What air level indicates your dive is done?

[DiverBuoy]

skipjack28 once bubbled...
Where do you live in ca.

Let's say I can get to Corona in under an hour.

 

[Tekkie]

For me I would have to say anything between 1000-500 psi. I don't take chances when I am diving. It's just crazy to go down to 100 psi or even 14.7 (who voted for that anyway?).

Tekkie.

 

[ElectricZombie]

I'm usually on the hang line around 1500 - 1000 psi. I'll then do a stop for a while but never so that I'm less than 400 psi or so. Coming up with 400 psi means that I probably did a 30 min stop.

 

[another mike]

I tell knew divers the rule of thirds is a good rule of thumb for new divers and it applies to most if not all situations(assuming of course you're within the limits of the RDP)

1) a third "going in"
2) a third "coming back"
2) a third in reserve


hope that helps,

mike

 

[jiveturkey]

Fifty bar for me. Here's a little story from my last international trip. I was in Nusa Penida in Bali last summer and using the shops rental kit. My guage said I had 50 bar. I was only in 4 or 5 meters of water but the current was strong. When I signalled the dm, he signalled back that we should stay down. I think he wanted to do this because we were swimming towards the boat and it was easier to swim at depth than on the surface. Any way, my guage hit 30 bar and I signalled that I had enough and that I really wanted to ascend. On the way up, it felt really tough to breath and then a few feet from the surface, my air was gone. The guage still read 30 bar on the surface. I guess I shouldn't have listened to him when he said to stay down. It was scary but now I'm glad it happened. It's the first time that I've felt my air go off underwater since my ow course, thank god, and I hope it's the only time. However, it's good to know that feeling though so you recognise it as it happens. It convinced me to finally get my own gear. No more of that crap shoot with the rentals.

 

[jdb]

I have a simple rule of thumb I follow. I add a zero to the end of my max depth and that is my assent pressure. Example a dive to 90ft we are at the anchor line and starting our assent at 900lbs. For dives of 60 ft or less we start our assent at 600lbs. So far none of us have ever got back on the boat with less than 400lbs.

 

[got4boyz]

jiveturkey once bubbled...
On the way up, it felt really tough to breath and then a few feet from the surface, my air was gone. The guage still read 30 bar on the surface.

 

[FredT]

skipjack28 once bubbled...
Its all about comfort level Beth.
I thought the diving alone would
get flames.
How about this. Forget the tables.
If I can get 20 min at 60 ft out of an A80
and the no decom limits off the old navy
dive tables is 60 min at 60 ft then.......
I can do 3 consecutive dives to 60 ft
and forget about the tables. When you
factor in up down and shallower and the surface interval between dives you still
don't have to worry about decom.
I guess I am old school.
Its easy its safe and simple.

Where do you dive?

Back in the dark ages when I smoked heavily I regularly got 60 min at 60 feet on a 72 jammed to about 2400psi. As such I know that with almost any tank my crossover depth on air is about 50'.

IOW above 50' I'm air limited and watch the pressure gauge and don't worry too much about reserving air for deco. In this case about 200psi (enough for about 10 minutes @ 10 ft at rest) at the stop under the boat is plenty. Away from the boat, or with the boat location not confirmed within the 400-800 psi window I'll reserve more. Below 50' I'm time limited and watch the clock or computer. I also reserve considerably more gas for a potential deco liability. The nicest part about Nitrox is that it pushes the crossover depth down to a more reasonable 80' or so. In either case 20-50 psi on the boat is plenty.

FT

 

[Duncan Price]

99.999% of my dives are in caves or mines. I turn at thirds and should therefore arrive back at the surface with each cylinder having one third of the starting pressure. If decompression is needed then I'll factor this in, or take a stage tank. Err on the side of caution....I'd rather surface with loads of gas rather than not surface at all.

Duncan

 

[MikeFerrara]

Duncan Price? What are you doing here? Welcome and BTW I appreciate the sidemount info.

Mike