Jim Kerr:On the Padi RDP the depths of 100 fsw and deeper are shaded grey. It states that all safety stops after dives to 100 fsw and deeper are "mandatory".
It may say that, but that doesn't make it so. Safety stops are optional. If the stop is mandatory, it's a decompression stop.
Thalassamania:As long as there's more pressure in the tank than the water pressure outside the tank, there's zero chance of getting water into the tank.
True, and as long as the tank is dry inside when the valve is closed, water cannot get into a tank with a closed valve even if the tank is totally empty.
lazyturtle:there's a difference between a deco stop and a safety stop. He obviously didn't understand the difference. Which says something about him..
Yes, there is, but I'm not sure you understand the difference either. A safety stop is, by definition, optional. A decompression stop is mandatory.
lazyturtle:Modern tables have mandatory safety stops at this depth.
Only the RDP has what it calls "mandatory safety stops." A mandatory safety stop is not a safety stop, it's a decompression stop.
Blackwood:The only difference is the name. One sounds "scary" and makes it hard to market "non-decompression diving." The other doesn't.
Nope. One is optional, the other is not.
catherine96821:Do you see the confusion though, when PADI tells certed divers they are responsible for their own profiles and then they go on a dive vacation and another person insists on taking responsibilty? I think it makes for a grey zone that is fraught with confusion.
There's no confusion, my dear. You are either a thinking person who knows how to dive and accepts responsibility for your own actions or you are a sheep.
catherine96821:I don't know the solution, but I am always careful about giving too many requirements, as a DM, because I think this implies a certain level of responsibilty I can't really assume with a large group of certified divers.
The solution is simple, but it's not going to happen. Stop certifying people who aren't ready to dive. Stop babysitting people on dives.
lazyturtle:Oh I agree, everyone is responsible for themselves. However as the guide, I set the ground rules. For example I set a maximum depth, time, and minimum tank pressure to return to the boat. These limits are non-negotiable. If you want to be more conservative that my limits it's fine.
You don't sound like you agree. You would never know if I followed your limits or followed more conservative limits or less conservative limits. I don't follow guides except in very special situations.