Missed deco stop, lock out?

[Diving Dubai]

Oh, I'm just wondering why even care in the first place: as most of us seem to agree, if one has to skip mandatory deco for whatever good reason, they would not be diving in the next 24 hours. So who cares what the computer does during that time.

Resort/vacation divers.

You see evidence all the time though post on SB, that the person is so fixated of achieving their maximum dive count is a specific time window, that all other considerations go out of the window.

There was also the arguments a few years ago on here where people argued for a certain algorithm purely because it gave them 5 mins extra on a dive. They'd paid for the dive, they wanted the most time.

Yes I think in some way sits a failing of the curriculum's offered that deco is not taught at AoW (BSAC certainly and CMAS maybe excepted). However most students (95%) don't wish to devote the time to a course - they want the fasted cheapest way to a cert. Hence the Tech course branch of training, where people choose to go that way and have the understanding that it is a pass/fail course.

I have zero sympathy for people who lock out their computers, and have said so to a couple of guests (and have then later been reminded I could be more diplomatic)

I've got 800+ dives on a computer that could lock me out if I make a deco violation - funnily enough it so far hasn't. What does that say?

 

[Neilwood]

Resort/vacation divers.

You see evidence all the time though post on SB, that the person is so fixated of achieving their maximum dive count is a specific time window, that all other considerations go out of the window.

There was also the arguments a few years ago on here where people argued for a certain algorithm purely because it gave them 5 mins extra on a dive. They'd paid for the dive, they wanted the most time.

Yes I think in some way sits a failing of the curriculum's offered that deco is not taught at AoW (BSAC certainly and CMAS maybe excepted). However most students (95%) don't wish to devote the time to a course - they want the fasted cheapest way to a cert. Hence the Tech course branch of training, where people choose to go that way and have the understanding that it is a pass/fail course.

I have zero sympathy for people who lock out their computers, and have said so to a couple of guests (and have then later been reminded I could be more diplomatic)

I've got 800+ dives on a computer that could lock me out if I make a deco violation - funnily enough it so far hasn't. What does that say?

I think there is a distinct lack of emphasis on decompression theory and algorithms during the OW courses of most agencies. I certainly don't recall spending a lot of time on the subject but I have done a lot of personal research after that.

Most new divers rely entirely on the shop/instructor when buying a dive computer. This has the effect of them ending up with one that the shop potentially get better profit on instead of the best computer for their personal circumstances. Divers should be given the basics as to the main algorithms (Buhlman, RGBM, VPM-B, DSAT etc) and what their characteristics are, how the conservatism settings affect it and how that might affect them. It doesn't have to be in great depth but I definitely think current courses skim over it to a large extent.

A young fit diver can more than likely tolerate a far more liberal algorithm than a 50+ overweight diver who should probably be on the most conservative algorithm.

 

[dmaziuk]

deleted: managed to post it twice somehow

 

[Diving Dubai]

I think there is a distinct lack of emphasis on decompression theory and algorithms during the OW courses of most agencies. I certainly don't recall spending a lot of time on the subject but I have done a lot of personal research after that.

In OW there is a seemingly huge amount of knowledge and practice for the student to get familiar with from the start off. I learnt on tables, and it was really only during the actual OW dives and the immediate post cert dives that the reality of NDL etc (rather than some base theory on a page in a book) became apparent.

A bit like buoyancy, you see students in OW finally "get breath in = up, breath our = down" So there's only so much you can teach in OW unless you are luck enough to have the students either in a club or at Uni taking the course in a pool and classroom over the winter months.

While a part of me would love to see basic deco theory taught during AoW (as an example) like BSAC's Sports dive) I also recognise that for the vast majority of divers - this would be overkill, and beyond their capabilities.

Remember Most diver dive on perhaps one trip a year or even less. And again the vast majority of these dives aren't limited in anyway by NDL, but by the need to eek out the gas contained in an AL 80 on a dive lasting an hour - the most basic computer is sufficient for these divers.

Also consider, that a vast number of divers look for the quickest and cheapest. I think the agencies have just reacted to public demand. While many of us believe that basic training could be longer there has to be a balance between being inclusive and affordable, to being an exclusive sport open to just a few old people who have money and time.

Thus there are the dedicated Tech courses open to those who see value in learning more and having additional time to learn and practice