safety stop..how deep?

[jplacson]

Ok, I know the actual depth is a bit vague... apporx 5m, or 15 ft... but what's the 'safe' zone?

I worry cuz I find it almost impossible to hold steady at exactly 5m. I float between 4.9-5.8m and I really have to watch my gauge closely... or watch one of my GUE buddies for reference.

If I have a point of reference however, I can hold my position easily.

I haven't taken the DIRF yet... I'm scheduled for next Feb when the boys from Florida are tentatively scheduled to come over.

I'm just trying to learn a little more so that I won't look like a complete stroke taking the DIRF course.

I'm really interested in learning how to approximate depth with your eyes closed!!! That is one of the coolest things I really wanna learn... and the on-the-fly no-deco time calculations!!!! I can't wait (at the same time, I'm nervous) for my DIRF course!

 

[Semper Dive]

Try this...at 30 fsw pause and establish bouancy. Then slowly asend to 20 fsw and
remain for two minutes. Now here is the key. Slowly swim in a circle. Go back and forth. Open your arms do some arm rotations. A light excercise. Keep busy!

You do this while being parallel to bottom (horizontal). This increases circulation, helps you off gas and keeps you busy. Do the same thing at 10 fsw for three mintues. And feel free to add a minute or two if you feel depending on your gas 1/3 rules. Now, since you are TDI do this with EAN 40. Use this for ascent. You will feel awesome after the dive and you will have increased your margin of safety from DCI tremendously. Ascent gas is always higher mix then bottom. EAN 50 is proably the best mix for most ascents. That is the mix I use. And I start the EAN 50
at P02 1.5 I figure this depth in my dive plan. So stretch, kick a bit and gas off with
some increased circulation. Do not remain still or vertical. Horizontal and movement.

Also, stop for a minute of so at half the depth of your dive. So on ascent you see you were at 120 fsw. Stop at 60 fsw for a minute. Remember, tiny gas bubbles are easier for the body to rid then big bubbles in any one area of the body. Slow your rate of descent/pressurization and do not make drastic movements up and down the water column during your bottom time.

I don't think anybody can stay still. I mean there is current, we are open circuit and breathing. We don't want to chest breathe and try and use our lungs as a bouancy
compensator. We breath deep breaths from the stomach. I found movement is key.
I can maintain a depth much easier by forward movement.

And finally, good luck and safe diving! I hope my suggestions are helpful.

PADI OW, TDI, ANDI Safe Air..currenty enrolled ANDI Technical Safe Air Diver.

 

[JimC]

I would advise against doing gas switches under water untill you get training to do them.
I would also sugest that useing your lungs for boyancy fine tunning is exactly what you want to do.
I would further sugest that moveing while "hovering" is just masking any problems you may or may not have.
I would even go out on a limb and say using EANx40 as a deoc gas has no place in the DIR forum.


As for the original question. Wandering a few feet up and down at your safty stop isn't going to hurt you - practice, practice, practice.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

I don't think anybody can stay still.

Au contraire. Many can and do.

If you are not staying still you are not DIR.

Practice, practice, practice.

 

[Ed Hayes]

Try this...at 30 fsw pause and establish bouancy. Then slowly asend to 20 fsw and
remain for two minutes. Now here is the key. Slowly swim in a circle. Go back and forth. Open your arms do some arm rotations. A light excercise. Keep busy!

You do this while being parallel to bottom (horizontal). This increases circulation, helps you off gas and keeps you busy. Do the same thing at 10 fsw for three mintues. And feel free to add a minute or two if you feel depending on your gas 1/3 rules. Now, since you are TDI do this with EAN 40. Use this for ascent. You will feel awesome after the dive and you will have increased your margin of safety from DCI tremendously. Ascent gas is always higher mix then bottom. EAN 50 is proably the best mix for most ascents. That is the mix I use. And I start the EAN 50
at P02 1.5 I figure this depth in my dive plan. So stretch, kick a bit and gas off with
some increased circulation. Do not remain still or vertical. Horizontal and movement.

Also, stop for a minute of so at half the depth of your dive. So on ascent you see you were at 120 fsw. Stop at 60 fsw for a minute. Remember, tiny gas bubbles are easier for the body to rid then big bubbles in any one area of the body. Slow your rate of descent/pressurization and do not make drastic movements up and down the water column during your bottom time.

I don't think anybody can stay still. I mean there is current, we are open circuit and breathing. We don't want to chest breathe and try and use our lungs as a bouancy
compensator. We breath deep breaths from the stomach. I found movement is key.
I can maintain a depth much easier by forward movement.

And finally, good luck and safe diving! I hope my suggestions are helpful.

PADI OW, TDI, ANDI Safe Air..currenty enrolled ANDI Technical Safe Air Diver.

no,, !! ,,, wait for your fundys class,, till then practice w/ gue divers and then practice some more,, read the standards to see what you will be expected to do,, then practice your buoyancy some more

Ed Hayes

 

[Boogie711]

Um - staying still in the water is not only possible, it's necessary in a Fundies course. Like many pointed out - moving around just masks any problems you may have with trim and bouyancy.

And Jplacson - I was taught in Fundies that we don't do safety stops. We stop for one minute at 30 feet, another minute at 20 feet, and another minute at 10 feet. It gives us an average depth of staying at 20 feet for 3 minutes, and prepares us for deco stops if the need ever arises.

 

[mer]

Try this...at 30 fsw pause and establish bouancy. Then slowly asend to 20 fsw and
remain for two minutes. Now here is the key. Slowly swim in a circle. Go back and forth. Open your arms do some arm rotations. A light excercise. Keep busy!

You do this while being parallel to bottom (horizontal). This increases circulation, helps you off gas and keeps you busy. Do the same thing at 10 fsw for three mintues. And feel free to add a minute or two if you feel depending on your gas 1/3 rules. Now, since you are TDI do this with EAN 40. Use this for ascent. You will feel awesome after the dive and you will have increased your margin of safety from DCI tremendously. Ascent gas is always higher mix then bottom. EAN 50 is proably the best mix for most ascents. That is the mix I use. And I start the EAN 50
at P02 1.5 I figure this depth in my dive plan. So stretch, kick a bit and gas off with
some increased circulation. Do not remain still or vertical. Horizontal and movement.

Also, stop for a minute of so at half the depth of your dive. So on ascent you see you were at 120 fsw. Stop at 60 fsw for a minute. Remember, tiny gas bubbles are easier for the body to rid then big bubbles in any one area of the body. Slow your rate of descent/pressurization and do not make drastic movements up and down the water column during your bottom time.

I don't think anybody can stay still. I mean there is current, we are open circuit and breathing. We don't want to chest breathe and try and use our lungs as a bouancy
compensator. We breath deep breaths from the stomach. I found movement is key.
I can maintain a depth much easier by forward movement.

And finally, good luck and safe diving! I hope my suggestions are helpful.

PADI OW, TDI, ANDI Safe Air..currenty enrolled ANDI Technical Safe Air Diver.

This is NOT the way DIR/GUE trained divers conduct an ascent. Also if you need forward movement to maintain your depth, you need to hit your favorite training spot and work on buoyancy some more.

In short the ascent profile is (for recreational dive):
30fpm til 80% of max ATA, stop 30s.
Stop every 10 feet thereafter (30s stop, 30s to move up ten feet)
For repetitive dives with an SI between 1 and 2 hours, double the 30', 20', and 10' stops (1:30s stop, 30s move up ten feet).
This is all done on back gas, which would be EAN32.

If this doesn't make sense to you, just wait for fundamentals class.

As for the original question:
Don't worry about looking like a "stroke" in the class. I think the only way to be a stroke in the class is to come into it closed minded. Unless you have a core of buddies with GUE training, don't worry about practising too much. All the practising I did before fundamentals only hurt me b/c I was ingraining bad habits into my muscle memory.

 

[cornfed]

I'm just trying to learn a little more so that I won't look like a complete stroke taking the DIRF course.

Looking like a goober is part of fundies.

 

[jplacson]

AHAHAHA... thanks guys. Ok... so the normal 15ft safety stop isn't followed in the DIRF course? Even on a recreational dive? Hmmm... that sounds a bit more sound actually.

I'm not Andvanced TDI... so basically, it was just a useless course to certify me to use ONE mix. I knew the theories already... I just needed the license to get to use standard EAN32, or 36 when diving.

Ok... I'll wait for my fundies class. And yes, my core group of dive buddies are all GUE guys. 3 of them are Tech 2 and Cave 2 divers, gunning for Instructor level in the future.

I was just wondering if there's anything I could do from now til the class... just to improve my diving as well.

 

[Soggy]

Ok... I'll wait for my fundies class. And yes, my core group of dive buddies are all GUE guys. 3 of them are Tech 2 and Cave 2 divers, gunning for Instructor level in the future.

I was just wondering if there's anything I could do from now til the class... just to improve my diving as well.

From the sounds of it, your buddies are much more qualified to answer your questions than we are.