What limits your bottom time?

[sniper5]

Diving Monterey with a wetsuit, usually either me or my partner will get cold before we get low on air. Depends on the depth. Above 30 usually it's air that is the limiting factor. I can always tell when she starts getting cold-she'll call for air checks every 2 minutes.

 

[Pacilander]

The truth is that this poll is missing too many variables. Every dive is different. Warm water, cold water, depth, current, hunting, photography, tech, rec, vis and temp. Most of my dives are also in Monterey, 48 degrees, around 80 ft, drysuit and off a boat. I would say 80% of my dives end due to being cold. I usually end each dive with over a third of my gas left. Since most dives are around structure or pinnacles, if NDL becomes an issue I just reduce my depth and clear my computer.

 

[Thalassamania]

For those of us who tend to be task oriented, the length of the dive is defined by the task, everything else is dependent on that, exposure protection depends on how long and how cold, gas requirements depend on how deep and how long and what deco might be required, etc.

 

[DevonDiver]

There are only so many variable you can include on a forum poll.

I meant this to be an 'in general' poll. I just wanted to see where divers where, most commonly, hitting limitations in their diving.

So far, it seems that air consumption is the over-riding cause, as I would expect. This would be the most common problem for less experienced divers (high SAC rate and limited equipment/tank choices).

NDL is the second option. Either this limitation exists because divers are using high capacity/pressure tanks or have a sufficiently good SAC rate. Therefore, they would turn to computers and/or nitrox to extend their NDLs....when all else fails...do a decompression/tech course....

Excessive decompression applies to Tech divers, who limit dive durations because they don't want to hang for extended periods.

Cold...well that's obvious. Whether diving wetsuit or drysuit, with or without Argon, there is always eventually a limitation on your stay underwater. Again, there are steps you can take to combat this (drysuit, argon, heated undersuit)...and I wondered how people tackled this limiting factor.

Imposed Time Limits.... this was common-place in Thailand to fit dive center schedules...and in other locations where tide etc play an important part in dive planning.

So...I found the replies thus far to be interesting and fit the trend that I expected them too. Now it makes me wonder at what steps divers have taken to overcome those limitations - in terms of their equipment selection and training courses.....

 

[Tigerman]

So...I found the replies thus far to be interesting and fit the trend that I expected them too. Now it makes me wonder at what steps divers have taken to overcome those limitations - in terms of their equipment selection and training courses.....

1st step is probably doing a nitrox course during week 34 as far as me goes.. Its still a battle between NDL and SAC on shallow dives, but for the 80-100ft dives its NDL thats stopping me atm and I intend to do something about that.
When diving my regular setup its NDL pretty much anywhwere I dive and dont get bored and surface as i dive 15L 230 Bar tank (121 cu/ft - 3340 PSI)

 

[Pacilander]

The other main reason I limit my bottom time is that I dive in a drysuit and don't have a P-valve. Sometimes diving dry does suck.

 

[Tigerman]

The other main reason I limit my bottom time is that I dive in a drysuit and don't have a P-valve. Sometimes diving dry does suck.

Not as much as going back to diving wet just to find yourself incapable of peeing in a wetsuit anymore

 

[DevonDiver]

1st step is probably doing a nitrox course...

Yep. By identifying the common problems (as per the poll), it is possible to identify the correct course of action to overcome those problems.

Step-by-step, we can overcome our limitations...until we reach a point (as evidenced by the extremely experienced and qualified divers who contributed) where the duration of our stay underwater is mostly limited by only our desire to remain there.

 

[Tigerman]

Note that I have also set a time to do it
It just comes down to how large bills im getting in a couple of days wether or not i book it for that week - preferrably as early as possible during that week..

Edit: To <insert somewhere hot> with it.. Booked for 17th. My budgets are never far off so itll be fine I think
(And for everything else, theres Mastercard right?)

 

[piikki]

For those of us who tend to be task oriented, the length of the dive is defined by the task, everything else is dependent on that, exposure protection depends on how long and how cold, gas requirements depend on how deep and how long and what deco might be required, etc.

I voted cold because that probably is the most common. However, "task/plan completed" would be a very good option for me to choose too. Especially for local dives, we tend to hit the target/make a loop/do our thing and finish the dive. The plan often takes into account how much we can do without getting cold (including enough swimming to stay warm), and the dive finishes within NDL and with plenty of gas. We get out of water because we did the things we planned to do, and that's it.

Another reason, related to cold, is hunger. Like swimming, diving makes me hungry. For cave diving though the limit is gas/training limits. I'll hit sixths before anything else happens.