Altitude Diver

[Panama Jones]

This of course is a speciality. I just browsed through the PADI Instructor's Guide. I have some questions.

To be certified, your altitude checkout dive need to be at a minimum of 1000 ft (seriously). Just up that thar hill. My computer doesn't even see altitude until 3000 feet (with most starting at 2000 feet I think).

And why the checkout dives? The academics isn't enough? What does actually being in the water do? Aside for the fact that it's fun, it looks like another thing to pay an instructor for.

I'm asking these questions with an honest seriousness. I do truly believe in the altitude specialty.

 

[victorzamora]

There are plenty of specialties that shouldn't require a dive. The idea is that by actually doing a dive, you're proving that your dive plan went well. Also, you actually HAVE to dive a plan. However, I think it's a pretty dumb requirement and I agree with you. However, I think that this should be included in OW class. I think a lot more should be included in OW. However, I don't think that's realistic....so they have to make it a specialty. The academics are so simple that they have to add beef to it. Well, that's how I see it, at least.

 

[tc]

Look at it this way- Any reason to dive (mostly anyhow) is a good thing.

 

[aceupmysleeve777]

I think that altitude diver class should have dives be done. At least my instructor made me plan the two dives we were doing so I decided how deep for how long our dives would be with the proper surface interval and post dive waiting before driving home over and down the mountains. This class is all about planning the dives and then doing those dives you planned. My dive plans included using the PADI dive planner, the wheel and a lot of math. I don't know if this isn't how everyone else teaches this class but it definitely wasn't a pay your money do two dives and here's your card in my case, the only class that involved that much planning and math that I've done besides altitude is DM. I did the class and dives at Lake Tahoe.

 

[tanksforthememories]

Living in the mountains all of my OW classes were at >1500ft. No one in the course got a specialty card...

 

[Panama Jones]

Living in the mountains all of my OW classes were at >1500ft. No one in the course got a specialty card...

Same. except 3000ft

 

[XS-NRG]

Living in the mountains all of my OW classes were at >1500ft. No one in the course got a specialty card...

Same for me too and we dive at 5000 FT. I think it should have been part of our OW class, although to be fair we did cover the altitude table and the basics behind it. Problem is because so many people dive computer all they have to do is know how to change the setting (or not if their computer does it automatically) and that's it. The altitude section in the AOW Padi book isn't very long but there are several good things you need to know. I'm sure the reason is based on the fact that many people take vacation OW certs at sea level and never goto or consider altitude diving. In places that teach OW at altitude I personally think it should be bundled but then again I don't get to make decisions like that.

I'm actually about to take the actual Padi Altitude Specialty and apart from the section in the AOW book and knowledge review I have been given a challenge (which I think is kinda cool). I have to come up with 3 locations in the world at altitude and plan a 3 day dive weekend doing double or triple dives each day, include a night dive in each trip, include a plan for flying or driving there and flying back home and even doing triple table calculations on one trip diving Nitrox at altitude (even though the diving recommendation is just to dive an air profile with Nitrox at Altitude). Proving that I can map out a ton of dives at varying altitudes will prove that I actually know how to calculate using all the tables etc and will qualify me for the card. I do still have to do the 2 dives too but those will be no brainers.

 

[Panama Jones]

Same for me too and we dive at 5000 FT. I think it should have been part of our OW class, although to be fair we did cover the altitude table and the basics behind it. Problem is because so many people dive computer all they have to do is know how to change the setting (or not if their computer does it automatically) and that's it. The altitude section in the AOW Padi book isn't very long but there are several good things you need to know. I'm sure the reason is based on the fact that many people take vacation OW certs at sea level and never goto or consider altitude diving. In places that teach OW at altitude I personally think it should be bundled but then again I don't get to make decisions like that.

I'm actually about to take the actual Padi Altitude Specialty and apart from the section in the AOW book and knowledge review I have been given a challenge (which I think is kinda cool). I have to come up with 3 locations in the world at altitude and plan a 3 day dive weekend doing double or triple dives each day, include a night dive in each trip, include a plan for flying or driving there and flying back home and even doing triple table calculations on one trip diving Nitrox at altitude (even though the diving recommendation is just to dive an air profile with Nitrox at Altitude). Proving that I can map out a ton of dives at varying altitudes will prove that I actually know how to calculate using all the tables etc and will qualify me for the card. I do still have to do the 2 dives too but those will be no brainers.

I have a copy of the PADI Altitude instructors guide. It takes you through the academic instruction scenarios (good knoweldge). Then the 2 dive scenarios. I have trouble reading the dive scenarios and judging what makes them different from non altitude. Not that actually diving an altitude plan is bad but we can learn to use tables in open water and once we learn to use them for altitude, just getting in the water isn't an added benefit. This board has had the same arugment on Nitrox. Some things just don't neet to bear the extra cost of an instructed dive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

If I may ask a question: At what altitude above sea level is a dive considered an "altitude dive" such that deco computations should take it into account? The lake in which people dive here in Atlanta is approximately 1000 feet above sea level. I never thought of myself as living in the mountains, but is 1000 feet significant?

 

[XS-NRG]

If I may ask a question: At what altitude above sea level is a dive considered an "altitude dive" such that deco computations should take it into account? The lake in which people dive here in Atlanta is approximately 1000 feet above sea level. I never thought of myself as living in the mountains, but is 1000 feet significant?

As far as Padi is concerned 1000+ FT is considered altitude. Due to the decrease in atmospheric pressure your body releases nitrogen at a higher rate than at sea level so it's like diving deeper which is why you calculate a theoretical depth. 40 feet at 5000Ft Elev is a 48 foot dive which rounds to 50 on tables and changes your numbers significantly. No idea about your question for deco stops. I don't do deco diving or tech diving.