I've been diving a looong time, but I kind of got away from it for a while. Several months ago, some friends got me back into it on a regular basis again. I still remember how to dive alright, but I'm a little out of touch on some of the current common practices & accepted prejudices. A few things seem to have have changed over the years.
I'm old school enough that I still remember the Padi dive table numbers from back when they were the same as the Navy dive table numbers & I still dive on tables more than I use a computer. My perspective is a little off in that back in the day, guys at dive shops used to pester me into buying tank boots because they swore that if I didn't do that, a nick in the bottom of a tank was going to make it fail an inspection. Now they warn you not to use a boot to avoid corrosion that might make the tank fail. Fortunately, the laws of physics haven't changed & actual diving still works the same way it always did. The story tellers just have a little different spin on things & some expectations are a little different.
It was kind of funny, dropping off a 35 year old regulator for a regular service & asking if the shop worked on antiques. It turns out that they do, but the girl at the counter looked a bit puzzled when she didn't see a computer on the rig. It just had a pressure gauge, a depth gauge, a compass, & a watch. I think that she has probably only been diving a few years & may not know that you can dive safely without a computer. She got further spooked because I didn't have a power inflation hose on that particular regulator. I still don't mind manually inflating a BC either. Not all of my BCs even have power inflate connectors. The girl seemed genuinely concerned when I turned down her suggestion to get a power inflate hose added. ...kids
Since then, I've upped my game a little by getting some bigger high pressure tanks, a new regulator that is designed to take that kind of abuse, some modern fins & a mixed gas certification. I had to do that to keep up with "the guys". So far, so good.
Finding Scubaboard was a real blessing. This place provides a wealth of information. Two thumbs up.
I'm old school enough that I still remember the Padi dive table numbers from back when they were the same as the Navy dive table numbers & I still dive on tables more than I use a computer. My perspective is a little off in that back in the day, guys at dive shops used to pester me into buying tank boots because they swore that if I didn't do that, a nick in the bottom of a tank was going to make it fail an inspection. Now they warn you not to use a boot to avoid corrosion that might make the tank fail. Fortunately, the laws of physics haven't changed & actual diving still works the same way it always did. The story tellers just have a little different spin on things & some expectations are a little different.
It was kind of funny, dropping off a 35 year old regulator for a regular service & asking if the shop worked on antiques. It turns out that they do, but the girl at the counter looked a bit puzzled when she didn't see a computer on the rig. It just had a pressure gauge, a depth gauge, a compass, & a watch. I think that she has probably only been diving a few years & may not know that you can dive safely without a computer. She got further spooked because I didn't have a power inflation hose on that particular regulator. I still don't mind manually inflating a BC either. Not all of my BCs even have power inflate connectors. The girl seemed genuinely concerned when I turned down her suggestion to get a power inflate hose added. ...kids
Since then, I've upped my game a little by getting some bigger high pressure tanks, a new regulator that is designed to take that kind of abuse, some modern fins & a mixed gas certification. I had to do that to keep up with "the guys". So far, so good.
Finding Scubaboard was a real blessing. This place provides a wealth of information. Two thumbs up.