Low on air in deco

[DiveMaven]

You mention that your uncle is a police diver. If that's so, I'm frankly amazed that he would put you in the kind of danger that he's regularly subjecting you to. The police divers that I know have done enough body recovery dives to NEVER put a diver (or anyone else in the water) KNOWINGLY in danger. They know first hand how dangerous the water can be and respect it FAR more than your average recreational diver.

Frankly, if our agency found out that one of our divers were doing something as grossly negligent as this, at the very least they would be kicked off the dive team.

 

[Sideband]

Air diving to 100 ft may be taught by Santa Claus or the Tooth Faerie. That does not make it smart, in this day and age of nitrox availability.

What is wrong with air at 100'? Nitrox isn't used for diving deeper. It's for diving longer, and I certainly don't see a need for trimix at 100' unless you are doing deco. For the AOW checkout deep dive you can do over 100'. From what you have said you would need, at a minimum, Nitrox training to complete the class and Advanced Nitrox to do it safely. Hardly the case.

Joe

 

[triton94949]

What is wrong with air at 100'? Nitrox isn't used for diving deeper. It's for diving longer, and I certainly don't see a need for trimix at 100' unless you are doing deco. For the AOW checkout deep dive you can do over 100'. From what you have said you would need, at a minimum, Nitrox training to complete the class and Advanced Nitrox to do it safely. Hardly the case.

Joe

Well Joe, now you are saying six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Nitrox contributes less N2 loading for a given comparable depth on air. Hopefully you and I can agree that this statement is scientifically correct -- a "fact" so to speak.

Therefore you can use this benefit of less N2 loading either (1) to dive more conservatively (six of one); or (2) to increase your bottom times (half dozen of the other).

Now more to the point -- diving to 100 ft on nitrox loads less N2 than diving to 100 ft on air. Therefore nitrox is a better choice than air for diving to 100 ft. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

I myself do NOT use nitrox to "increase bottom times." I use nitrox to be able to dive more dives in one day. This is a direct result of less N2 loading with nitrox.

If you go to a resort and order nitrox for your dives, you are going to get the same sized tanks, alum 80s, as everyone else. Therefore you are not going to "increase your bottom time" because you will get the same bottom times due to the fact that you have the same sized tank on as everyone else who is diving air.

On the second dive, you are going to do the same shallow 50 ft dive as everyone else does, for the same bottom time.

What you can do now, that the others cannot do, or that the others should not do, is go out after lunch on another boat and dive 2 more dives, with nitrox again, and then a night dive as well. That is what nitrox does for you. LESS N2 LOADING compared with air.

 

[captain]

Although I do not know Spearfisherman55 I know that he is probably spearfishing the oil rigs and I know what the usual spearfishing dive profiles are but he is pushing entirely to hard with so little experience. Nitrox is not for him or in my opinion anyone who is spearfishing these rigs, it is too easy for even an experienced diver to lose track of depth when chasing a fish and a lot of these dives are in depths in excess of 200 feet. Better to be a little narked than getting a high PO2 hit. And by the way Spearfisherman55 the Rock Bottom they are talking about is not the Hell Diver.

 

[Scubagolf]

Thanks to all of you experienced divers and instructors for your sage advice. The life you save may be mine.

 

[spearfisherman55]

.

 

[Dan Gibson]

Basically it's a method of gas planning to ensure you and your buddy/team can safely ascend in an emergency while doing your required stops. It's not that complex to understand, but it takes a little time to explain. There are surely some examples on the board.

Well what is Rock Bottom?

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Well what is Rock Bottom?

I must point something out.

You haven't listened to/read any of the replies to either of your threads. None of them. If you ask for advice, listen to the advice, evaluate the advice based on other people's advice, and take the good stuff and tuck it away into a safe area of your mind. We keep coming around to the exact same answers and questions...

That being said...

I have some simple answers to your questions.

1) What if I run out of air?

Do not put yourself in a situation where you may not be able to safely make a swimming ascent if you run out of air. Montior your gauges and when it is time to go up (rock bottom), for heavan's sake GO UP. Who gives a flip if it cuts your dive short?

2) What if I get into deco?

Then you follow your computer/tables and decompress. Of course the better option is to monitor your timer or computer and when it is time to go up, GO UP! Your uncle will not be the one that bears the lifelong effects of DCS.

3) But that's how deep my uncle dives.

Tell him to dive shallower by explaining the risks, showing him real info about the dangers, and if necessary stop diving with him. It is better never to dive again than never to live again.


After you get at least a 150 dives or so you could take a deco course which would help greatly (you also have to be 18 for all of them I know of).

 

[FrankF]

Spearfisherman,

Can I get in your will?

 

[Pez de Diablo]

If I go into deco, and I am low on air what is the best way to complete the deco faster? My max depth is 140' right now, I am diving with just compressed air right now.

I like to help out as much as the next guy, but the fact that this thread is still going is crazy. Don't put yourself in this position. If you are going to do a deco dive, plan for it. Don't be an idiot. Read and appreciate the information that has been passed on to you here by others that do know what they are doing.

Okay, time to close the thread.