When does "Gas Management" get taught?

[darkpup]

OK, we have our divers, 70 miles offshore, lost on a wreck in poor viz and current, in the shipping lanes in fog, and these fricking guys don't have redundant air? Rock bottom calcs are not going to solve thier problems.
Leave the bottom at 800 psi. That's good advice.

Ummm, Yes?

What's your point?

The best I can come up with from your example is that recreational divers should never dive beyond their limits. And let's face it, the divers in your example are already dead from a long surface interval, lost in the fog, drifting into shipping lanes, and hoping the Coast Guard will find them before they die from the elements. That's of course if they made it back to the surface alive in the first place.

But in your defense, having not stated a depth in your example, let's say the depth was only 20', they surfaced close to the boat, and were saved from certain doom. Yay Team!

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing in my book.

~ Jason

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

This could be read (or misread) to mean that you have enough experience that you are starting to work on getting instructor cert, AND YOU HAVEN'T YET FIGURED OUT A ROCK BOTTOM FOR A 100' DIVE! How in the world have you survived so far?

Is there an experience level that you ARE allowed to START thinking about MAYBE becoming an instructor, or do I have to go back to dreaming about being a fireman when I grow up?

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Now that I’m thinking of working toward instructorship, how’s this sound for a plan:
…

I think that's an outstanding idea. So outstanding, in fact as Ted points out, that that's what we did (and then some!) in my Essentials class. The main thing IMO is to know how the number is calculated in addition to having a rule of thumb or a chart or whatever with the numbers precalculated.

Just to reiterate, I am proposing introducing OW students to the calcs, but emphasizing hard numbers to use for different depths, and give a handout for them to use if they wanted to do further study.

Then for AOW students revisit the issue, focusing on how to do the calcs.

Are you saying that for OW students the ‘how’ is more important then the rule of thumb or chart? If so, why?

You say that you focused on the calcs in ‘Essentials.’ I’m sorry, but I’m not familiar with that class. Care to enlighten me?

Added later: OK, with a little quick research I see that 'Essentials' is an intro to DIR, kind of a 'Discover DIR' or prep school for DIRF.

 

[Ben_ca]

Essentials of Diving Class Report
by Adobo's and St Somewhere

This was the very first class. And as far as I can tell there's a lot of good word about it from other students

 

[darkpup]

Is there an experience level that you ARE allowed to START thinking about MAYBE becoming an instructor, or do I have to go back to dreaming about being a fireman when I grow up?

Stick with being a fireman. More money, steady work, hot chicks... Ok hot chicks if you work in Sacramento, and can use the fire truck to cruise porn conventions.

~ Jason

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Stick with being a fireman. More money, steady work, hot chicks... Ok hot chicks if you work in Sacramento, and can use the fire truck to cruise porn conventions.

~ Jason

When you said 'hot chicks' I was thinking literally. You know, like you were trying to put them out...

 

[CBulla]

It should have started in class one of the basic OW class and be an ongoing process.

Gary D.

No kidding, right? I guess I should consider myself lucky. My OW instructor brought gas management and 1/3'rds up before the first pool session. Maybe its because he also teaches cave and such as well, but I can testify that I found it very valuable to have had that mentioned early on. Even though I had been a water bug all my life, diving for some of that prior to cert, I never occurred to me about breathing techniques which are more efficient to different situations.

I know its in the AOW, and others may not even introduce it until its brought up, but damn.. what a basic concept missed so early on which can so greatly enhance someones experience. Buoyancy should be OW as well... but thats just me.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Essentials of Diving Class Report
by Adobo's and St Somewhere

This was the very first class. And as far as I can tell there's a lot of good word about it from other students

DIR doesn't do OW, right?

So, you got OW certified, and when you sought to improve your diving you were taught all the details of gas management.

That's exacty my plan. In addition, (assuming your OW class was the 'norm') I plan to give OW students a little more than "be on the surface w/ XXX psi."

 

[darkpup]

DIR doesn't do OW, right?

So, you got OW certified, and when you sought to improve your diving you were taught all the details of gas management.

That's exacty my plan. In addition, (assuming your OW class was the 'norm') I plan to give OW students a little more than "be on the surface w/ XXX psi."

GUE doesn't do OW yet. 5thd-x, the people behind the Essentials class, have OW courses available, and although I haven't taken an OW class with them before, I believe they teach the Essentials from the get go.

My understanding is that GUE has been working on an OW class that would take you from OW through AOW, Nitrox, and Rescue diver over some unknown period of time and money. If you knew you were going to really love diving, then this would be an excellent class to start with once it's available.

ADDED: DIR is a way of diving developed by GUE.

~ Jason

Disclaimer: I'm the site admin for 5thd-x

 

[Ben_ca]

DIR doesn't do OW, right?

As of now not yet...

Do a search for Essentials and you should be able to dig up a couple of reports.....

IMHO I think this is a better deal than AOW

Full Disclosure: Just a satisfied former student