Air Consumption and Dive Planning

Having completed my open water course I feel that the biggest thing that is not covered by the course is Air planning. It is covered quickly but does anyone know a good resource to read about air planning on a dive and general dive planning?

Here's a good place to start. You need to know you have enough gas to get yourself and your buddy to the surface(or the next breathable gas) from wherever you are.

rongoodman's link is a good one. lamont's post in that thread is very informative.

Bob Bailey (NWGratefulDiver) has written an excellent essay entitled "Understanding Gas Management."

Here's my workshop notes on Gas Management: Scuba Diving Tips - Gas Management Workshop – News & Articles

Kudos for wanting to continue to educate yourself. Don't take this post as any type of discouragement, but at this early stage of your diving you may want to focus on other things. A basic rule of thirds or even half for a turn around point may be more appropriate for the shallow dives you should be doing as a newly certified diver. As stated above, just be sure there is enough for you and your buddy to surface safely. This means you and your buddy need to gain experience and improve technique so you understand what your requirements are. Good buoyancy and trim will help you relax (relaxing will improve you buoyancy and trim too), which in turn will improve you gas consumption rate. Anyway, congrats on wanting to know. Just don't let you head get tied around all this new info and forget to enjoy diving.

Have to disagree with you Gary. With the lack of attention to gas planning and air consumption in many OW classes and the definite propensity of some ops to take new divers wherew they have no businees being it is far from optional info. I do have a chapter in my book that goes into what I believe are the bare minimums a new OW diver should have and do refer them to Bob's page for detailed info on rock bottom. There just was not space for me to go into it and frankly what I teach about it is from Bob's article. I have not had time to read Andy's but I'm sure it's just as informative. I'll make a point of going over it soon and may refer to it as well in my next volume.

I know divers who were using thirds inappropriately by not subtracting the 300-500psi that you should be coming back on shore or the boat with. Half I would never recommend to a new diver. I also went into reality in my chapter where if you are back at the anchor or up line with 1300 or so it is ok to spend some time right there seeing the things they missed while heading for the other places and using up some air to be back with that 500. Ideally I'd like to see them back with a bit more but that is me. I tend to go more conservative until they get some experience.

Here's another way of looking at the issue Minimum Gas - Explained

You've been given a lot of good links for gas management information.

HERE is a thread I started a while back on dive planning, which has a lot of good information in it.

I think dive planning is the biggest weakness of the standard OW class -- good for you that you realize it.

TSandM:

You've been given a lot of good links for gas management information.

HERE is a thread I started a while back on dive planning, which has a lot of good information in it.

I think dive planning is the biggest weakness of the standard OW class -- good for you that you realize it.

Click to expand...

Along with real Buddy Skills. Many classes just pay it lip service. I get a good bit of business from those classes when students realize that they have no idea how buddy's are supposed to dive. Gas planning is a major part of good buddy skills and communication.

Here is another thought, and it relates to logging your dives. I am a real advocate of logging all dives, and that includes, among all other data, air consumption. With each dive you will get a sense of consumption for a given time at a given depth that is your "norm." I encourage you to keep that data. Also, be cautious. If you are ascending from 60 feet or less, always commence the ascent with at least 700 psi. (some people say 500, and I can live with that) If ascending from over 60 feet, add 200 psi. Be conservative in your planning, and the "rule of thirds mentioned earlier in the thread is a good conservative approach. You don't have ot be preoccupied with air consumption, but check your gauges often, and be aware of where you are at. There is no substitute for time underwater. Be an active diver, and you will be a more comfortable and better diver.
DivemasterDennis