Am I A Wierdo?

[diverbrian]

Diver0001 once bubbled...


That's true. Seems to me that some digital bottom timers have that too.

And there are other ways to judge your ascent rate. I can think of 3 off the top of my head

- watch bubbles. If you're not the slowest thing going up in the water column it's too fast.

- watch a fixed reference point (floating stuff, the bottom, upline). If it's going past the length of your body faster than a 10 count on the way up then you're going too fast.

- watch your depth gauge and timepiece. If you're going up more than 2 metres every 10 seconds it's too fast.

In fact, I hardly ever use the ascent meter on my computer. It's so sensitive that almost any movement of my arm causes it to start flashing SLOW at me. My computer is a bit dated now but maybe the new ones are better in this respect.

I do the 10 count thing on a fixed reference and watch bubbles just the same way I was for the 15 years before I bought a computer (also years ago we used to count to 5 ).


Food for thought.

R..

Nope, I use a VyTec and it barks at me for moving my arm too. Maybe in about twenty years they will get that fixed, LOL.

 

[donclaypool]

Sorry Damselfish,

I couldn't help but snatch the bait and see what happened. I agree with the jury. Fourteen year olds are not known for excellent judgement and neither are all parents. I'm grossly underinformed on pertinent issues here and should have withheld comment, or certainly not have baited the forum as I did by making it a gender issue.

Don

 

[IndigoBlue]

Diver0001 once bubbled...


In theory no. I've seen 14 year old divers who were excellent in the water. The odd one even has a few years of diving experience and 100 dives already in shallower water. Obviously not every 14 year old has the composure and good judgement to dive that deep (narcosis). It also applies to divers much older than 14.

On the other hand, 140ft dives are something that you build up to and I wouldn't be allowed to do it as a DM. That should tell you something.

Anyway I just assumed the post was a troll so I ignored it.

R..
[edit]
P.S. I'll just add to this that if the story is true that personally consider it unwise.

I re-read his post about it, and he is talking about accidental deco. The unusual thing about the story is that normally a computer would give you more bottom time, not less, than doing your own calculations, unless your dive was really square in profile, in which case there should be no difference in a computer versus tables.

The second unusual thing is taking a child (defined as a related person under 18 years of age) on a dive to 140 ft. That is way too deep, way too soon, for a child, any child. I cannot think of any agency that would sanction that for any 14 year old.

INSTEAD, plan conservatively and do not push NDL limits. Whether with or without a computer, the computer is not the issue.

 

[bebo]

Remember that first and above all they want to do one thing: sell. Never mind them, you're on the right track.

 

[diver187]

Buy a computer now!
I have been diving since 1968. My dive computer was cheap and reliable.It makes diving easy and safe .
Don't be macho! this is the first thing you should buy,air intergrated if you can afford it.A capsule if you can't ,but get one.
just an opinion from an long time diver.

 

[diver187]

I got to clear something up .
My daughter Mellisa is an expert diver and at 14 she allready was an advanced open water diver with a nitrox card and a 100 dives at least half of them were over 100 ft. She is a natrual.I have 4 daughters and they all dive ,But mellisa is the only one I would have done that 140 ft. dive with.standards are great but they shouldn't hold people back.didn't mean to get anybody upset.I just think dive computers are great.

 

[segal3]

I'm guessing she isn't PADI certified...considering PADI doesn't allow more than a Junior Open Water Cert. until 15.5 years of age...

~Matt Segal