PADI tables finally going away?

[Leadking]

Computers are great when they work, unfortunately uptime on my three (Uwatec, Explorer, and VR3)
are not good. Would not even think of getting in the water without tables. I had all 3 crap out on a trimix trip.

 

[Hatul]

On one of my first dives we were given the Dacor Microbrain, if I recall, by Brett Gilliam on the Ocean Quest. I remember him telling us that a computer was compulsory because we would not be able to make the profiles with tables, as they were multilevel. I've never used tables for diving since.

If you're afraid the computer will fail just buy second one. They're cheap enough. Besides if you dive long enough you're bound to upgrade your computer and will have more than one anyway.

Adam

 

[ucfdiver]

Dude, we get it that you like your tables. But your arguments are kinda lame.

What happens when you put those 8 divers on 8 different tables? They all have different NDLs now.

Now, go do a multi-level dive with your tables. I want to do a multilevel Ean32 dive to 100, 80, and 40 fsw, then another multilevel EAN36 dive to 80, 60 and 40 fsw. I want to use O₂ on my safety stops. Tell me what your Navy tables are telling you to do here. They were never made to accommodate this level of diving. They might not "break", but they surely won't work in this situation.

Now please, you still haven't told me how you dive when your depth gauge or your watch fails you. Please share with us how you are going to continue that dive. Don't hold back now... this is the third time I have asked, and you just remain SILENT. We are waiting.

Pete-
Since he won't answer...you've left out information required for him to tell you what he'd do so that it goes in the favor of a computer. Personally, I'd keep avg depth (weighted towards the heavy side because it's not a linear relationship for ongassing), and split the deco in half for o2 use.

Assuming the profile were
100ft- 10min
80ft- 10min
40ft-20min

I would probly use a depth of 80ft. If deco were 10min, I would do 5min on o2.

I'm not so sure why he insists on using navy tables however.

Personally I don't feel that most computer divers could fall back to tables. If you're really using tables as a backup (monitoring avg depth as you go along), there's simply no benefit to a computer. You're either going to "bend" the tables or "bend" the computer. A recent dive using min deco and a NDL setpoint on 32% with a buddy ended up with a no deco dive for dive 2 based off of the setpoint, but his computer wanted 4 or 5 minutes of deco. Clearly if he dove his computer for dive #1 and didn't do min deco, he couldn't just hop back to tables created for min deco on dive two. Computers and tables are just a pain in the rear to get to work together properly unless you have an expensive computer and tables created based off of the same algorithm. Personally I can't justify the cost of a $200 computer when there's drysuits, scooters, boat charters and other goodies to pay for

 

[leapfrog]

The human brain has about 100 million MIPS worth of processing power.

Of course that´s an average.

How much processing power does a PDC have? If we factor in Narcosis, I would still go for using a PDC backed up by an analog watch, SPG and dive tables.

Keep brain in good working order. It will inform you when your PDC is erring and it will save your life if PDC packs in.

Remember to upload relevant information to brain and continue to process such information on a regular basis to keep brain in optimum working order.

 

[soldaten1940]

I doubt they'll ever take them away, as sometimes gear fails. But in recreational diving its mostly academic, its when you get into tech that its really critical.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I doubt very much that somebody at PADI is lurking here on SB reading this thread thinking "Oh wow! we better keep the tables in our program because a few people on scubaboard don't want to see them go".
What ever they do they do, and there isn't much anybody can do about it.
The future of mainstream diving is computerized so get used to it.
Don't get me wrong, I have mixed feelings on it, but anybody can see the direction the digital world is going - in all aspects of life.
Tables may remain for now in the tech world but as computer technology improves I predict eventually tables will be gone from all diving including tech.
Probably the only tables you will see used will be by vintage enthusiasts that have been around a long time and learned them back in the day, and maybe a few followers.

 

[Jax]

Probably the only tables you will see used will be by vintage enthusiasts that have been around a long time and learned them back in the day, and maybe a few followers.

Like slide rules?

 

[Paladin]

Hey! I've got two slide rules! One straight and one circular (Jeppeson Flight "Computer") and they're both accurate to three decimal places!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Hey! I've got two slide rules! One straight and one circular (Jeppeson Flight "Computer") and they're both accurate to three decimal places!

The fastest jet, SR-71 Blackbird was designed and engineered using slide rule and french curves starting back in the late 50's. Nobody has built a jet that can go faster or higher ever since, except for spacecraft.

Fast foreward to modern times. Most people in retail don't know how to count back change, some kids don't know how to tell time on a regular clock, some kids do not know how to do simple math without a calculator. Almost all the art you see in magazines as illustration is done on a computer-the technicians don't know how to draw with a pencil. Almost every sign you see anywhere was cut out by a computer by a very low payed technician in the "modern" sign business. Hand sign painters are virtually extinct.
Most divers use computers and don't have a clue about how to use tables and could care less.

This is the real world now.

I'm fairly neutral about it. Some people get all freaked out that we're getting dumber and our brains are in atrophy in manual applications but expanding in abstract applications.
It is what it is. I sit back and watch.

I don't have a dive computer BTW, I still use tables. My profiles are simple enough that a computer is just a waste of money for me.

 

[AfterDark]

Like slide rules?

We got to the moon on slide rulers. The only submersible to dive 7 miles down was built with slide rulers. Without slider rulers we wouldn't have computers, how do you think the computations to build the 1st computers were reached? How many times can a PDC be banged around until it fails? I broke the corner of my tables with the hole in for a lanyard, the tables still work.