Recreational Scuba Deco Diving

[Storker]

my understanding is that BSAC teaches this today, for example.

As does CMAS.

I guess the philosophy behind teaching "light" backgas deco on an appropriately sized single is that having to blow off a minor deco obligation may not even bend you, or most probably not bend your worse than that a chamber ride will fix you. It's rather unlikely that it'll kill you

 

[Storker]

I have never came across any dive operator in SE Asia that will let anyone to do planned deco dive without tec certification.

My CMAS 3* cert qualifies me for backgas deco. As do e.g. BSAC AD. Are those tec certs then?

 

[clownfishsydney]

1. Often
2. Boat diving
3. Marine
4. Buddy (mostly)
5. Single with pony bottle and (on my boat) surface supplied 100%, otherwise with another pony of 60+%
6. Mostly to about 45 metres, plan on 17 minute bottom time, but will extend to 20 in ideal conditions or drop to 15 or less if current or rough seas
7. Wrecks

 

[happy-diver]

Often. ish currently
Boat.
Ocean.
Solo.
15Litre single never air, 3Litre pony 50% steel tanks both overpumped
Plan dives on the fly, dependent on conditions, and what is discovered
Usually 30metre ish wreck ish dives limited to 50mins ish by operators

Have always dived as though there's a ceiling, and add new challenges

Magnificent!

 

[Blackcrusader]

Sorry but you’re well out of date on BSAC standards.

Sports Diver is limited to 20m on qualification, depth progression dives to 25, 30 then 35m with an instructor extend the depths to 35m. To be certified to 50m you need to be Dive Leader qualified, and do the depth progression dives to 40, 45 then 50m.
In September, BSAC issued guidance that dives beyond 40m should be done using Trimix, see here.

Yes I know sports dive leader was max 50m. My point was the max depth allowed on air.
But like many others who did certs back in the 80's things were very different. Were there more incidents as a percentage of divers as not many people I knew did any diving back in 1985 or 1986. My regular dive partners who I plan vacation dives with are DM or instructor level. If I can't team up with them it's instabuddy time where ever I am diving.

Anyway nowadays I pretty much dawdle around at padi vacation centers doing dives not exceeding NDL and am happy with that.
I am lucky that in non Wuhan Virus time I could take several trips a year and get in 150 dives plus. 2020 being the exception.

The point of this post is should recreational divers do deco dives. I'm not inclined to. Can I? That's up to me as a diver to decide. Unfortunately there is no BSAC club in Taiwan as I would be inclined to join one if there were.

 

[happy-diver]

The point of this post is should recreational divers do deco dives.

Inside your head

 

[Alekseolsen]

Since when recreational diving included planned deco dive?

At least IANDT advanced recreational Trimix/advanced nitrox/deco procedures gives 15 min staged decompression (50%), and considers itself a recreational education.

 

[David Novo]

GUE Rec 3 also includes limited deco.

 

[Blackcrusader]

At least IANDT advanced recreational Trimix/advanced nitrox/deco procedures gives 15 min staged decompression (50%), and considers itself a recreational education.

OK I just asked two of my regular dive partners. One is padi instructor certified and also has TDI Advanced Nitrox.
I never asked him before what certs he held as we do vacation diving to padi NDL. He said he would be fine doing a dive to 25m with added 10 mins deco time on a single tank with me as we both know our SAC rates. We just do it on Nitrox 32% He considers it recreational diving.

Another is a PADI DM who told me he has done Deco dives in Turkey and other countries on a single tank. They both replied and said that if we planned a dive not so deep say 25m and had 10 mins deco time we know we have enough air to complete deco obligations even if sharing air from the time of starting the ascent. Now of course if you haven't exceeded NDL then you can go to surface.
Would we do it unplanned? No. Have we done this before? No. Are we likely to? On a private dive not with a dive center just rent tanks and go diving.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

1. Seldom
2. boat diving
3. Salt
4. solo diving
5. Single HP100s, AL40 pony
6. Exposures you typically plan for .. a few minutes of deco at most, recreational depths, conservative gas reserves
7. Typical activities? Sight seeing & videography