tec 4 rec

[MXGratefulDiver]

what would "gas management / planning" precisely involve as far as it concerns recreational divers? I mean is there anything "we" should adopt from "you" that exceeds the usual "watch your pressure gauge and always have a reserve left"? Are we talking about being able to calculate your own consumption according to your dive plan etc.?

This ... NWGratefulDiver.com

I've been teaching it at the AOW level for nine years ... as well as giving free seminars to dive shops and dive clubs when they request me to. I've yet to run into anyone from OW student to instructor who hasn't been able to grasp the concepts.

The most useful thing to take from it and apply to recreational diving is the notion that answering the question "do I have enough gas to do this dive?" is a fundamental part of your dive plan.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Kokeldil]

Spring straps!

I haven them on the fins I use for dry suit diving, but leaving the durability aspect aside - is there any other good reason to prefer spring straps over normal fin straps?

 

[TSandM]

I like the "donate the primary" approach, because I think it makes sense. Donate the regulator you are breathing, because you know where it is, you know it is working, and getting it to the out of gas diver is very fast. Take your own backup, because you are less stressed and you have time to fiddle around to get it. Whether that backup is bungied around your neck or one of the octo-inflators is less important than the basic principle.

Gas management, as Bob's article describes it, would be a HUGE improvement in the purely reactive approach to gas supplies that is now taught.

A higher degree of situational awareness would avoid a great many of the stories that show up in "Near Misses". Better pre-dive communication and planning would help here, too -- but that's not unique to technical diving. We do try to teach pre-dive planning and communication . . . the problem is that once people get out of class, they go out into a world where nobody bothers with it, and they lose the good habit very quickly.

DAN's data on diving accidents show that running out of gas and losing buoyancy control are two factors that contribute greatly to diving fatalities. Technical-style gas management, and technical quality buoyancy skills, would almost completely fix both of those.

Oh, and spring straps make getting your fins on and off SO much easier, no matter what kind of exposure protection you are using -- and make it much less likely that you will lose a fin, too!

 

[Kokeldil]

I like the "donate the primary" approach, because I think it makes sense. Donate the regulator you are breathing, because you know where it is, you know it is working, and getting it to the out of gas diver is very fast. Take your own backup, because you are less stressed and you have time to fiddle around to get it. Whether that backup is bungied around your neck or one of the octo-inflators is less important than the basic principle.

Thanks. Practical advice like this is most appreciated, not meaning to say the other comments weren´t useful just as well, but this is actually what I was aiming for. And I agree the article from Bob is really great. Thanks so far, just don´t stop ....

 

[nimoh]

I think a big one that is commonly done in tec diving, and not so much in rec diving is practice.

At the start of every tec dive we do a modified S drill ensuring that our hoses are not trapped by anything, and equipment matching ensuring that we have everything. But, more than that, when we go out for a tec dive, we generally do two dives in the day. Commonly we will do a deep dive (150'-200' roughly) and then do another dive less than 100' where we do things like valve drills, running lines, team ascent drills, shooting SMBs, bottle rotation...

I was out diving last weekend doing a few 30' dives with some members of our club, and one AOW diver said that a few weeks ago him and another diver were doing a dive where it would be their first time to 100'. At around 60' he had a mask flood issue, and before he knew it he was on the surface. He assured me that he did a very 'safe' buoyant ascent (from 60'), breathing very shallow and keeping his lungs almost empty. I got the impression that he thought the whole incident was comical. Fast forward to last weekend, and we are out on a dive, I swam up to him, took off my mask, put it back on and cleared it, then pointed to him to do the same, and he wouldn't do it. After the dive, he gave some lame excuse for not doing it, that I don't recall.

The point is that the skills done in training at any level are not meant to be a one time deal and not necessary after certification. They are things every diver should be able to do quite effortlessly.

Also, thanks for starting this thread. This is a great topic.

 

[SailNaked]

I think the question was what ideas from tech should Rec divers emulate while Rec diving.

Secondary necklass so that you can find it asap.
BP/W (balanced horizontal swimming)
know the gear you own.
know your air comsumption and bottom time relative to your buddies and watch your guages closely. no one should ever run out of gas in any rec situation.

 

[James R]

While I use BP/W myself, IMO it would be foolish to say it is required to be balanced and horizontal in the water. I can achieve this with any BCD that's in working condition. No need to throw equipment and money at a basic skill deficit.

 

[gekodivebali]

what would "gas management / planning" precisely involve as far as it concerns recreational divers? I mean is there anything "we" should adopt from "you" that exceeds the usual "watch your pressure gauge and always have a reserve left"? Are we talking about being able to calculate your own consumption according to your dive plan etc.?
.

In technical diving you learn that running out of gas is never an option and should never happen. This is why you calculate how much gas you will use for every dive, determine how much gas reserve is required, plan the dive accordingly and follow your plan.
While i understand that going through this entire process for every dive may not be practical for the occasional recreational diver, learning how to do this unlocks teachings that could be more essential and potentially life-saving than say navigating with a compass in a clearwater environment.
Let me explain. When you learn to manage your gas, you first determine your SAC or consumption rate. You do this over several doves and constantly refine this variable. In doing so, you (should) develop an understanding that gas consumption is not linear. You will use more or less gas during certain phases of your dives, such as descent, bottom, ascent or stops. Depth will have a tremendous effect in your gas consumption. You (should) learn that your gas consumption can increase dramatically when sustaining an effort or in cases of emergency.
This should be a readily understood fact by recreational divers. Many a diver consider that it's ok to look at their spg once every 15 minutes because they feel they know roughly how much air they use during this time. The lack of linearity means they may be surprised by an increased consumption due to an exciting sighting or reacting to an out of gas diver. The situation is even worse when divers feel that it's ok not to look at their air consumption until prompted to do so by their Divemaster. Learning gas management reinforces the need for each diver to plan their dive and dive their plan rather than relying on a third party who has not accepted to take on this responsibility.
Likewise, learning to manage your gas teaches you the importance of a gas reserve and how to determine your chosen gas reserve's adequacy for the planned maximum depth.
This knowledge is vital even to recreational divers. You often see divers telling their guide they only have 50 bar or less when they are still at their deepest point. This may not be a problem if diving to 12m. It is when at 30m + or when currents, boat traffic or other conditions make an ascent on the spot difficult.

 

[Instructor_Tom]

the biggest issue I have with open water training classes is the lack of focus on proper stowage and configuration of gear.

I see classes all the time with second stages dragging in the dirt and consoles bouncing off rocks and the students don't know any better so once they get there card that is how they dive.

personally when I DM a class I don't let anyone get in the water without securing the SPG and second stage. I force the issue on proper gear stowage and easy access during the dive.

I wish open water classes would adopt a tech hose configuration as working out of air drills is a pain in the butt when using a hose between 22" and 40". it's just too short.


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[grantwiscour]

I think a big one that is commonly done in tec diving, and not so much in rec diving is practice.

I swam up to him, took off my mask, put it back on and cleared it, then pointed to him to do the same, and he wouldn't do it. After the dive, he gave some lame excuse for not doing it, that I don't recall.

The point is that the skills done in training at any level are not meant to be a one time deal and not necessary after certification. They are things every diver should be able to do quite effortlessly.

Also, thanks for starting this thread. This is a great topic.

On our recent vacation in Guanaja, George from Clearwater Paradise did a mask defog at depth. He was showing off a bit after a recent conversation about defogging at depth. It was a simple procedure...check it out here, it starts at 1:41: Titos Labyrinths Scuba Dive, Guanaja - Childish Things - YouTube

Good for all to practice.