7 Dives A Day

[aquaregia]

Grab the NAUI tables, do a 18m (60') dive for 40 minutes. This takes you to a G. Sit out for 1:16, you're now an E. Do another 18m (60') dive for 40 minutes and you're already into deco on your second dive of the trip. I appreciate that you'll probably have multilevel profiles which will help when diving a computer, but there are limits.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Grab the NAUI tables, do a 18m (60') dive for 40 minutes. This takes you to a G. Sit out for 1:16, you're now an E. Do another 18m (60') dive for 40 minutes and you're already into deco on your second dive of the trip. I appreciate that you'll probably have multilevel profiles which will help when diving a computer, but there are limits.

I was doing something similar in my head. A 20 meter (rounded to 70 feet) dive for 40 minutes!! on air and 6 more dives??? I didn't even glance at any tables, but I would be very surprised if the tables would be happy with square profiles with those depths and times... Maybe I am wrong, I do not ever do that many shallow dives per day, So maybe my "feelings" are off? but did anybody just run the tables????

It is kinda funny that the guy has his dive plan figured out and asks if it is OK, but doesn't seem to have run the tables? Now some other people who also didn't run tables tell him it is too aggressive so he backs it down a little....Is that enough?... I wonder?. I bet the Suunto would NOT like it..

 

[Thalassamania]

I think that you are pushing it, even with EAN.

 

[mathauck0814]

It is kinda funny that the guy has his dive plan figured out and asks if it is OK, but doesn't seem to have run the tables?

In fairness, he had his dive 'schedule' worked out. I'd hardly call that much of a 'plan'.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I don't know any avid UW photographers who like to do 40 minute dives.
Typically, they want to stay down for long periods of time in the same place. At shallower depths, lighting is better and tank gas lasts longer, so they end up burning a lot of time in the shallows.

What's the fascination with doing so many short dives? Why not just do 3-4 longer dives per day?

I like diving a lot, but getting in and out of the water 7 times per day for several days in a row makes for higher DCS risk, a logistical hassle, and being really tired. Remember that you're on vacation.

If you do choose to log that much time underwater, make sure you have enough exposure protection. Even if the water temps are near 30°C (86°F), you'll get cold eventually.

 

[Quero]

Yateoh, I saw your post as soon as it came up yesterday, but I didn't reply then because I had unkind thoughts about you, and I didn't want to be overly harsh in my reply. Now I've slept, and I am able to soften it... a little. Part of my own problem, last night and this morning, is that one of my divers was bent yesterday and is in a series of chamber treatments, and I'm shocked, concerned, etc. (His profiles were within all limits, which just goes to show that Vladimir was 100% right in his statement in post #2.)

My first impression, yateoh (and I apologize in advance, but it really was my first impression) was that you weren't as interested in doing that number of dives as in saying you did that number of dives. Then I decided that wasn't fair since even though having done my DM training in Malaysia I know lots and lots of Malaysian divers for whom that would actually be true, I really don't know you. I am bothered, though, by your follow-up post where you reckon you're an experienced diver since you've dared to dive buddy-less a couple of times--it seems to me that you have a rather haphazard approach to safe diving practices. (Too many Malaysian and Singaporean divers want to do 5+ dives per day or do solo dives for macho bragging rights at least as much as for enjoyment.)

My second thought was to wonder why you don't just do longer dives on your shore dives rather than more dives. Several other members have suggested this course of action as well. The only reason I can think of to do so many dives is if you blow through your whole tank of air in those 40 minutes, and if you are on a shallow shore dive and do go through it all in 40 minutes, you really should be thinking about why that happens and take steps to improve your technique so that you can stay down longer rather than having to dash out of the water after 40 minutes, change tanks and go back under for another 40 minutes. When I've got a camera in my hand on a shallow shore dive, I often do dives of 90-120 minutes on one tank, or until the camera battery dies.

Finally, I agree wholeheartedly with all of the others who recommend that you go back to the training you admit you didn't pay enough attention to and take control of your own dive planning rather than deciding to just "go with the flow."

Please, please, please don't become a statistic.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

As noted above , the number of dives is irrelevant. Time in the water is what is crucial. Your 26 hours of no diving before flying is fine. I just think that even at the limited depths you plan, you will find that with appropriate surface intervals to keep your dives all non-deco dives, you will not get in as many dives as you hope. By way of quick example we will assume all dives are 17 meters max depth, or for computer dives, average depth. The ndl limit for that depth is, conservatively, say 80 minutes. If your first dive is for 50 minutes and you have an hour safety stop, you residual time is 21 minutes. Dive for 50 minutes again, and then have another hour interval, and your rnt is 33 minutes, so your ndl time is down to 47 minutes. With each dive you will have a greater residual nitorgen time, and your ndl drops. Plus, you will be tired. Since you will be diving with others who have not been doing as many dives as you, you will need to do your own profiles and that may not make the boat captain or DM happy, and my not even be allowed. I suggest you eliminate you planned 6 am dive from each day. You may need to eliminate the 5:00 p.m. dive as well, but that can be determined through your computer reference and also by YOU DOING YOUR DIVE PROFILES OFF THE RDP OR WHEEL, just for a second safe check. Enjoy the dives, don't turn it into a job. And be safe.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Thalassamania]

... YOU DOING YOUR DIVE PROFILES OFF THE RDP OR WHEEL, just for a second safe check. Enjoy the dives, don't turn it into a job. And be safe.
DivemasterDennis

Hey! Wait a minute! DO NOT USE THE RDP OR WHEEL OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF PADI PRODUCT FOR THESE SORTS OF DIVES!

These products are not designed for this sort of diving, the greatly shortened half time of the controlling tissue will virtually guarantee your being bend somewhere in that sequence. Dive USN Standard Air Tables or a conservative computer backed up by USN Standard Air Tables.

 

[DiveNav]

........ Have a look at 'DiveNav' and their 'Divepal' software... you can access them online and they are cheap.

Plug in the dives/profiles that you're interested in doing - and see how that's going to effect you in respect of your nitrogen/tissue loading.

Not only will that help you determine a prudent dive schedule - it'll also be of great educational value.....

DevonDiver,
thank you for the referral

Unfortunately the version we have released (Nitrox) so far supports only series of 5 dives.

However, I did plug in the sequence of 24 dives mentioned by the OP (I used typical multilevel profiles with 3 minutes safety stops too) in our - unreleased - TECH version and, as expected, I did not see any deco violation.... but, at the end of the sequence the slowest compartments are quite full.

Considering that, according to the Buhlmann model, the slowest compartment has a half time of 635 minutes, it will take ~63 hours to completely desaturate it.

Alberto (aka eDiver)

 

[farsidefan1]

I'm curious, is there a reason for you not getting EAN certified before the trip? As one who has spent time in a chamber even though my computer thought I was perfectly safe I would like to reiterate the comments made early bh Vlad, the results of computers and tables are just a guideline. Everyone is different and what one diver may do without problems another diver may duplicate the same dives and end up in a chamber. In fact as my experience shows, the same diver on 2 different trips might have DCS problems on one trip and none on an even more aggressive trip just a few months earlier. Don't let some reassuring comments here lull you into thinking all will be fine. Maybe you will be fine, maybe not. I now dive using air tables but use nitrox on virtually all dives. I take precations, maybe you don't need to do so, maybe you do.
Anyway I'd suggest the nitrox class. I also agree with others that although your plan might look kind of neat on paper, when you get there and start diving that much the first day or so then exhastion and cold will set in and alter your future plans. Have fun, be safe, not necessarily in that order