Why no slates?

[Reg Braithwaite]

If you can't remember your turn pressure...

A bit of a digression, but I can't remember anything I don't work out myself and write down. Which is not to say that I need to read it, just that I need to write it out. So truthfully, I could probably write down my turn pressure and NDL on a piece of paper and leave it on the boat.

What I wouldn't trust myself to do consistently is look it up on a table and do nothing else. Discussing turn pressure with a buddy might work as well as writing it down, mind you. But something other than reading it and trusting that it will be internalized.

This seems consistent with what I have read about DIR, namely that one should not rely on being spoon-fed important information. It seems to be part of the rationale behind calculating your dive plan manually rather than relying on a computer to tell you when to turn and how to ascend.

Now, this has nothing to do with wet notes and slates. It sounds very much like wrist slates are not a good idea, and quite frankly, if it is in my pocket wet notes are a big win over a slate!

 

[b1gcountry]

If you like the idea of a wrist slate to keep some information handy throughout the dive, you can take some white duct tape, write out your deco schedule on it with black sharpie, and slap it on your light balast.

Tom

 

[Rick Inman]

Pulling wetnotes out to look at them is not a big deal.

And that's the rub. Easily removing and replacing junk (including wet notes) from your pockets is a skill that requires a bit o' practice. The wrist slate can be a piece of gear that attempts to replace this skill. And replacing a skill with gear isn't dir - especially if the gear rarely needs to be used, gets in the way of wrist mounted gages, is difficult to write on and can not be handed off.

If you like the idea of a wrist slate to keep some information handy throughout the dive, you can take some white duct tape, write out your deco schedule on it with black sharpie, and slap it on your light balast.

Tom

Not too handy in the dark.

 

[ianr33]

And that's the rub. Easily removing and replacing junk (including wet notes) from your pockets is a skill that requires a bit o' practice. The wrist slate can be a piece of gear that attempts to replace this skill. And replacing a skill with gear isn't dir - especially if the gear rarely needs to be used, gets in the way of wrist mounted gages, is difficult to write on and can not be handed off.

So do you just remember your deco schedules in your head? Or do you read them off the wet notes? If reading them do you put them back in the pocket at each stop or hold onto them for a hour of deco?
Or do you have nothing written down and use ratio deco?

Personally I have a schedule on my wrist. A duplicate schedule and contingencies on wet notes. (But I'm not DIR and may not even be allowed to post here )

 

[nadwidny]

So do you just remember your deco schedules in your head?

Yes.

Or do you read them off the wet notes? If reading them do you put them back in the pocket at each stop or hold onto them for a hour of deco?

Why do you need to look at the schedule at each stop? In a typical tech dive there are only 3 or 4 points that need to be remembered. Not every single stop.

Or do you have nothing written down and use ratio deco?

I use ratio deco for the shallow dives.

 

[Rick Inman]

So do you just remember your deco schedules in your head? Or do you read them off the wet notes?

Even if you do cut tables, and even if you READ them from a wrist slate, I was referring to communication via a wrist slate - writing notes on it instead of using wetnotes.

 

[ianr33]

Even if you do cut tables, and even if you READ them from a wrist slate, I was referring to communication via a wrist slate - writing notes on it instead of using wetnotes.

Thats a fair comment.

I do like having the slate for checking tables and writing brief notes to MYSELF. e.g what my pressure at turn actually was.

Agree that for written communication wetnotes are the way to go.

 

[tkdgodess]

I keep a slate in my pocket for when no hand signal can explain what I want to say. The last time was my buddy looking at me with quizzled eyes. In scratch I wrote "drysuit inflator broken, dive done" She didn't see what happened to me, and by then I had my LP hose hooked back up, but my suit was flooded. Brrrrrrr... I was done. I "looked" ok, but wasn't. What's the hand signal for that one?

 

[Blackwood]

I keep a slate in my pocket for when no hand signal can explain what I want to say. The last time was my buddy looking at me with quizzled eyes. In scratch I wrote "drysuit inflator broken, dive done" She didn't see what happened to me, and by then I had my LP hose hooked back up, but my suit was flooded. Brrrrrrr... I was done. I "looked" ok, but wasn't. What's the hand signal for that one?

Short answer: Thumbs up.

Longer answer: If you want/need to end the dive, end the dive. Unless it's critical for me to know why, don't bother explaining it until we can talk. There's no need for you to freeze in a flooded drysuit any longer than the exit and ascent requires. Pulling a slate and writing it out at best makes you even more uncomfortable, and at worst is dangerous.

 

[Flightlead]

I am curious... I don't have a personal preference, so I don't mind using wet notes. Although from time to time I see someone with wrist-mounted flip-up slates and they look handy and convenient for noting turn pressures and the dive plan. But they're obviously out.

Can anyone educate me on the rationale?

I use both. For me they serve two different purposes. The wrist slate is for me. I keep notes, tasks lists etc about the dive and the planned deco schedule on it. I also use it to record data as a I dive, such as pressures at various points in the dive. I find it useful for these purposes as it is right there, and I can just glance at it. it is right in front of my face as I dive with my arms extended in front of me. I don't have to fumble it in and out of a pocket and there's no risk of dropping it.

My wet notes are primarily for using in communicating with my team mates, but also a place to keep a backup copy of the planned deco schedule, useful for example when my wrist slate exploded as I flipped the page and my deco schedule went to the bottom (or contingency schedules). I can pass wet notes of f when I need to communicate or simply tear a page out.