Going to 100' for the 1st time (little nervous lol)

Well the days of light depth dives are over lol.

Wednesday I am going to 100' for the 1st time and if I'm honest, I'm a little nervous about it. I have not been deeper then 50' (46, 48, etc.) and now I am progressing down

I am taking a deep specialty course.

I am not nervous because of being scared, but a little nervous about the unknown I think. Toxicity issues become more relevant (more so), the water temp difference at depth, the lower vis, etc.

But it is something that I WANT to do. I want to see a lot of the wrecks and reefs here that are all in deeper water so I am looking forward to it.

Any advice or what to expect from others that have been would be great lol

Thanks

I don't know why you're worried about toxicity - it'll be a non-issue at 100' on your speciality course

It's okay to be nervous but just relax & enjoy yourself... you'll be a little narced but probably won't even notice it until you do your cognitive tests (which I assume will be part of your course) and maybe not even then

The water temp & viz won't necessarily be any worse than at 50' (depending on where you're doing your dive) - the viz may even be better

Don't forget to equalise your mask and ears on the way down

Tortuga68:

I don't know why you're worried about toxicity - it'll be a non-issue at 100' on your speciality course

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I assume he means narcosis.

Toxicity being the physiological effect of high oxygen partial pressure (>1.6ppO2) that can cause convulsions (and inevitable drowning). This is unlikely above 55m on air.

(Inert Gas) Narcosis being the physiological effect of nitrogen partial pressure, causing deterioration of mental state, awareness and mood at depth. This is typically present below 30m.

Remember you are still within your rec limits, depth is only really a number. (Oh someone is going to bash me for that one). Anywhos I'm putting my .02 in because I am currently working on mastering deep dives and it is still new to me too.

Couple things that will pop up, that maybe you haven't experienced before

1) You are going to go through air a lot faster. Check your gauge more frequently, and either go to a bigger tank or limit bottom time. NDL limits come a lot quicker too

2) Wet/Dry suit is going to compress even more. Be prepared to add more air to your BCD then you have before

3) Darkness. I don't know where you are diving but here with that depth it is almost like doing a night dive. No biggie bring your light and backup. Since you mentioned reefs I am assuming you really aren't going to lose that much vis or sunlight

4) Do a slow descent. I figured out the hard way if I drop down too quick I get narced..I think anyways. Being paranoid under water is not cool. But you just take your time, have a few deep breaths and relax. And it makes life easier to add air to your BC as you go down, that you don't pull me a me and drop like a stone

Overall just remember you are there to have fun. If it is too much for you then tell your buddy and just go up a bit until you are comfortable. Chances are you will have absolutely no problems and wondering why you haven't done it before!

USVet96:

Well the days of light depth dives are over lol.

Wednesday I am going to 100' for the 1st time

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i also want to go to 100.
meters

Why don't you plan and execute a steady progression of gradually deeper dives?
This would give you a firsthand appreciation of increased gas consumption at depth, the increased likelihood of narcosis, and the challenge of buoyancy control due to greater compression of your wetsuit.
By doing a series of 60, 70, 80, and 90 fsw dives, you'd get a better handle on the importance of gas management and the subtle signs of narcosis (mild anxiety, loss of concentration, memory loss, perceptual changes, inability to multi-task, etc.).

Transitioning from 50 fsw to 100 fsw seems like a rather large jump, if you ask me.
FWIW, there's nothing magical about the 100 fsw mark.

melanie.:

Remember you are still within your rec limits, depth is only really a number. (Oh someone is going to bash me for that one).

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Not to bash you, but I'd advise not looking at depth with that mindset.

40m is only a number

45m is only a slightly higher number..

50m is only slightly higher than that...

75m is a pretty 'small' number isn't it?

...and really... it all pretty much 'feels' the same.

A lot can change over the space of a few meters when you're diving. 'Dry land' thinking says that a few meters isn't far. When dealing with pressure and physiology the mindset needs to change.

First and foremost, I consider depth in terms of 'time to surface'. It's quite relaxing to know that you are only a minute from the surface (60ft). It gets a bit more daunting when you push beyond that time requirement. 90+ seconds of ascent time should definitely focus the brain - because, in all probability it's going to be at the outer limits of your ability to CESA... Losing that last-gasp (pun intended) emergency measure is definitely something that needs to be considered.

Nitrogen absorption is another factor that needs to be on the front of your mind. Yes, you might be within recreational No-Decompression Limits, but it pays dividends to maintain an awareness that deeper repetitive dives are really going to be loading your slow-release tissues. Most divers don't think of this beyond the shorter NDLs they encounter on subsequent dives. An educated diver thinks of this in respect of where and how that absorbed nitrogen is being retained.. and how that retention is going to effect their body if they subsequently make a fast ascent.
(Personally, I think a copy of Mark Powell's 'Deco for Divers' should be mandatory reading for the Deep Diver course...)

USVet96:

I have not been deeper then 50' ...I am taking a deep specialty course.

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Begs the question; what happened with your AOW course (prerequisite for PADI Deep)?

My last dive,15th,was to 100' with an instructor,didn't seem much different than 50', but I did think I was so cool so at one point I practiced taking my mask off and on then clearing,I still wonder if maybe I was a little Narced,but I've done that on most of my dives.
Have Fun,be careful.

DevonDiver - thank you for your informational post.

I want to add that I am not saying that you should go to any depth because it is "just a number". More so that no matter what depth you go to there are challenges. It is up to each diver to do a risk analysis and fully comprehend the logistics of the dive they are doing, and realize that those risks can change with depth. Your depth is only one number that you have to take into account when planning a dive