Managing the addiction.

[Garrobo]

Leave your hubby, give him the kids, let him run and support the household. Sell your car, jewelry and all your other worldly goods of value that you can do without, strip your bank accounts, cash in all your insurance policies, annuities, etc. Then go diving till you are broke. As far as qualified "buddies" go, ignore them unless they need air and keep in mind that all dives are predominately solo dives. Later, you can crawl back and ask for forgiveness. Your hubby will be glad to see you for several reasons. Also he will be more careful about the way he gives advise.

 

[rollerboi]

While it's good to push some limits like Lynn said to build your scope of competence, some limits shouldn't be pushed such as bottom time/NDL limits or extremely dangerous conditions far beyond ones' training. Cutting corners is not the same as expanding diving boundaries.

I've enjoyed some really challenging dives with competent dive buddies (an important point), including a three-man dive in an absolute mud hole. Visibility was about to the tip of my nose, and the three of us dove with a buddy line and communicated by touch. My buddies were both cave trained and we discussed the protocols we would be following underwater and blind before going down. It was an amazing experience and taught me a lot about my comfort levels and my limits.

 

[lavachickie]

While it's good to push some limits like Lynn said to build your scope of competence, some limits shouldn't be pushed such as bottom time/NDL limits or extremely dangerous conditions far beyond ones' training. Cutting corners is not the same as expanding diving boundaries.

Sorry to bump up this old thread, but I wanted to clarify something. I probably didn't express it well. In those warm waters, our DM did something that is probably described as just "making good use of time/depth." Not really pushing it.

I was diving my husband's Tusa IQ-800; it has conservative setting options, and he had set it so it was actually one click more conservative than the "standard" setting. (Being new fat divers we figured that might be a good idea. )

My DM's watch beeped when the NDL limit approached, and I could hear it. The area we were in was very sloping, with lots to see. I noticed his computer was set a smidge more conservatively than mine. We headed to our deepest point, and we stayed there until his watch beeped, and we rose up slightly, perhaps only 5-8 feet. Of course, that gets you minutes. It would beep again, and we'd rise again. We remained on that edge and used it to guide our ascent because what was down was cooler than what was at 30 ft or so.

After doing that for two very long dives, I felt pretty strongly that I was pushing my nitrogen loading more than usual and wanted to make sure we waited to fly.

(I was thrilled to be the LAST one on the boat both times, getting an extra spin around the block with the DM because my gas usage was awesome.)

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Sorry to bump up this old thread, but I wanted to clarify something. I probably didn't express it well. In those warm waters, our DM did something that is probably described as just "making good use of time/depth." Not really pushing it.

I was diving my husband's Tusa IQ-800; it has conservative setting options, and he had set it so it was actually one click more conservative than the "standard" setting. (Being new fat divers we figured that might be a good idea. )

My DM's watch beeped when the NDL limit approached, and I could hear it. The area we were in was very sloping, with lots to see. I noticed his computer was set a smidge more conservatively than mine. We headed to our deepest point, and we stayed there until his watch beeped, and we rose up slightly, perhaps only 5-8 feet. Of course, that gets you minutes. It would beep again, and we'd rise again. We remained on that edge and used it to guide our ascent because what was down was cooler than what was at 30 ft or so.

After doing that for two very long dives, I felt pretty strongly that I was pushing my nitrogen loading more than usual and wanted to make sure we waited to fly.

(I was thrilled to be the LAST one on the boat both times, getting an extra spin around the block with the DM because my gas usage was awesome.)

That's a good bump. I think many dive operators use conservative computers for this exact reason; either that or Gekko's were just the cheapest.

I do know that I use a Viper because it is a renowned conservative computer, and often I ride the computer up with low single digit NDL's the norm, knowing that an Oceanic would still have healthy double digits.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

As long as we are on page 1, I thanked TS&M for the following post, but lets go there again;

First off, it IS an addiction.

And you're in the midst of people who share it.

...

If you never push your limits at all, you never build your scope of competence. What you want to do is use all your resources -- what you know, what your gut says, what the people around you say -- to choose dives that stretch your limits, instead of busting them to pieces

But when it doesn't negatively affect the important relationships and the bills are still getting paid is it really an addiction?

I spent the holidays in the mountains this winter and my "backcountry / big air snowboard addiction" reared it's geographically suppressed feelings. I even looked up how much an early purchase "resident" season pass to Wolf Creek would be next year (~$550 :cool3.

The day before my flight back to Maui, Santa Fe ski area was deep fresh powder, so I pushed my older rusty body to 2/3rd of younger toned levels, and the steep trees (solo) gave me lots of now still nagging injuries. Because of that I have not been working out like normal. :shocked2:

My next limit to push is 2-tank kayak diving; something like La Perouse bay to Ahihi bay and/or Molokini, and my timetable is "no hurry - when it feels right." A lot of that is probably lifting / running / swimming more, which will hopefully mean less SB time.

So anyway how does our use of the term addiction for SB or SCUBA compare to alcohol, smack and intervention?

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

As long as we are on page 1, I thanked TS&M for the following post, but lets go there again;



But when it doesn't negatively affect the important relationships and the bills are still getting paid is it really an addiction?

I spent the holidays in the mountains this winter and my "backcountry / big air snowboard addiction" reared it's geographically suppressed feelings. I even looked up how much an early purchase "resident" season pass to Wolf Creek would be next year (~$550 :cool3.

The day before my flight back to Maui, Santa Fe ski area was deep fresh powder, so I pushed my older rusty body to 2/3rd of younger toned levels, and the steep trees (solo) gave me lots of now still nagging injuries. Because of that I have not been working out like normal. :shocked2:

My next limit to push is 2-tank kayak diving; something like La Perouse bay to Ahihi bay and/or Molokini, and my timetable is "no hurry - when it feels right." A lot of that is probably lifting / running / swimming more, which will hopefully mean less SB time.

So anyway how does our use of the term addiction for SB or SCUBA compare to alcohol, smack and intervention?

If your personal relationships are "stretched thin, but not broken" by diving, and you are not (yet) stealing purses from old ladies to buy dive gear, it is not a true "addiction", but merely an exciting "Life Choice"

Although, if I buy any more old regulators on ebay to rebuild, I might be sleeping outside with our dogs.... :shocked2:

Best wishes.

 

[nielsent]

When people start questioning my addictions. I just go find better enablers.