Rock Bottom

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

mintaka

Contributor
Messages
289
Reaction score
1
Location
boulder,co
# of dives
100 - 199
Its been on my mind for a while, but I've finally learned a bit about gas management and exactly what Rock Bottom is and I am wondering why this isnt taught in OW classes ? It seems like such a crucial concept and one that might not really be considered by begining divers unless they were exposed to it.

I also wonder if experienced recreational divers actually adhere to it when making and diving a plan ?
 
That's a big can of worms. A lot of us feel that rock bottom/minimum gas should be heavily emphasized in OW class.

I only do recreational dives, and I do try to adhere to rock bottom on every dive. After a few dives, you learn/memorize the shorthand for you and your buddies' tanks and DCRs, and it's something like, "max depth 95ft, bottom time 30 minutes, rock bottom 900psi? Let's go dive."
 
Its been on my mind for a while, but I've finally learned a bit about gas management and exactly what Rock Bottom is and I am wondering why this isnt taught in OW classes ? It seems like such a crucial concept and one that might not really be considered by begining divers unless they were exposed to it.

I also wonder if experienced recreational divers actually adhere to it when making and diving a plan ?

It's not taught for basically 3 reasons:

1) it's not necessary for the average recreational diver who is going to do a few dives in a semi-guided environment environment on vacation once then never dive again.
2) it will increase the course length, which increases cost, which certification agencies are loathe to do.
3) there is a perception, true or not, that it is too complex for agencies to control presentation and many OW students to grasp quickly
 
Firest Question: Because the assumption is made that a new diver will be diving an aluminum 80 in less than 60' of water and therefore they will be close enough to the surface to be safe.

Second Question: Very few divers bother to figure their gas management. It is taken more seriously by the technical divers, cave divers, Doing-It-Right (DIR) divers and those of us that do a lot of deep diving where 80 cubic feet of breathing gas is barely enough to get you down. I have seen a number of instructors that don't bother and just rely on the "leave at 500 psi" and the "let the computer do the thinking" diving.
 
Its been on my mind for a while, but I've finally learned a bit about gas management and exactly what Rock Bottom is and I am wondering why this isnt taught in OW classes ? It seems like such a crucial concept and one that might not really be considered by begining divers unless they were exposed to it.

I also wonder if experienced recreational divers actually adhere to it when making and diving a plan ?

Some of us DO teach it ... I've been doing so for several years now, as have other instructors in my area. Then again, we're not training vacation divers, for the most part. Around here you're expected to be able to plan and execute your own dive by the time you've completed your basic OW class.

If you want to learn more, visit my Web site ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
One of many things I'm learning on here that I really wish was taught.

This, along with free flows, are a couple crucial concepts that PADI manages to condense into a paragraph.
 
Your website is where I learned it ! Thanks Bob

Some of us DO teach it ... I've been doing so for several years now, as have other instructors in my area. Then again, we're not training vacation divers, for the most part. Around here you're expected to be able to plan and execute your own dive by the time you've completed your basic OW class.

If you want to learn more, visit my Web site ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
I also wonder if experienced recreational divers actually adhere to it when making and diving a plan ?

It depends on the dive. If it's a shore dive with a max depth of 30 feet, I'm not likely to bother. If it's a boat dive in the 80+ range, I almost definitely will. The likelihood of me doing math before a dive is proportional to the risk I associate with not doing it.
 
It was an SI shop where I learned the skill. PADI and NAUI did not cover what you do with a SAC rate after you figure it out.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom