robint
Contributor
I just want to bring this up as I had an interesting discussion with a diver in Palau recently.
I was taught that you should always do a safety stop at 15' for 3 minutes minumum. No mandatory, you just should do it for safety. If you have the air, go ahead and use it.
Our dive guides in Palau on the Eco Explorer said at every dive briefing....3 minute stop at 15'. They would inflate a marker on a rope and stay there at 15' while each diver joined them on the stop before going up to boat. Every dive this was done.... but we had one diver who refused. When asked about it he always said his computer (a very old relic I wouldn't trust) didn't tell him he was in "deco" so why would he do a deco stop. Well, several of us tried to explain that we weren't in deco either, it was just a safety measure. He didn't care, wasn't trained to do "deco" stops, so he wasn't going to do them. (this was also the only person not diving nitrox for the week... he didn't see any reason for that either.)
Now the diving in Palau is intense..... many dives were 100' deep or more. I think someone is really stupid not to stage a bit on the way up. My rule is that if I am at over 90' I will always do a few minutes or more at 45', then another stop at 15' for about 5 minutes - even if my computer says I am fine. I would rather be safe than sorry. If I have the air, I am going to use it effectively.
Anyhow, this isn't the first time I have watched a diver skip safety stops after deep dives. How many of you do Safety Stops regardless of what your computer says?
robin
I was taught that you should always do a safety stop at 15' for 3 minutes minumum. No mandatory, you just should do it for safety. If you have the air, go ahead and use it.
Our dive guides in Palau on the Eco Explorer said at every dive briefing....3 minute stop at 15'. They would inflate a marker on a rope and stay there at 15' while each diver joined them on the stop before going up to boat. Every dive this was done.... but we had one diver who refused. When asked about it he always said his computer (a very old relic I wouldn't trust) didn't tell him he was in "deco" so why would he do a deco stop. Well, several of us tried to explain that we weren't in deco either, it was just a safety measure. He didn't care, wasn't trained to do "deco" stops, so he wasn't going to do them. (this was also the only person not diving nitrox for the week... he didn't see any reason for that either.)
Now the diving in Palau is intense..... many dives were 100' deep or more. I think someone is really stupid not to stage a bit on the way up. My rule is that if I am at over 90' I will always do a few minutes or more at 45', then another stop at 15' for about 5 minutes - even if my computer says I am fine. I would rather be safe than sorry. If I have the air, I am going to use it effectively.
Anyhow, this isn't the first time I have watched a diver skip safety stops after deep dives. How many of you do Safety Stops regardless of what your computer says?
robin