I am glad to hear you were lucky on the couple of hundred dives you did previously with your computer but it was nothing more then just luck. Computers will give you more bottom time then diving a square profile but that extra time comes from cutting out the built in safety margins of a square profile. These margins come from decades of testing by the US Navy and the algorithms used on the computer are derived from the Navy tables minus the built in safety factors. Another problem is that you may not fit the physical type the computer program was based on so to account for that you add in a safety stop at 15'. The time spent at the safety stop takes away from your actual time ON the bottom so you do not gain as much time as you think. What additional time you did gain caused your problem unless you are one of those people who is more susceptible to the bends but that is very rare. Loss the computer, get a good bottom timer, dive a square profile and you should never have this problem again.
I see some logistic holes here draw some different conclusions. The assumption seems to be that tables are more conservative and thus safer than computers, that computers liberal NDL allowances are unduly risky at their extremes, and doing multi-level dives (particularly) multiple, perhaps over multiple days) within computer limits that tables wouldn't have allowed is reckless and if you don't get bent you're 'lucky.'
If I got the basic reasoning right. My 2 cents:
1.) Computers mainly give much more NDL on multi-level dives (e.g.: the reef dives more people do).
2.) You can always say that diving more conservatively, farther from NDLs, is safer. Up the conservatism setting on your computer. Use a Suunto instead of an Oceanic (the conservatism of Suuntos being often debated). Dive nitrox but set your computer for air. Use tables on multi-level dives as if you spent all your bottom time at the max. depth. Don't get near your NDLs. Maybe don't dive over 20 feet deep, or for over 20 minutes? Perhaps stay on the boat?
3.) Tables and a bottom timer may get your times similar to a computer, I suspect, when diving true square profile dives, such as some wrecks, where most of the dive is spent near the max. depth. In that case, tables could be about as reckless as a computer!
4.) Many people dive computers for multi-day multiple multi-level dives without evident harm. A small minority get bent for reasons we still don't understand well. It's not reckless.
5.) If you're going to dive tables, you might want to pursue solo certification/training, because a lot of people on vacation won't want to cut their bottom time short for somebody stuck on tables.
6.) Any time you submerge breathing compressed air, you're playing an odds game as to DCS risk. The perceived risk of serious DCS is low enough that it does not justify doing every dive with tables & a bottom timer using square profile methodology on multi-level dives.
Richard.
. Enjoy, have fun, and tell Alissa HI from us.
