Quick refresher advice

[diver5671]

I have been OW certified since 2001. Its been about 1 1/2 years since my last dive. I believe I remebr most of what I learned, but face I have to face it, Im not as young as I used to be. Anyway just to make sure I have not forgotten. When diving. As long as I stay abouve the no decompression limit, All I need to do is a safety stop at 15 ft for 3 minutes, correct? Regardless of depth? I know its a stupid question, but I guess I still need to know. Anyway, thanks for the help.

 

[Marek K]

Not a stupid question at all.

Different agencies have different procedures.

PADI "requires" a safety stop whenever you come within three pressure groups of your no-decompression limit, and for all dives 100 ft. or deeper -- that's the shaded areas on Table 1 of the Recreational Dive planner.

SSI "recommends" a safety stop on all dives over 30 ft.

Just about all modern dive computers will automatically go into a safety stop mode -- mine does it for all dives over 30 ft.

A lot of divemastered dives these days will require you to do a safety stop.

A safety stop is a safety factor; if you skip it for some reason (like an emergency procedure), it wouldn't theoretically put you into a decompression obligation. But no guarantees -- and it's pretty standard these days, whatever doctrine you're following.

Um, please forgive me for pointing this out... I'm sure no-one else here will say anything about this... but if you've forgotten about how to do safety stops, how much else have you forgotten about? It might be worth considering going through some kind of refresher before diving.

--Marek

 

[diver5671]

Not a stupid question at all.

Different agencies have different procedures.

PADI "requires" a safety stop whenever you come within three pressure groups of your no-decompression limit, and for all dives 100 ft. or deeper -- that's the shaded areas on Table 1 of the Recreational Dive planner.

SSI "recommends" a safety stop on all dives over 30 ft.

Just about all modern dive computers will automatically go into a safety stop mode -- mine does it for all dives over 30 ft.

A lot of divemastered dives these days will require you to do a safety stop.

A safety stop is a safety factor; if you skip it for some reason (like an emergency procedure), it wouldn't theoretically put you into a decompression obligation. But no guarantees -- and it's pretty standard these days, whatever doctrine you're following.

Um, please forgive me for pointing this out... I'm sure no-one else here will say anything about this... but if you've forgotten about how to do safety stops, how much else have you forgotten about? It might be worth considering going through some kind of refresher before diving.

--Marek

Its not that I forget to do them, I was just making sure on exactly what depth to do them and for how long. Thanks for the advice and the fast reply. I may need to do a quick refresher. Better to be safe than sorry

 

[ScubaSixString]

I have been OW certified since 2001. Its been about 1 1/2 years since my last dive. I believe I remebr most of what I learned, but face I have to face it, Im not as young as I used to be. Anyway just to make sure I have not forgotten. When diving. As long as I stay abouve the no decompression limit, All I need to do is a safety stop at 15 ft for 3 minutes, correct? Regardless of depth? I know its a stupid question, but I guess I still need to know. Anyway, thanks for the help.

Staying above the NDL is a good start. I was certified in 1995 and had an 8 year hiatus. Things had changed. The 3 pressure groups above the ndl required safety stop was new. The dive tables now shade those times. When i was certified the emergency deco procedures were still on the tables, rather than in a little box at the bottom. I took a refresher course, and its a good idea. Ascent rate is important. I would agree that a safety stop is a GOOD idea if you're diving below about 30 feet or so. I would look closely into taking a refresher, it will make you more comfortable on your next dive

 

[jonnythan]

Better safe than sorry indeed. I highly recommend a refresher course.