Jon_R
Contributor
Somewhat new diver. Cert May 2013. I agree with this. I have blown off safety stops a couple times. Just not going to do a safety stop in packs of jelly fish. No current plans to go into deco requiring deco stops but I understand what they are and why they exist.
I'm a bit past the 25-dive mark, but still a relatively new diver, so I'll answer. My understanding has always been that a deco stop is required while a safety stop is optional but recommended (more highly so on longer and/ or deeper dives or repetitive dives). I treat safety stops as essentially mandatory except on very shallow and relatively short dives, but I wouldn't think too much about blowing one off if circumstances called for it. My very basic understanding of deco stops is that the trick is to go to great lengths in planning so that blowing one off or cutting one short is not something that should ever be necessary.