Poll: At what tank pressure do you plan to end your dive and ascend w/ safety stop

[esbuff]

I have been reading lots of " Best Practice" types of threads and I am amazed at the variations/differences. I am relatively new to diving and am begining to focusing on learning the ins and outs of effective dive planning. I was wondering at what tank pressure do you use as a reference for performing ascent and saftey stop procedures?

So let's take a poll......you can even give some explanations if you feel so inclined.

I will start.

I have my computer set to alarm @ 900psi. Back to the reference line, if there is one, ascend, safety stop, and then surface with a reserve

 

[nimoh]

depends on the dive profile.

On a shallow dive at my local watering hole, I will head up at 500psi or possibly a bit less.

On a deeper (rec) dive, I will plan on being on the surface with 500psi

On a dive charter, if there rule is back on the boat with 500psi, I will follow it.

I generally don't use the alarm settings on my computer, and just monitor my supply

 

[p1p]

Same, around 500 psi. But if shallow, well known area, etc, I've returned with less.

 

[gurnie]

Generally rule of thirds... Looking to come back with enough gas rather than not enough...

 

[James R]

Speaking to recreational profiles, I generally follow the guidelines of the dive op or best practices (eg rule of thirds). This is especially true with deeper dives.

However, if I am diving a very shallow reef at 10' with no current or any other potential problems I will suck that tank down to where my computer stops reading pressure (200psi). Once I get to 140psi I can feel the breathing get a bit more difficult (MK17/A700 regs), at which time I put away the camera and end my dive and get out of the water long enough to swap tanks and camera batteries. I would never advise anyone to do this, in fact I would definitely say you should not.

Hello there, scuba police :kiss2:

 

[Kingpatzer]

It depends on the dive, the depth, my dive partner, and so forth. Rock Bottom pressure is not a set number, it needs to be calculated

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have been reading lots of " Best Practice" types of threads and I am amazed at the variations/differences. I am relatively new to diving and am begining to focusing on learning the ins and outs of effective dive planning. I was wondering at what tank pressure do you use as a reference for performing ascent and saftey stop procedures?

So let's take a poll......you can even give some explanations if you feel so inclined.

I will start.

I have my computer set to alarm @ 900psi. Back to the reference line, if there is one, ascend, safety stop, and then surface with a reserve

How will you know that 900 psi is enough? How did you arrive at that number?

It's probably a reasonable number, given your experience and likely depth profiles ... but it helps to understand how to determine it.

Here's some reading that may help you understand why I'm asking ... NWGratefulDiver.com

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[BDSC]

In general, I will start to ascend between 500 and 700psi left in the tank and do a three minute safety stop. In a place like Bonaire where you are finishing a dive along the top of the reef and swimming back to shore I have no set rule for that as it doesn't matter much.

 

[DevonDiver]

It depends on depth (time of ascent)... the deeper I am, the more gas I need to reach the surface retaining a minimum, pre-calculated reserve.

Search 'Rock Bottom Gas Management' for the math to calculate that...

 

[HowardE]

For me... Usually my recreational dive is more limited by the fact that the boat expects me back in about an hour. I often finish dives with 1500 psi or more, so ending pressure isn't a factor for me in that case.

Otherwise (on recreational dives) I am limited by the No Decompression limit (or there abouts) and I also usually come back with 1000-1500 psi in my tank.

However... If it WAS a concern for me, I'd probably have to say that I'd (in general) start up with around 900 - 1000 psi.