What has changed since early 80’s?

[CT-Rich]

one thing not mentioned is accurte depth gauges. I really don't think there were any super accurate gauges out there aside from the capillary gauges which worked for shallow stops. This made using the tables fun since you really were not certain of depth (at least with what I was using Scubapro back then)

Depth gauges have been around a long time I still have my original gauge from 1980 and I believe it still works fine. Remember, the need to accurately measure pressure has been around a long time and scuba diving is just possible application.

 

[Bob DBF]

since the computer has arrived on the scene do you think that has caused agencies to stop training the aspects that for you made the computer a non essential.

The agency may want the basics of decompression taught, but an instructor can easily skip it and say follow your computer. Scuba training quality is dependent on the instructor now, and back then.

one thing not mentioned is accurte depth gauges. I really don't think there were any super accurate gauges out there aside from the capillary gauges which worked for shallow stops.

Capillary gauges were available, but mostly replaced by Borden tube gauges in the '80's. Even I had gone to the standard depth gauge, until computers, and an SPG by 1980

We both had a totally different pipeline of training long before it was dumbed down. Todays divers did not get the advantage of learning the whys as we did so they have no reference to exercise good judgement.

There has been dumbed down training, both before and after 1980, and is always dependent on the instructor. Learning the whys takes time, and anyone teaching the minimum standards as quickly as possible, will not have the time to discuss the whys in the depth that was afforded in the classes I took. There are instructors now that are training much more thoroughly, if a student cares to look for them.

 

[tursiops]

There are instructors now that are training much more thoroughly, if a student cares to look for them.

Nah, it is much more fun for folks to generalize and complain how it's all gone downhill. Facts get in the way.

 

[scubadada]

1972; capillary depth gauge, watch, SPG (quit using my J-valve), USN tables, even had a low pressure inflator on my almost BC. Only things missing were secondary regulator, nitrox, and computer.

 

[Angelo Farina]

1972; capillary depth gauge, watch, SPG (quit using my J-valve), USN tables, even had a low pressure inflator on my almost BC. Only things missing were secondary regulator, nitrox, and computer.

We had secondary regs in the seventies. Not Octos, indeed, but complete regs mounted on the second post. At those times, the usage of a twin cylinder tank was absolutely the standard. Also deco was normal, and considered fully recreational.
Tech was starting at 50 meters, which was considered the limit for rec diving in air. Deeper, it was suggested to use Heliox or Trimix. But no one was using those very expensive mixtures, so in practice air was commonly used down to 65 meters...

 

[scubadada]

We had secondary regs in the seventies. Not Octos, indeed, but complete regs mounted on the second post. At those times, the usage of a twin cylinder tank was absolutely the standard. Also deco was normal, and considered fully recreational.
Tech was starting at 50 meters, which was considered the limit for rec diving in air. Deeper, it was suggested to use Heliox or Trimix. But no one was using those very expensive mixtures, so in practice air was commonly used down to 65 meters...

Recreational diving in Italy was much different than it was in Southern California in the 70s

 

[dead dog]

. We are older divers and we both can still recognize and use a rotary phone to make a call.

When I had a young son (8 years old) one day he had his friends over and one boy asked if he could use the phone to call home.
I said sure it's up in the kitchen (old wall phone) I had a laugh, he put his fingers into the holes of the dial, then said it doesn't work.
I showed him how to use the old wall phone. I bet when he went home and told his parents about the weird phone we had.

 

[agilis]

We had secondary regs in the seventies. Not Octos, indeed, but complete regs mounted on the second post. At those times, the usage of a twin cylinder tank was absolutely the standard. Also deco was normal, and considered fully recreational.
Tech was starting at 50 meters, which was considered the limit for rec diving in air. Deeper, it was suggested to use Heliox or Trimix. But no one was using those very expensive mixtures, so in practice air was commonly used down to 65 meters...

I once did a bounce dive using air down to 220 feet (67 meters) just outside Little Bloody bay in Negril, stopping at an overhang on a steep wall with my Jamaican friend Cecil. I was in my 30s and completely invulnerable, but I was so narked I could not really think coherently. We looked into the abyss and did a slow ascent back to sanity. Never again.

 

[Bob DBF]

Oh yeah, my pet peeve, in the 1980's, maybe in the '70's, a reg set started to be called an octopus because of the addition of the hoses for the SPG, BC inflators, and the safe second (also called an alternate second stage) as well as the primary second stage.

Somehow this has changed so today an octopus means only the alternate second stage. The picture doesn't fit the name, yet it is used constantly.

 

[scubadada]

I once did a bounce dive using air down to 220 feet (67 meters) just outside Little Bloody bay in Negril, stopping at an overhang on a steep wall with my Jamaican friend Cecil. I was in my 30s and completely invulnerable, but I was so narked I could not really think coherently. We looked into the abyss and did a slow ascent back to sanity. Never again.

163, enough