

[radinator]

I think the point is general fitness and comfort in the water.

 

[Serenity]

Glad to hear you're all looking forward to ADP! I went through it myself in 2003 and loved it! In fact you'll probably see me at some of the beach dives, as all ADP alumni are welcome to come and do fun dives (but you can't join the classes or interfere), and join the bbqs afterward.

Some tips:
- You'll need two tanks. All the beach days are two-tank days, so if you can borrow a friend's tank(s), do so. A lot of people also decided to just rent for those days. It also makes things a lot easier if the two tanks are of the same type so you don't have to change your weighting when you swap tanks. Make sure your tanks have current vis and hydro dates of course.
- You'll also need a float. It's an LA County ordinance (believe or not, and it's obviously not enforced), and it's an LA County program, so you will be required to have and use a float for the course. I borrowed an inner-tube float and then, with the help of the LA County instructors, later made my own out of an old boogie board! You will be given a couple of weeks to get a float, so you might want to check out the instructors' boogie board floats and decide which one you want to get/make.
- Don't stress about the swim tests. Watermanship is an important part of the LA County scuba programs, but as someone mentioned earlier, you will have several opportunities to make up a test. It's a good idea to hit the pool regularly even during ADP. You'll be a better and more comfortable diver if you have good watermanship skills than if you don't. Karl Huggins, the Director of the USC Hyperbaric chamber, is a frequent lecturer at ADP and tells this story about a guy who was treated in the chamber (I think he was fine afterward), and described himself as a "non-swimming diver". Apparently he would deflate his BC to descend, and then inflate to ascend. No wonder he needed the chamber.
- Get out those bbq recipes! The beach dive days are usually followed by a cookout. Be prepared to consume as many (if not more) calories than you burn! Family and friends are invited to come to the bbq, and each bbq will have a different culinary theme. And it's also nice to have a comfy fold-up camping chair for those bbqs.
- Buy stock in a sunscreen company . Always wear sunscreen.
- It is not uncommon to lose gear during surf entries and exits. Mark all your gear with phone numbers if you wish. May not do much good, so be prepared to consider lost gear a sacrifice to Mother Ocean.

The instructors are great guys and gals, and they will work with you if you have any scheduling conflicts. The LA County program has an amazing history behind it. It is really where recreational scuba diving got started.

http://divinghistory.com/timeline.htm

Happy diving, and I'll see you at ADP!

 

[Serenity]

Now if they discussed deep stops, VPM and RGBM they would really have something!

A.

I don't think they covered VPM, but Karl Huggins lectured on deep stops as well as RGBM, DCIEM, doppler-based models, Navy dive tables and how they were constructed and changed over the years, the development of most of the recreational dive tables out there, bent goats...and lots of other theories I can't remember.

 

[scubadobadoo]

I am very jealous. I have had my eye on this course for some time now but since I will now be staying in NYC and not moving to LA as we had previously planned, it will have to wait. Please keep us informed with reports when you do dive days so I can live through you! Have fun and congrats on the class!

 

[mccabejc]

Jason, when you coming back out for a visit?

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

I think the point is general fitness and comfort in the water.

Perhaps that was the intent. I am just old enough and crabby enough to point out that the tests are essentially irrelevant to anything that is commonly done in diving. That said fitness and comfort in the water contributes to safety in very real ways. I just wish the tests were more targeted.

A.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

I don't think they covered VPM, but Karl Huggins lectured on deep stops as well as RGBM, DCIEM, doppler-based models, Navy dive tables and how they were constructed and changed over the years, the development of most of the recreational dive tables out there, bent goats...and lots of other theories I can't remember.

My hope for the class is that the newer models will be covered in enough detail that they can be used. Knowing that deep stops reduce your risk of DCI is interesting but in and of itself not very useful. Really what needs to be coverd is how to plan the dive, i.e. how many stops, how deep and how long.

Sounds like they had some good content before.

A.

 

[Serenity]

Perhaps that was the intent. I am just old enough and crabby enough to point out that the tests are essentially irrelevant to anything that is commonly done in diving. That said fitness and comfort in the water contributes to safety in very real ways. I just wish the tests were more targeted.

A.

Hm. You're really not going to like the bail-outs, then!

 

[Serenity]

My hope for the class is that the newer models will be covered in enough detail that they can be used. Knowing that deep stops reduce your risk of DCI is interesting but in and of itself not very useful. Really what needs to be coverd is how to plan the dive, i.e. how many stops, how deep and how long.

Sounds like they had some good content before.

A.

I'll pass along your request. They have had lectures on principles of tech diving, and they do cover some topics such as the rule of thirds, at a very introductory level.

If you are specifically interested in particular topics, ask if the instructors can cover it during their lecture. And if you have information that the instructors are not aware of, do share it. Diving physiologists are making new discoveries all the time, and most of the expert lecturers will likely have an informed opinion on just about every topic. The ADP course has some fundamental topics every year, but one of ADP's charms is that it is very flexible in terms of course content. For example, the 2005 class will get to do kayak diving, and I really wish we could have done that in my class as well. You lucky dogs.