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We (you, I, Nemrod, and others "of a certain age") were likely taught "Sixty for sixty" (60 feet deep for 60 minutes, with an ascent rate of no faster than 60 feet per minute).
This one wasn't trial and error as I had oversimplified before This "rule" was imagineered late one night over many beers after considering the hoist rate of the USN winch used to lift divers from the briny deep.
I got that gem from a guy who was there and still drinks beer every night. Still alive and diving, too.
I want to know, has the incidence of bends increased.....computer vs. tables and before and after the advent of computers? Hard to get to truth because one must dig through layers of BS and the diving equivalent of urban legend.
Not just hard: Impossible. Diving has changed in so many ways- it is no longer in the realm of extreme hobbyists who largely prided themselves on planning, precision, execution and debrief. Conversely: The collectibility of data has been enhanced (due to auto-logging dive computers), but there is very little empirical data graphing recreational dive profiles pre-Bend-O-Matic Era.