Nitrox?

[jonhall]

I've kept track of my depths

so one assumes the DM knows the depths

Now you have me curious - are you asking the DM for the depth of the dives or hasn't the rental gear included a spg console that had a depth gauge as well as the air gauge?

Glad you've decided to get a computer. When I thought I was going to do a dive off of a cruise ship a couple of years back, I researched several wrist computers - I mainly looked at the Suunto Zoop as it used the same download cable as my console Suunto Cobra computer and I like logging the dive info of my dives. Decided to rent everything and not get the computer as I knew I didn't plan to do many cruises in my future - as it turned out the dive was cancelled.

I have stayed on several islands doing boat dives that included cruisers and newly minted divers. I was in Aruba a couple of weeks ago with a new diver with a new computer on our boat. Wanted to share a short story about him that has 2 different lessons in it. First it is about air conservation and why I mentioned in earlier post that improving skills, such as buoyancy control can increase dive time. The new diver was constantly changing depths of his dive - not really sure if by design or for lack of control. Being nosy - not really - just in the right place at the right time - I saw the DM ask him how much air he had - it was 800 pounds below where I was (realizing we could have started off with various amts of air in our tanks, but that seemed a pretty big difference.) On the safety stop, while 4 of us were hovering doing our 3 min. safety stop, he couldn't do that and had to swim circles around us, exerting energy and using more of his air. The dive wound up being a drift dive so there was no drop line to hold on to.

Second, he not only swam circles around us on the safety stop, but was about another 10-15 feet below us. Turns out he hit his NDL and had to extend his safety stop a little deeper than where we were. Two things about this: 1) a diver without a computer would not have known they hit the NDL and surfaced as normal - result, who really knows but likely no problems. 2) the diver with a computer, now knows that the safest thing to do is to add an extra safety stop at x depth and/or extend the 15' safety stop. As he was diving multiple days in a row, a problem could have been getting locked out of his dive computer, until he satisfied his safety stop requirements or the computer lock out ended on it's own after a certain amount of time.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I've kept track of my depths and times on all my dives. Not having a dive computer I always ask the Dm/guide at the end of the dives and write it down in my log.

These are always canned 2 tank dives so one assumes the DM knows the depths and times since they do them every day for cruise ship passengers. They also know the pressure groups and surface times and certifications of the divers.

In my experience of 26 dives they do a pretty good job of looking after you and profile the dives to the least experienced diver. 60 feet and 45 mins are the outside limits for dives. Unless there are a lot of divers in which case they will split the group based on experience and certifications. They are quite used to having inexperienced divers. In other words they pretty much hold your hand throughout the dives.

As for equipment, I have a wetsuit and a mask, I rent everything else. I'm not cruising/diving again until next January. I hope to have a dive computer by then as well.

I’m a little confused and stunned at the same time about what I’m reading, it’s not your fault at all - I’m not bagging on you.
So, when they rent you gear what is attached to the 1st stage besides two 2nd stages. Do they give you a console of some type and do you have a pressure gauge, any sort of depth gauge either digital or analog or is there some sort of air integrated computer or at least a module?
You are fully OW certified correct? Did they teach you tables or just computer, or did they skip all of it knowing you’d be following a DM around.
It’s fine to follow a DM around but not having every diver autonomous is a little disturbing to me.
Like I said, nothing against you, I’m just troubled that divers are following around a DM completely unaware of their own diving physiology and blindly trusting a DM for their entire dive profile, no matter how benign it may seem. There has to be a standards violation somewhere in this.
No wonder insurance rates are spiking through the roof.

 

[Lorenzoid]

"Follow the DM" and rely on the DM to look after you may work fine for these easy dives ... until someday some wrinkle arises. Or maybe you'll try diving in Florida. Anyway, the first step is to get your own computer and learn how to use it, which seems to be your plan. You'll soon figure out how to confirm to yourself that the dive is indeed going fine and what to do if some wrinkle arises. One step at a time.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I’ve been out of the loop for so long now as far as exotic travel, I pretty much just dive locally since about 2000.
Has this type of thing become standard in these resort settings and cruise ships? Following a DM around and not having a clue about how deep you’re going or for how long until you come up and the DM provides the info?
Wow!

 

[Eric802]

I don't know what's "standard" now, but the last couple places I used rented gear (Maui and a cruise stop in Aruba) had computers in the consoles.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I don't know what's "standard" now, but the last couple places I used rented gear (Maui and a cruise stop in Aruba) had computers in the consoles.

How many of those divers using rented reg sets with attached consoles really know what those computers are telling them? Some have horrible user interfaces. The computer a diver has in his rental gear today may not be the same as the computer in his rental gear tomorrow, so he doesn't have much incentive to learn how to use it. In my opinion, rental computers are as good as useless to most of those divers.

Rental gear is fine, but with your own computer you can learn how to use it once and you're set.

 

[dmaziuk]

I’ve been out of the loop for so long now as far as exotic travel, I pretty much just dive locally since about 2000.
Has this type of thing become standard in these resort settings and cruise ships? Following a DM around and not having a clue about how deep you’re going or for how long until you come up and the DM provides the info?
Wow!

IME on Bonaire/Curacao a DM will typically keep to above 20 msw and total dive time will be capped at under 60 minutes, I wouldn't have problem following them for a couple of dives with just the SPG. On Roatan there's swimthroughs etc. that are a different story, but I assume they don't take cruise divers there.

 

[tursiops]

IME on Bonaire/Curacao a DM will typically keep to above 20 msw and total dive time will be capped at under 60 minutes, I wouldn't have problem following them for a couple of dives with just the SPG. On Roatan there's swimthroughs etc. that are a different story, but I assume they don't take cruise divers there.

Two dives like that (20m, 60 mins), even on 32% and even with a SI of 60 mins, would violate NDL if one is on tables. That is putting undue trust in the DM to do a multi-level dive and undue faith in the diver that he/she will stay at a depth above the DM at all times. Dangerous diving.

 

[mac66]

Okay.. the basic equipment rentals include a BCD, weights, tank, regulator w/ analog pressure and depth gauges.

The DMs go over the dive profile and safety briefing ahead of time. They have you check the gauges frequently during the dive.

I also wear a watch, (not necessarily a dive watch but good to 100 meters) to keep track of time. I'm pretty cognizant of what's going on.

Dive tables were covered in the class I took, dont remember anything about computers being discussed.

 

[Eric802]

How many of those divers using rented reg sets with attached consoles really know what those computers are telling them? Some have horrible user interfaces. The computer a diver has in his rental gear today may not be the same as the computer in his rental gear tomorrow, so he doesn't have much incentive to learn how to use it. In my opinion, rental computers are as good as useless to most of those divers.

Rental gear is fine, but with your own computer you can learn how to use it once and you're set.

It's pretty much a glorified SPG and timer.