Why do we track depth instead of ATAs?

[Reg Braithwaite]

Reg, BTW, you are going to have to lose a bunch of D-rings and get your mask off your forehead on your avatar............(just joshing ya')...........

I won't be wearing that rig in class, have no fear! I also have a SS BP with an STA that weighs another six pounds or some such. It has the requisite lack of D rings and is in fact much more comfortable with a dry suit.

I from time to time I do hear DIR dicta and roll me eyes before going along with it, but I must admit that I never once needed all those dingly dangly rings on that rig, so I don't miss them a bit.

 

[Bismark]

Don't worry, anyone who looks into DIR training realizes that you cannot swing a cat on a DIR forum without hitting someone with a sense of humour.



The math is easy so far, in fact DIR math is much easier than just about anything else except "Ooh shiny computer, trust me." (And yes, I bought a computer two seasons ago, but the first thing I did was look up the model it uses and research what it thinks it is telling me).

It is just a case of my wondering what diving would be like if I had a pressure gauge strapped to my wrist that reported ATA directly. FWIW, everyone in diving up here seems to use Imperial, so feet are no problem whatsoever.



Dan "Dressed for Success" Mackay is running GUE-F up here, and we are trying to work out a Toronto session next season. I don't mean to trivialize it, but the math side of GUE-F does not strike me as the hard part of getting a pass. I would say that the big issue is getting my skills down so that my body does what it needs to do without any attention on my part, leaving my conscious mind free to work on situational awareness and doing any calculations that are needed. This strikes me as a big challenge.

In fact, I am off to the pool tonight to work the basic five and one minute ascents. Worse than shore diving, but better than surfing the Internet.

I have spent hours upon hours in the water with Dan; you are in for some good training. I am aware of the Toronto class planning. If that doesn't work out, try to get down to Kingston.

I am going to send you via pm the email address of a Tech II buddy from TO. I am sure he would help get you squared away. GUE math is easy, you are right. This isn't rocket science after all so why make it seem like that. Spend your time enjoying your diving. Try not to swing too many cats around. The SPCA takes a dim view of it........

 

[cfenton]

Reg,

I agree that things would be easier if we used ata/bar to keep track of both depth pressures and tank pressures. The Europeans, and others, do it...the metric system. 1 bar = 1 ata = 10 msw = 33fsw.

It can hardly be debated that the imperial system is superior to the metric system. Think of the extra steps in calculations within the GUE curriculum alone (eg. tank factors) to help make up for this weakness. I suspect we will be stuck with it until our friends to the south make the change. Even then change will be slow - I still only know my height in feet and inches even though we were taught the metric system in school.

 

[rjack321]

I suspect we will be stuck with it until our friends to the south make the change.

Never!! :mooner:

Even then change will be slow - I still only know my height in feet and inches even though we were taught the metric system in school.

See a vastly superior system.



Unfortunately, no cats have been harmed in the making of this post.

 

[Bismark]

Unfortunately, no cats have been harmed in the making of this post.[/QUOTE]

My German Shepherd loves cats, preferably ones that think they can sneak onto our acreage and get to the middle of a 2 acre field when they realize that that sleeping dog wasn't actually sleeping............ I have never seen a cat move up a tree so fast in my life........a couple more jumps and he would have needed an ATC clearance. Who says cats can't be taught.......

 

[Bismark]

I won't be wearing that rig in class, have no fear! I also have a SS BP with an STA that weighs another six pounds or some such. It has the requisite lack of D rings and is in fact much more comfortable with a dry suit.

I from time to time I do hear DIR dicta and roll me eyes before going along with it, but I must admit that I never once needed all those dingly dangly rings on that rig, so I don't miss them a bit.

I wasn't sure if that was a BC in your avatar or a parachute harness from WW II..........

 

[Bismark]

I won't be wearing that rig in class, have no fear! I also have a SS BP with an STA that weighs another six pounds or some such. It has the requisite lack of D rings and is in fact much more comfortable with a dry suit.

I from time to time I do hear DIR dicta and roll me eyes before going along with it, but I must admit that I never once needed all those dingly dangly rings on that rig, so I don't miss them a bit.

You know you have a problem when your d-rings on your gear make up over 50% of your non ditchable weight..........

 

[Bismark]

Reg,

I agree that things would be easier if we used ata/bar to keep track of both depth pressures and tank pressures. The Europeans, and others, do it...the metric system. 1 bar = 1 ata = 10 msw = 33fsw.

It can hardly be debated that the imperial system is superior to the metric system. Think of the extra steps in calculations within the GUE curriculum alone (eg. tank factors) to help make up for this weakness. I suspect we will be stuck with it until our friends to the south make the change. Even then change will be slow - I still only know my height in feet and inches even though we were taught the metric system in school.

Chris, what does 5' 4" work out to in centimeters anyways....?

Heh, look at the bright side to home schooling, you got to be the king and queen of your graduation! And just wait until your 10 year and 20 year reunion! It's going to cost you half as much!

 

[bletso]

..
Just wondering if really I should be "thinking in ATA" instead of "thinking in feet." And if so...

Does anybody manufacture a bottom timer that displays ATAs directly on the screen during the dive?

The easiest thing to do is what I do. I use metric. 30 msw is 30/10 (easy to do even at depth then add atm 3+1 + 4 Can't get much easier than that. 43.3 msw is 5.33 ata. You got to love it. Even if you make a mistake (at least in the US), no will know any different. A lot of computers can be user switched to metric.

Thinking in ata is very advantages as our bodies react to ambient pressures (ata)

Have fun

Dale

 

[TSandM]

There's no question that using metric values makes all of the math easier. (Except I had to keep doing multiplication problems in my head during Cave 1, to understand what DEPTH I had to do stops at!) Because no matter what depth units we're using, what matters is ATA. Unfortunately, all the teaching is really in depths . . . Rock bottom for 100 fsw, not 4 ATA; ascent rates in FPM or MPM, not ATA/min; etc. You'd have to rewrite the curriculum to teach in ATA, and you'd have to motivate a manufacturer to calibrate a gauge in ATA, and then you'd have to keep it out of the hands of the vast majority of divers, who understand depth in feet.