PADI Deep Diver course

[usil]

The padi "deep diver specialty" is a waste of time. I did it and learn't very little. The tasks that they make you perform show you how much you slow down, but don't teach you how to deal with being narked. The only thing that teaches you hoe to deal with nitrogen narcosis is easing yourself into it so that you can feel it and control it.

My advice, find as buddy you are confident with, slowly work your way down to depth. 100ft - 110ft - 120ft - 130ft - and so on.
stay with the same buddy for all your deeper dives and discuss after each dive how you felt.

By the way, since narcosis is very similar to drinking alot, alot of drinking gets you ready for the fealing. (he he)

 

[sea nmf]

It is interesting because they make you test your thinking power at 100'. But I didn't learn any skills to speak of to prevent narcosis. I have been to 140' max and did not notice any huge impairment. But everyone is different. And pre-dive conditions can change what you would normally feel.

I agree that an experienced buddy or two can take you down and see how you feel. They just have to only watch you and not do a pleasure dive of any kind. Do this two or three times (of course not in one day) and you will have an idea of how you do at depth.

You have to make sure your buddies are very experienced and that they don't get narc'd so they can assist you, if you need it.

If you think you would be more comfortable with "professionals", by all means take the class. It is still a good day diving!

 

[O-ring]

Can you pick your gas on the PADI deep diver course or do you have to dive air so you can play with narcosis?

 

[Scubaroo]

Originally posted by O-ring
Can you pick your gas on the PADI deep diver course or do you have to dive air so you can play with narcosis?

Not sure O-ring, but in the TDI Nitrox course I just completed, their manual claims that reduced narcosis on Nitrox is a myth, because O2 is just as narcotic. Which is weird because I'd heard that that's one of the things Nitrox was good for.

 

[O-ring]

...just wondering what the PADI stance was (probably the same because when I did PADI nitrox they had the same stance that there wasn't a significant difference between the narcotic effects of air vs. nitrox)...

...I still swear I feel better after diving nitrox than I do air...and I don't feel as impaired at depth...probably just a placebo effect..

 

[Jonathan]

not so art.chick

Don't get me wrong I love diving over here, but also miss the UK stuff. It was fairly early on in my diving career and as I said I learnt an awful lot that weekend - for instance usil I would prefer to use nitrox at that depth in those temperatures.

I think it is important when you are learning new skills or going into unchartered depths (OK I couldn't resist it) not to be the most experienced one in the water. If that means taking the appropriate course to get suitable supervision then so be it.

I took the view that if I dived in the UK with just o/w I would die very quickly - so in the first year I did a lot of specialities to get more experience with decent supervision. If I had been in the South Pacific or Florida I amy have done it differently.

Jonathan

 

[art.chick]

I am interested in what Tomcat was saying about the difference between a class in which you really learn some brand new techniques & in which you just get some "hand-holding" thru skills which probably should be better classified under an AOW class. There is no limit to the "classes" that could be used to compensate for insecurity in the water. While there are probably those who say the value is in the eyes of the student, I appreciate hearing just what that value is from those who have taken the class rather than from "patch appologists." It is also good to hear what alternatives would permit someone to really move beyond their depth limits with new gases, skills, & information. Anyone?

 

[MikeFerrara]

The best reason to take a class is for fun. The PADI Deep Diver isn't designed to teach you to deal with narcisis. You can't be taught to deal with it. The class is designed to safely introduce deeper diving and the planning that should go with it. If you want to learn real deep diving you will need to take a technical course. Someone mentioned that you could first experience deeper dives with an experienced buddy. This is true but how do you know when you have one. Does your experienced buddy have experience supervising (managing someone elses problems at depth). Can they recognize and deal with some of the things that can happen on a deep dive before they become a problem. Some of these experience buddies are some of the most misinformed with some of the worst habits of all the divers I see. Be careful. Being an experienced diver and an experienced upervisor/teacher are very very very different.

 

[TCDiver1]

Originally posted by O-ring
...just wondering what the PADI stance was (probably the same because when I did PADI nitrox they had the same stance that there wasn't a significant difference between the narcotic effects of air vs. nitrox)...

...I still swear I feel better after diving nitrox than I do air...and I don't feel as impaired at depth...probably just a placebo effect..

I believe Padi, TDI & others have taken this stance on Nitrox & narcosis so divers don't look at nitrox as the "solution" to narcosis or DCS. Your still breathing significant portions of nitrogen which will still cause the narcotic effect of narcosis at deeper depths. That's just a guess as to why these training agencies took this stance.

O-ring, i feel the same way when i dive nitrox, especially the higher percent O2 blends. I swear i feel better after a dive. I think it has to do with the physiological advantanges that more O2 in your breathing gas can have or maybe because your breathing less nitrogen which is believed to have a depressive effect on the diver. But to my knowledge there has been no study done that PROVES the above statements. Until a study is done that PROVES nitrox reduces narcosis, the certifying agencies should take the prudent stance which promotes the safest use of nitrox possible. That is, don't tell a student something that has not been proven to be true. With that said i agree with TDI & Padi 100% on this issue

On another note, some of you have been talking about how to "prevent" narcosis. Please, please, please understand one thing! You CAN NOT prevent narcosis if diving deeper on a gas that has significant portions of nitrogen in the gas, eg: air or nitrox. The Padi deep diver course does not teach you how to "prevent" narcosis because you can't. It does teach you how to deal with narcosis simply by moving to a shallower depth until the narcotic effect is gone. Remember this a a recreational course not a technical course. If you want to learn how to "manage" not "prevent" narcosis, you need to consider taking some tech courses which deal specifically with these issues

One other thing, the onset of narcosis for most of us is very subtle. You may or may not even know your function has been impaired. I once spent five minutes at 115 feet trying to undo a simple knot on a buoy line. I would not have believed it if a buddy had not caught it on video. It was hilarious & scary at the same time. I was just working away, checking my air every couple minutes or so, happy to be underwater. I felt fine the whole time & had no idea i had been so uncoordinated. PS: i have over 1000 logged dives, approx. 300 of which were 100 feet or deeper.

I'm not trying to scare anyone away from diving below 100 feet. If your comfortable, by all means do so. But if your not comfortable get the proper training until you do feel comfortable.
And by all means respect the narcotic effect deeper diving can have on you. I don't know of one long term, serious diver who doesn't!

 

[JamesK]

Originally posted by MikeFerrara
The PADI Deep Diver isn't designed to teach you to deal with narcisis. You can't be taught to deal with it.

Thank you to both Mike and gedunk for saying this. Thinking you can learn to deal with narcosis, is the same as saying you can learn to deal with driving drunk.