Tell the Truth - Is your brain rotting?

[metridium]

Originally posted by Lost Yooper
The best part is that I'll often get out faster and cleaner (which is the important part, BTW) than a computer user.

By 'faster', do you mean less deco, Mike? And what do you mean by 'cleaner'?

 

[The Chairman]

that my Cobra changed the way I dive. After my first couple of dives I downloaded the data eagerly and looked at the time/depth graph. I was appalled! Did I really only do a 40 second safety stop??? Did I really ascend THAT fast? What was I thinking when I did this spike?

It really gave me a reality check, 'cause no one else was doing it for me. It pointed out every alarm, and deficiency in my profile. I have become a far better diver since then, and I have no problems with letting it determine how much more air I have, and how much longer till deco obligation sets in. I am ususally paying too much attention to the divers in my charge to allow me the "fun" of profiling the way you described. Heck, I think I know their SPG readings better than my own!

If/when I do confined diving, I will probably pay more attention to that sort of detail. For now, my focus is elsewhere and I expect my Cobra to do the job that I have assigned it. So far she's been good to me.

 

[Lost Yooper]

Metridium,

Sometimes I get out faster than a computer -- it depends on the dive. Sometimes a computer will get you out faster. I don't care how fast I get out as long as I'm cleaner (fewer bubbles). Most of the computers are totally clueless about how to get you out of the water. Simply put, they bring you up way too fast, and the results are sub DCS after diving (especially deep or repetitive dives).

By cleaner I'm referring to exiting the water after a dive with as few bubbles as possible. Incorporating slow ascents, deep stops, and a super slow final ascent ensures that you will surface with as few bubbles as possible. Computers don't require you to do any of this and the result is a "dirtier" deco. This applies to all of you guys too, not just deep divers. Of course, for us who know how, we can add various deco gasses to further increase the offgassing effect and substantially reduce deco time.

Mike

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by Walter
Sorry Pug, but that is not the standard defination of a dive profile. A dive profile is the chart and information used to figure

Well you are right... that is why I gave a definition for my use of the word so it wouldn't be confused with the standard usage...

If *profiling* I am keeping a running account of my dive as it actually happens... my *profile* for a dive is not what was planned but what actually happened.

The poll was designed with my usage of the word...

 

[scuba-sass]

I'm pretty new to diving, so I can still remember how to use tables from my OW Class. However, I bought a computer so I could have increased BT at a variety of depths in each dive. The tables I was trained on are unable to account for that, maybe there are some that can.

Being new, I so far do only 1 - 2 dives per day, during a 1 - 2 week vacation. The most repetitive dives I've done were a night dive, concluding around 8:00 PM, followed by a 9:00 AM and a 2:00 PM dive the next day. I watched the "No Deco" guage portion of my computer closely for the successive dives, and stayed slightly shallower than most of my companions on the last one.

When it warms up enough to dive locally, I may have to change my MO, and actually PLAN. Gee, they did teach that in class, didn't they? Thanks to UP for reminding me of this!

I also agree with NetDoc that the computer has pointed out some scary things in my diving. When we dove in the Carribean in December, and then I returned and downloaded the dives, I saw some rapid ascents (none that were actual violations, just faster than I'd like), usually in the middle of the profile, not at the end when I was concentrating on it. As a result, when I dove recently in French Polynesia, I remembered to think about this throughout each dive. I haven't reviewed every dive's profile yet, but so far they look better. So, points for the computer!

Thanks again, UP, for bringing up this interesting discussion.

Happy Diving,
Scuba-sass

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by chuckrt
Pug, I voted that I use a computer but don't profile but that is per walters def. I am checking my computer thru out my dive to keep track of depth and other pertinent info.

chuckrt

Hi Chuck,
Thanks for responding... Walter's standard definition of the word *profile*is one thing... I clearly defined my useage of the term and I appreciate your using that for this poll...

You check your computer as do most folks... and even check the depth and other pert. info. .... probably quite frequently.

But checking and keeping a mental awareness of how your profile is unfolding are two different things...

It is amazing but I have seen people check their computers far more often that the every 5 minute approach I use and yet never really retain a mental awareness of what it said. This is what I refer to as *brain rotting* though some actually call it *freedom to do other things*.

Just for fun on your next dive check your computer as often as you want... but at each 5 minute interval really pay attention to what your depth and time at depth is.... just try for one dive to come up with a running profile.... what can it hurt? If your computer has a log function that gives you an average depth see how close you come to that.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by NINman
I 2nd what the others said ... I always keep track of my depth and time. I do not log it though.

Brad you keep track by looking and making sure that you haven't exceeded your depth, BT, and NDL time... you might even notice what your depth, BT, and NDL time actually is and cognitively assess those numbers....

But do you really keep *track*... do you, throughout the dive, carry a running awareness of where you are in the dive profile as it is unfolding?

If you do then congratulations... each time you look at your computer you are seeing it display what you already knew and you are just checking to make sure it is still working and how close you are...

btw... when you look at your SPG.... do you already know what it will say? Do you test yourself and your SPG by keeping *track* of your consumption and only look at it to confirm what you already know?

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by wheezy
Poor Pug,,, the only one suffering from brain rot????

Just kidding buddy....

It's called a "dive manager".... GREAT PIECE OF HARDWARE/SOFTWARE...

I keep track of everything as I look forward to someday being a professional diver...

Wheezy.... I hope your name is not really descriptive since you aspire to professional diving....

Your dive manager keeps track for you?
Swell....

btw.... Shane lets his brain rot while geoducking....

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by Ber Rabbit
I never started paying attention to time spent at other depths until I bought my computer. That sparked a discussion between my buddy and I about how hard it would be to use the tables to figure out your actual group letter on a dive with multiple depths. It's too much like "math" for me but an interesting mental exercise.
Ber

Snot hard... scuz... Its not hard....

But leaving multidepth diving aside for this poll....

Ber you started paying attention... now take that one more step and start building an awareness on each dive of the unfolding profile.... check your awareness (and the level of brain regeneration) by guessing what your computer will read before you look at it: Depth/BT/Time left.... what can it hurt to be more aware....

Notice I did not need to include any disclaimers in this thread...

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by MikeS
As a new diver

I’m new to SCUBA

All you need is an air integrated dive computer. Your buddy’s computer provides redundancy. If either computer fails, the dive is over and you surface safely using the working computer.

Mike

Thank you Mike...
You are the perfect example the new generation of divers...
I do not say that to belittle you at all (though I disagree with the process that has given you that outlook)...
It is just that so many new divers have come to believe that computers are essential to diving... and perhaps without the proper understanding of tables they are...
But since you said that you wanted to learn...
Keep an open mind here...

Just for the fun of it see it you can keep a running mental profile of your next dive... what can it hurt?

1. No mandatory decompression stops.

BTW... every dive is a decompression dive and that 3 minute *safety stop at 15 fsw? Yup... that (by another name) is an acknowledgement of the fact... it is a default deco stop and there is actually a better way.