Less than 15 feet of Water......

[Garrobo]

A heavy coating of axle grease will protect you from the pesticides in the water.

 

[--tom--]

Only for an FYI, while most dive tables start tracking nitrogen load below 35 feet, not every table subscribes to that. NOAA starts counting load at 10 feet. http://www.ndc.noaa.gov/pdfs/NoDecoAirDiveTable.pdf

I think this is a managable risk, but a debt that is still there if you decide to drive up to high altitude to go skiing or skydiving or something. Just because you are less than 35 feet, with that much time underwater, there is some nitrogen buildup.

 

[Blackwood]

Only for an FYI, while most dive tables start tracking nitrogen load below 35 feet, not every table subscribes to that. NOAA starts counting load at 10 feet. http://www.ndc.noaa.gov/pdfs/NoDecoAirDiveTable.pdf

It starts putting you in residual groups as shallow as ten (presumably for use in deeper repet dives).

The table doesn't list an NDL for anything 20' or shallower, which to me suggests that they don't consider bubbles to be a possibility with less than a 1.6:1 gradient.

If I'm reading that table right (which is entirely possible since I'm unfamiliar with it), you could be in repet group Z^Z at 20 feet and rocket up without DCS concerns.


Theoretically.

That said, take care with long shallow exposures if you plan to dive recreationally in a short time frame.

 

[scubadobadoo]

I personally feel no less tired diving nitrox at any depth. I find being hydrated, slowing ascents, relaxing, staying warm, diving within my limits and the tables, planning dives, getting proper sleep, having a snack before I dive, and many other things have far more impact on how I feel AFTER I dive than simply relying on and using nitrox as a cure all. I suspect in the type of diving you plan on doing, nitrox ALONE will also have far less impact on how tired you feel after the dive than you think it might. All that said, using nitrox certainly isn't going to hurt in this case, but the "benefits" are arguable. I personally think that nitrogen isn't nearly as dangerous as what some divers do with it once they are loaded with it.

At this point it sounds like you still have a bit more research and learning to do and SB is a nice place to start.

The suggestion of a lift bag is a good one. Have a friend show you how to use it and practice. Also make sure you have redundant cutting tools.

Blackwood, as usual, has summed up the rest perfectly.

Have fun!

 

[Sas]

Only for an FYI, while most dive tables start tracking nitrogen load below 35 feet, not every table subscribes to that. NOAA starts counting load at 10 feet. http://www.ndc.noaa.gov/pdfs/NoDecoAirDiveTable.pdf

I think this is a managable risk, but a debt that is still there if you decide to drive up to high altitude to go skiing or skydiving or something. Just because you are less than 35 feet, with that much time underwater, there is some nitrogen buildup.

Yes there must be nitrogen loading at less than 15ft as I have a friend who got bent in 11ft of water (the second shallowest bend in the country, he was told). Was a messy profile. So, just because one is shallow does not mean that you cannot get bent (though, the chances would be low). So if it were me I would limit the amount of ascents and descents I did as has been suggested by a few people here.

If I'm reading that table right (which is entirely possible since I'm unfamiliar with it), you could be in repet group ZZ at 20 feet and rocket up without DCS concerns.

Well, as I said before, a friend got bent at less than 20ft. So I would not recommend rocketing up to the surface from any depth.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I've spent a lot of time golf ball diving. Some of the advice you have gotten is compeletly wrong about how to handle balls. In addition using nitrox would probably be expensive and provide zero benefit. Normally you will not collect more than about 500 balls before exiting the water which equates to about 50 lbs of balls. As you collect balls you will become heavier and heavier and you will be running on the bottom and you will need to remain significantly negative the entire time or you will not be able to run underwater and collect balls. I NEVER once wore fins, just snow boots and ankle weights on my feet. You do not use lift bags, you carry the balls with you and crawl/climb up the lake slopes.

Some of your questions seem so basic that I doubt you know what you are doing. You really should get an experienced Golf Ball diver to show you the ropes. It is dangerous, dirty and hard work and you have to be able to function at times in zero visibility and you are diving alone with no help from anyone. The whole job is about efficiency and there are a number of techniques and gear modifications that are pretty necessary or your productivity will be very poor. You will need to individually pick up over 1000 ballls per day and you can not do this without knowing what you are doing. I generally used to try to get 3,000 balls per day, but I no longer do that job.

It is truely a very speciallized type of diving and it will take 30-40 hours of doing it before you begin to make it worthwhile and this assumes you have the right gear, have been taught the correct techniques, that you understand golf shots and you are motivated.

 

[scubadobadoo]

I've spent a lot of time golf ball diving. Some of the advice you have gotten is compeletly wrong about how to handle balls. In addition using nitrox would probably be expensive and provide zero benefit. Normally you will not collect more than about 500 balls before exiting the water which equates to about 50 lbs of balls. As you collect balls you will become heavier and heavier and you will be running on the bottom and you will need to remain significantly negative the entire time or you will not be able to run underwater and collect balls. I NEVER once wore fins, just snow boots and ankle weights on my feet. You do not use lift bags, you carry the balls with you and crawl/climb up the lake slopes.

Some of your questions seem so basic that I doubt you know what you are doing. You really should get an experienced Golf Ball diver to show you the ropes. It is dangerous, dirty and hard work and you have to be able to function at times in zero visibility and you are diving alone with no help from anyone. The whole job is about efficiency and there are a number of techniques and gear modifications that are pretty necessary or your productivity will be very poor. You will need to individually pick up over 1000 ballls per day and you can not do this without knowing what you are doing. I generally used to try to get 3,000 balls per day, but I no longer do that job.

It is truely a very speciallized type of diving and it will take 30-40 hours of doing it before you begin to make it worthwhile and this assumes you have the right gear, have been taught the correct techniques, that you understand golf shots and you are motivated.

Thanks for an informative and realistic post dd.