Average Depth Diving?

[boomx5]

The concept violates the basic rules of table use. The deepest point of the dive is the depth of the dive. The dive is treated as if the entire time of the dive was spent at the deepest depth. Your average depth method is a good way to get bent.

But then I don't follow the basic table rules and there's a bit more to it than just averaging your depth. People need to consider this an advanced method and not do it unless you have proper training. Don't just read on Scubaboard that someone else is doing it, and figure you can...get some training.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Read this.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=7840&highlight=average+depth

TwoBit

 

[Walter]

I've read Pug's crazy methods before. It's not a safe method of diving.

 

[Uncle Pug]

I don't recommend it.

 

[H2Andy]

I've read Pug's crazy methods before. It's not a safe method of diving.

lol... he doesn't reccomended it because you need to know what you are doing.

but it is a safe method of diving. he's still around and unbent, right?

 

[Don Burke]

As a back-up to using a computer and/or using tables while planning a dive does considering average depth work as well?

For example if while diving I figure that my average depth has been around 60 fsw and I've been down for less than 60 minutes then I should know that I haven't exceeded the NDL for the dive as a whole. Correct?

I could have exceeded 40 minutes at 70 fsw but if I balanced out the dive at 20 fsw for 19 minutes then for the dive as a whole I've met any obligations and could do a free ascent?

I'm just asking if using average depths on the fly while diving is a useful way to double check the computer or to dive without a computer just using a timer and depth gauge plus having knowledge of the tables in your head.

Some can keep a running total of each segment of the dive, treating each segment as a seperate dive with a very short surface interval. Memorizing a table (or a tablelike algorithm) is a prerequisite for this. This also works out pretty well for crosschecking a dive computer.

A simple average has severe limitations and few good points.

Your example of 40 minutes plus a bit at 70 then 19 minutes at 20 would probably work since the second portion would basically be a long safety stop.

The example of "around 60" for "less than 60" could easily result in a chamber ride.

 

[Uncle Pug]

he's still around and unbent, right?

But then I dive here in the placid warm waters of the PNW with excellent viz and have balmy surface intervals.

The profiling thread (3 years old now) was festooned with warnings and punctuated with analysis. It isn't as simple as *average your depth*.

I definitely don't recommend just averaging your depth and then using that for table diving.

These days I do something much simpler for non-tech dives.

Crazy? Maybe. But so far I'm unbent.

 

[boomx5]

Crazy? Maybe. But so far I'm unbent.

One man's version of crazy is just another man's version of normal diving.

 

[jonnythan]

These days I do something much simpler for non-tech dives.

Crazy? Maybe. But so far I'm unbent.

Wanna go over it for us?

 

[Uncle Pug]

Sure. Come on over.