Quickest path to deco diving?

[Lorenzoid]

It depends on training received
My 3 stars CMAS cerification is for air at max depth of 50m, with deco (not accelerated, using air also for deco).
This is a standard recreational certification. Most not-profit agencies outside US have similar recreational diving standards (Bsac, for example). In US it appears that this kind of diving is considered "tech", or more dangerous than diving "just within NDL".
My personal opinion, instead, is that recreational divers trained, equipped and planning for deco dives to 50m max are getting less risks than recreational divers who "ride the NDL", risking to exceed it for any minor inconveniences, and ending in deco range without the required planning, equipment and training.

People also drive cars after three glasses of wine. They may, depending on where they are in the world, not exceed the local blood alcohol limit, if any. But no matter what is deemed acceptable, most of them are still impaired.

I don’t advise newer divers to ride NDLs, either. I dive conservatively. I haven’t read this thread in a while and didn’t bother to refresh my memory, but if I recall, the OP is inexperienced and looking to advance slowly. MAYBE someday he will reach the equivalent of CMAS 3* and be capable of judging his impairment from deep air diving. That sounds reasonable to me.

 

[Nick_Radov]

MAYBE someday he will reach the equivalent of CMAS 3* and be capable of judging his impairment from deep air diving. That sounds reasonable to me.

No one is capable of accurately judging their own impairment from deep air diving. The impairment itself makes it impossible to be objective about that. A lot of old-time divers claim to be "good on air", and then you see a video of them fumbling around underwater and unable to remember major parts of the dive. It would be comical if it wasn't dangerous.

And while deep air narcosis might be manageable if nothing goes wrong, as soon as you need to exert yourself the carbon dioxide level shoots way up and then you're in real trouble. Some level of hypercapnia can occur even with a helium mix, but deep air magnifies the risk.

 

[hedonist222]

No one is capable of accurately judging their own impairment from deep air diving.

Do elaborate.
Keen to understand.

 

[Celt]

No one is capable of accurately judging their own impairment from deep air diving. The impairment itself makes it impossible to be objective about that. A lot of old-time divers claim to be "good on air", and then you see a video of them fumbling around underwater and unable to remember major parts of the dive. It would be comical if it wasn't dangerous.

And while deep air narcosis might be manageable if nothing goes wrong, as soon as you need to exert yourself the carbon dioxide level shoots way up and then you're in real trouble. Some level of hypercapnia can occur even with a helium mix, but deep air magnifies the risk.

Could you post that video as I can post hours of video of men working deep on air.

 

[Tribal]

My 3 stars CMAS cerification is for air at max depth of 50m, with deco (not accelerated, using air also for deco).

The problem with Cmas is that it is runned by old people that are so sure they discovered diving ages ago and there isn’t a way to improve.
It is not because it works that there isn’t a better/safer way.

 

[Wibble]

The problem with Cmas is that it is runned by old people that are so sure they discovered diving ages ago and there isn’t a way to improve.
It is not because it works that there isn’t a better/safer way.

CMAS also don’t differentiate between recreational and technical diving.

Therefore a DM must be better than a multi-gas deep technical diver, cave diver, etc.

 

[Angelo Farina]

The problem with Cmas is that it is runned by old people that are so sure they discovered diving ages ago and there isn’t a way to improve.
It is not because it works that there isn’t a better/safer way.

Cmas is just an over-national organization, which oversees over the operations of nearly 100 entirely different national organisations.
What you say is definitely true for a dozen of them.
But among the others you find everything, including some devoted to extreme innovation and experimental techniques.
Cmas is just a big hat covering many different heads...
Back to topic: air is safe down to 50m (150 feet) if proper deco procedures are used, by properly trained and fit divers. This is the operational limit in air for divers in Police, Navy, Firefighters of many countries.
In some of these countries this is also the limit for recreational divers. In some other countries (US and some others) the accepted limits for recreational diving are more conservative.
In reality every recreational diver should set its own personal safety limits, which can evolve in time, being extended thanks to better training, increasing experience and better equipment and logistics, but can also be reduced due to age, medical conditions, deterioration of equipment, etc.
So any absolute and fixed limit for safe diving with a certain gas mixture is just a convention, the real safe limit is always variable.
Despite I was certified (in 1978) for diving to 50m with deco, I do not consider it to be safe at my age, with my previous medical problems, and considering that all my diving equipment is more than 30 years old...
But the original poster is a relatively new divers, who asked how to improve for reaching larger depths for longer time, which requires deco procedure.
The answer is that, up to certain limit, this is feasible using air. Beyond that limit (which, as said, is personal and variable) you cannot use air anymore.

 

[kensuf]

No one is capable of accurately judging their own impairment from deep air diving. The impairment itself makes it impossible to be objective about that. A lot of old-time divers claim to be "good on air", and then you see a video of them fumbling around underwater and unable to remember major parts of the dive. It would be comical if it wasn't dangerous.

And while deep air narcosis might be manageable if nothing goes wrong, as soon as you need to exert yourself the carbon dioxide level shoots way up and then you're in real trouble. Some level of hypercapnia can occur even with a helium mix, but deep air magnifies the risk.

Carbon dioxide is almost as narcotic as nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas). The effects of hypercapnic induced inert gas narcosis deserve respect.

 

[billgraham]

The instructor path and the diver path are two different things for most people. On the diver path, AN/DP is mostly a physics class punctuated with diving. If you want to learn how to swim underwater and not look like the proverbial monkey #$%&ing the football, you take basic cavern/intro to cave diving or GUE style classes. Good luck!

 

[Angelo Farina]

The instructor path and the diver path are two different things for most people. On the diver path, AN/DP is mostly a physics class punctuated with diving. If you want to learn how to swim underwater and not look like the proverbial monkey #$%&ing the football, you take basic cavern/intro to cave diving or GUE style classes. Good luck!

Well, if the goal is to learn how to swim underwater efficiently and elegantly, I would not suggest cave or GUE.
The more elegant and more efficient underwater swimmers are usually females coming from synchro or males coming from underwater speed competitions.
Also deep free divers (of both sex) usually are excellent and efficient underwater swimmers.
Cave divers are much slower, do not keep an hydrodynamic shape and do not use proper fins with proper kicking methods. Their main capability is to avoid raising suspension when manouvering close to surfaces without touching them.