Quickest path to deco diving?

[billgraham]

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.

I think we are talking about doing so with dive gear, swimming horizontally.

 

[Angelo Farina]

I think we are talking about doing so with dive gear, swimming horizontally.

Exactly. It is what athlets of underwater velocity are doing...
I know that underwater velocity is a sport not well known in US...
They use a monofin and a small front-hold air tank:

 

[ginti]

@Angelo Farina, it's always a pleasure to read your posts However, I have a question, but please read it for what it is: just a question coming from my curiosity. Although it may sound a bit aggressive, it isn't, and it really doesn't want to be a judgement or anything like that.

If I remember well, you are not really into cave or deep tech diving. So my question is: how many GUE or cave divers do you know to make a comparison with those athletes you mentioned?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Subcooled]

Anything inside padi, or do I need to get into other organizations?

CMAS, GUE, IANTD, NAUI, PADI, SSI, TDI (in alphabetical order), among others, offer nice courses.
Choose what suits you best.

TDI deco procedures + helitrox and IANTD advanced recreational trimix have been mentioned already, but every agency has something on offer.

Get rescue certified (unless that is included in other courses) and read some relevant books, such as "Diver Down: Real-World SCUBA Accidents and How to Avoid Them", or something like that.

 

[Subcooled]

I am trying to avoid trimix if I can. Just air and deco bottles.

I have been to 150 feet on air many times when trimix wasn't available.
I really cannot recommend it if you have access to helium based mixtures and can afford them.
Diving much beyond 120 feet on air starts to become dangerous pretty fast. Don't go to 180.

Problem is, your nervous system slows down. It takes a long time to notice things such as a beeping computer (or to understand what those numbers on the screen mean!!!) or a buddy signalling to you. Your fingers feel numb and they respond slowly to your decisions to move them. Memorizing things, such as what you just did, becomes hard. It's like a memory disorder. It also breaks logical thinking and your problem solving ability. Even if you would accept the risk, and many here would condemn that, fact is, you don't see things, you don't remember things. Better have a GoPro then.

 

[Subcooled]

As to quickest path, I don't see deco on air being that big of a deal. I mean, two computers, a max depth of 180, and follow the computers beeps JK,

Deco on air is doable, but if you can use nitrox 40 or 50 or 100 during decompression, then your mandatory decompression stops can be made shorter (or, alternatively, safer). You might appreciate this as the waves toss you around at 18 feet and nausea kicks in.

but I just don't see much of a big deal beyond a comprehension of deco calculations..

Remember that at those depths you will need a gas plan. You need to think about how much breathing gas you need in order to clear any mandatory decompression stops - even in the case that your deco bottle would somehow fail. You need to be able to resurface while sharing gas to a buddy, too. You need to know this in advance. On the bottom it's too late.

Dive computers and dive planning software indeed give you an ascent plan, but they do not give you contingency plans.

and I am sure there are added nitrogen narcosis effects that are seen at those depths.

They increase exponentially with depth after 120 ft. It's really bad at 150ft already.

 

[Subcooled]

Gopro

The footage will be shaky, I will tell you.

So I guess the $5 a CF Helium is what helps you remember, and not be drunk?

Yes. Added helium makes you see and remember things. And it makes the dive safer.
Obviously, your buoyancy control must be good.

 

[happy-diver]

Problem is, your nervous system slows down. It takes a long time to notice things such as a beeping computer (or to understand what those numbers on the screen mean!!!) or a buddy signalling to you. Your fingers feel numb and they respond slowly to your decisions to move them. Memorizing things, such as what you just did, becomes hard. It's like a memory disorder. It also breaks logical thinking and your problem solving ability. Even if you would accept the risk, and many here would condemn that, fact is, you don't see things, you don't remember things.

That's me at ten feet or any feet or no feet

 

[scubaozy]

Exactly. It is what athlets of underwater velocity are doing...
I know that underwater velocity is a sport not well known in US...
They use a monofin and a small front-hold air tank:

I wonder whether there is correlation between speedos and lack of interest in the US..

 

[J-Vo]

To comment on the side conversation, going fast is not efficient. Efficient is going the farthest on a fixed amount of gas or going the same distance using less gas. Given that force is relative to the square of velocity, going the fastest can not be the most efficient method.