PADI Deep Diver cert class

[Cathan]

Can someone tell me what the learning excercises are for the four dives that are part of this cert? From AOW I recall the first one including doing the mid-point one minute stop, the 3 minute 15 foot safety stop and looking at how colors change at depth. What about dives 2-4?

The reason I ask is that my wife any I can easily do this cert with our next NC wreck diving trip, but I wonder if it is just a way to sink a lot of money into just reinforcing the stuff we already know and getting a plastic card for the effort. It boils down to am I going to learn something new?

 

[gecko2gecko]

I haven't taken the Deep Cert but I've heard that part of it is being in a supervised environment when you experience being narced. I know the LDS here does some simple math stuff underwater in order to gauge reasoning ability underwater. Other than that, I have no idea.

 

[Diver0001]

Can someone tell me what the learning excercises are for the four dives that are part of this cert? From AOW I recall the first one including doing the mid-point one minute stop, the 3 minute 15 foot safety stop and looking at how colors change at depth. What about dives 2-4?

The reason I ask is that my wife any I can easily do this cert with our next NC wreck diving trip, but I wonder if it is just a way to sink a lot of money into just reinforcing the stuff we already know and getting a plastic card for the effort. It boils down to am I going to learn something new?

There is some new theory but in terms of the actual diving there isn't that much that's actually required:

-Descent with reference (line or along the bottom)
-Comparison of time needed to perform similar tasks on the surface and at depth
-Comparison of depth gauges
-Making a clean ascent
-Performing a safety stop

Many instructors will have you do some algebra to complete the 2nd item. Instructors I work with introduce hand signs to indicate narcosis, NDL times and such. A smart instructor will also practice ascents that are not too *slow* and not too *fast*. The standards only stipulate not too fast but too slow isn't good either.

R..

 

[ppo2_diver]

The primary things you learn in the deep class are dive planning. I also teach how to calculate your SAC rate to better monitor you gas supply. Specific skills you will do in the water are: handle on object affected by pressure (sealed empty water bottle for example), view with and without a light how depth changes colors (I have a laminated sheet of square colors I use), ascend and descend via a line and without a line.

The biggest thing you should learn from the deep class is that more dive planning is required when doing deep dives.

DJ

 

[TheRedHead]

How deep are the dives? In the SSI class, the maximum we did was 115 feet. Do you go to the 130 ft. recommended limit?

 

[*Floater*]

Cathan, I considered the course, but have decided against it. My reason was that it doesn't involve decompression theory, which means you could only be down there for about 5-10min max anyway, and that doesn't seem worth it to me. At some point I'll take a course that will teach the deco procedures so that when I go down a little deeper I'll also be able to stay there for a while.

Also, I don't think going down to 130 feet involves anything special since that used to be the max depth PADI used for AOW, and it still is for the NAUI's equivalent of the AOW.

 

[Cathan]

Okay, that is helpful. Without having my log in front of me, I think we (wife = dive-buddy) have around 20-25 dives with max depths between 90-130 feet. Not that I would consider us experts but we know how to plan the dive, dive the plan, how to do slow assents, safety stops, know how to use our tables and dive computers and know that we have to go slow when narc'd.

The course sounds like it would be a good thing for divers fresh off of AOW. But is doesn't sound like we would get much from it.

Thanks for the input!!

 

[Diver0001]

How deep are the dives? In the SSI class, the maximum we did was 115 feet. Do you go to the 130 ft. recommended limit?

There are ranges. In PADI the minimum depth is 18 metres (60 ft) and maximum is 40 (130ft).

Local conditions will dicate what is reasonable.

R..

 

[Diver0001]

Okay, that is helpful. Without having my log in front of me, I think we (wife = dive-buddy) have around 20-25 dives with max depths between 90-130 feet. Not that I would consider us experts but we know how to plan the dive, dive the plan, how to do slow assents, safety stops, know how to use our tables and dive computers and know that we have to go slow when narc'd.

The course sounds like it would be a good thing for divers fresh off of AOW. But is doesn't sound like we would get much from it.

Thanks for the input!!

I think you're right. If you dive at those depths much you would get more out of a Nitrox class.

R..

 

[DavidHickey]

So in the AOW and Deep dive classes do they still make you get on your knees on the bottom do your skills and pull you mask off and on? Or is all that over in OW training? I don't know why but I have no problem clearing my mask or taking it off and replacing at depth BUT every time I had to do it for an instructor I always got nervous. Might just be the whole sitting in line waiting for my turn thing.