Which certification?

[Steve_Dives]

Living in Boca, you should take MB's class. The man is an amazing teacher! Send him a private message and set up a class.

If Walter is recommending someone, he's good. I bet I can pick his students students out from the majority.

Definitely follow up on that.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I wonder why with all the computers being so great that every tech agency requires you dive tables in the beginning. Maybe it's because they are that important. And I've said it before if your comp dies and you don't know tables you're done diving for the day at least. If you know tables and your depth and time you can throw your comp into the prop or run it over with a truck. You can still dive though.

 

[rstofer]

RE: tables

You won't get through the Nitrox course without knowing tables. In great detail...

PADI has pretty much moved from tables to the eRDP. This, in my view, is a huge injustice to the students. Among other things, the calculator doesn't provide RNT. And there's no easy method to look at how long you have to SIT to get to a particular pressure group versus some other pressure group. 'What if' questions are a lot more cumbersome.

I'm quite happy that I know, and can still use, the tables.

Richard

 

[mts0628]

There you have it: If you're a diver like Thomas who likes slide rules, follow his advice and do the tables.

The pathetic part I guess is that I grew up with a calculator; I sought out a slide rule and learned how to use it on my own. Then a friend of mine, a former US Marine Corps Navigator, gave me a whiz wheel that I learned to use really well too.

But the moral to this story, I can use whatever I feel like because I know how to use the different tools. The same with computers and tables. I can work with tables like nobody's business and I actually like it. If I wanted to, I could also just strap a computer to my wrist, take it out of gauge mode and hit the water, letting it dictate my dive. No thanks, I'll enjoy more planning my dive and then diving my plan. No one has to do it that way if they don't want to but I think you're doing yourself a disservice if you put all of your faith in a computer and totally disregard dive tables or don't know how to use them. YMMV though.

With kind regards,
Thomas

PS: FritzCat66, you just gave me my Avitar that I will make for myself. Stay tuned!

 

[Dtaine]

AAUS is NOT a CERTIFYING agency and bears no resemblance to one.

Disclaimer: This is by no means definitive and I'm sure all of the certifications teach similar ideas. That said, I feel like Naui is geared more toward the working diver, while Padi and SSI are more for recreational diving. I have Naui, but have since been trained on more advanced topics by AAUS. I guess it depends on what you want to do.

Like Thal said, AAUS is completely different, and you're trained by an organizational member of AAUS, not AAUS itself. It's semantics until you get the lawyers involved.


Now to get back on topic, don't fret too much about the agency, there's not much difference (unless you look at GUE, then there's a HUGE difference). Even if you learn solely with a computer, it's good to know the information the tables provide and how to use them, especially if your computer craps out and you don't want to wait 24 hours before getting back in the water.

 

[FritzCat66]

FritzCat66, you just gave me my Avatar that I will make for myself. Stay tuned!

I see it now, Thomas. LOL! Magnificent! :rofl:


As for some of the other comments regarding learning tables as backup for computers: This doesn't really work, because you have no idea what your pressure group is to move onto a table. Sure, you could look at your buddy's computer, but if you're going to do that, might as well just dive based on his computer anyway. You could guesstimate and backtrack your prior dives, or if you're a risk-taker maybe dive with your buddy or group that did the prior dives and be very conservative and come up with the first of them.

Either way: tables = useless. If a critical piece of dive equipment fails, you're probably done diving for the day whether you're a computer diver with a locked-up device or a table diver with a flooded SPG. Sure, you could buy some redundancy in both cases, but that's a whole 'nuther argument.

Yes, tech dive agencies teach tables. They also teach deco. What does either have to do with a beginner OW rec diver? And given that SDI is an offshoot of TDI, I think they were well aware of tables when they decided to ditch them and teach computers to their OW students - a good call, IMO.

OK, this is the New Divers forum and I've already gotten into this enough. I think the OP has heard enough opinions to make his own decision. My final advice: Don't listen to all these salty old sanctimonious Mennonite Divers, dude! Get a good computer and don't look back. Don't worry that what I'm saying is the minority here - in the real world, it's the other way around. Believe me, I'm on boats out of your area all the time and essentially NOBODY really dives tables!

OK, I've said my peace. Back to your regularly scheduled SB Mennonite sermons...

>*< Fritz

 

[rocketman9415]

i am very surprised with the amount of replies i got haha. so i just sent MB a PM. thanks so much guys!

 

[scubadada]

I would learn tables to understand the basis of decompression and then use a computer. I would not skip learning math and jumping to entering the numbers into a computer to get my answer. Yes Fritz, I'm an old gomer, but a well educated one, and that's the way I want it.

Good diving, Craig

 

[King Kong Matt]

Also (and other people in this thread have made this point somewhat already in this thread and so disregard if you already know/understand), crossing over from one agency is pretty easy...

In other words, if you take a class with one agency but ultimately decide that you prefer an instructor, the curriculum, the standards, etc. of another agency, you can pretty much (in most instances and with certain exceptions) pick up where you left off. It is not really the case (again with certain exceptions) that you are going to be locked into a certain agency.

In other words, this is a date...it ain't marriage. If you like the instructor and you think he is going to teach you to dive safely and attentively with a focus on fun, then go for it. You can always make a change in the future if need be. I would venture to guess the overwhelming majority of us have.

-Matt (PADI/GUE, for me, for instance)

P.S. - Welcome aboard! You've chosen a sport you can enjoy for life.

 

[Mike Campbell]

Rocketman, You did the right thing following Walter's advice. Get the best education that you can. Aspire to be one of the old salts. I'm not one of those sold on the idea that the instructor makes the class. I'd imagine that an in depth class built on good constuct will expell a better student on average. Be able to read dive tables. Understand physics and physiology of diving and gas laws. THAT will impress the better divers, In many instances those advocating short cuts may well be covering insecurities they might feel. There are some instructors out there putting people in the water who need far more education than they received. Do the right thing and you'll never be one of those people. Good luck, diving's a great adventure.
Mike