So I was certified through PADI a few months back and have since realized that some of the topics covered weren't in-depth enough for my liking (not that I ever plan to stop learning, but ya know). I've been doing a whole lot of research and even venturing into the DIR section here. This led me to reexamine my thoughts about just wearing a computer and forgetting the tables. Anyway, on to my question:
I understand the tables in general, I passed all my tests just fine and can figure pressure groups, surface intervals, yadda yadda...and I understand that you're supposed to figure your pressure group based on maximum depth. But, say I was planning a multi-level reef dive that started deeper and went shallower. If I was at, say 20 meters for 20 minutes (PG=G), and then moved to 10 meters for 18 minutes, could I just move to PG=K? Or would it only be correct to call it PG=Q? Does the table assume that a surface interval of 0 still involves surfacing with a safety stop? I'm afraid I'm sounding convoluted, but basically I'm just asking if the PADI table can effectively be used to plan a multi-level dive or if it is maximum depth only.
I understand the tables in general, I passed all my tests just fine and can figure pressure groups, surface intervals, yadda yadda...and I understand that you're supposed to figure your pressure group based on maximum depth. But, say I was planning a multi-level reef dive that started deeper and went shallower. If I was at, say 20 meters for 20 minutes (PG=G), and then moved to 10 meters for 18 minutes, could I just move to PG=K? Or would it only be correct to call it PG=Q? Does the table assume that a surface interval of 0 still involves surfacing with a safety stop? I'm afraid I'm sounding convoluted, but basically I'm just asking if the PADI table can effectively be used to plan a multi-level dive or if it is maximum depth only.
