Newbie Diver, Newbie Question - Dive Tables

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Toadie

Contributor
Messages
94
Reaction score
9
Location
Merida, MX
# of dives
500 - 999
Hey all,

I've signed up for my open water and I'm currently going through the book and watching the DVD. I understand the logic and the planning but one thing eludes me....

How do you know how deep you're going to go?

For example....

I'm going to Cozumel for my certification, I've heard great things, I'm pretty excited, and I'm looking around the web for dive information. I see lots of great photo's, stories, and even names of places to dive.... but no one mentions the depth???

Now before everyone jumps out and says a newbie has no business planning a dive so soon... I know this... I'm just asking. You head to a location that has great diving, you don't know specific details about reefs, walls, whatever... how do you find out and how/when do you actually plan your dives?

Do you go to a local dive shop the day you get there and ask when you book a boat? What if you go to a place where there's reefs where you just walk in off the beach?

Thanks
 
In recreational diving, your planning will mostly take place just prior to jumping in the water. You ask the question "how deep is it here", and go from their. After you have a few dozen dives completed, you will get a feel for how long you can stay under at certain depths. But for a beginner you must constantly watch your pressure AND depth guage. Monitor them at least once per minute, and stay within your training depths of 60 feet or less until you have logged some dives and taken your AOW course.

Your planning for a recreational dive will take less than 1 minute, and will cover how deep, how long, and what pressure you plan on turning the dive. For a beginner I strongly recommend you turn and start to make your way back before you reach 1500 psi. If you end the dive with 1000 psi, at least you know you had a good reserve, just in case!

Have fun and Dive Safe.
 
Figuring out your dive profile is similar to planning a car trip.

When going somewhere new, you'll look at a map, choose the points of interest, the best route to take to your destination. To have an enjoyable stress-free trip, you stay on your course, and don't make any last-minute changes.

Finding your dive profile is quite similar. You can look at dive site maps, ask about the conditions from other divers or guides, and find out information such as what is interesting, depths, etc.

From there you'll agree with your buddy on your maximum depth, and stick to that plan - no last minute changes. You'll also agree on your travel direction to avoid separation, and agree on your maximum dive time, making sure you are well within the table limits.

So - it's "Plan your dive, and dive your plan!"

Have fun diving!
 
Toadie:
Hey all,

I've signed up for my open water and I'm currently going through the book and watching the DVD. I understand the logic and the planning but one thing eludes me....

How do you know how deep you're going to go?

For example....

I'm going to Cozumel for my certification, I've heard great things, I'm pretty excited, and I'm looking around the web for dive information. I see lots of great photo's, stories, and even names of places to dive.... but no one mentions the depth???

Now before everyone jumps out and says a newbie has no business planning a dive so soon... I know this... I'm just asking. You head to a location that has great diving, you don't know specific details about reefs, walls, whatever... how do you find out and how/when do you actually plan your dives?

Do you go to a local dive shop the day you get there and ask when you book a boat? What if you go to a place where there's reefs where you just walk in off the beach?

Thanks

First, Welcome to scubaboard. You will find answers here to many of your questions as you learn to dive and become actinve in diving.

Second, even as a new diver you should be able to plan your dives. Even if you go on guided trips, you should know whether or not the plan is a reasonable one or not.

For you certification dives, ideally, the instructor will not take you deeper than 60 FSW and you should be shallower for the first and second dives. After that going to 60 should be OK as long as you are comfortable. Nothing says you have to go as deep as the max depth at any dive site. For example, many wrecks may be on the bottom at 90 feet, but you can dive the area around the superstructure which may be as shallow as 40 feet.

Since you are going to Coz for your certification, contact the diver operator through their website or e-mail and ask what the typical depth are in that area. Also you can find books about dive sites in various parts of the world that will mention depths.

Prior to your trip, work through the likely dive profiles and any likely repetive dives you might do. This gives you a heads up as to how reasonable the dive plan is when the DM outlines it on the boat.

Bear in mind that there is a difference in planning a dive with tables and conducting a dive with a computer.
 
Toadie:
How do you know how deep you're going to go?

Looking at maps, reading dive site reviews and knowing what depths the things you want to see is a good start. This is a good thing to ask the local divers.

Of course most dives are rarely square dives where you go to a certain depth, stay there, then surface. Multi-level dives are far more common. You can ask your instructor about this, or the fine folks at Scubaboard, to learn more.

Toadie:
Now before everyone jumps out and says a newbie has no business planning a dive so soon... I know this... I'm just asking.

On the contrary! A newbie who takes the time to plan is a sign of a good diver. Many of your first dives will be guided; however, getting involved in the planning process with your guide is a great way to learn.
 
Good responses so far. When you book a spot on a boat for a dive excursion it is also a good idea to advise the operator of your experience level and the depths and conditions that you find comfortable. You should also inquire as to the depth of the sites they typically take their customers to (this may vary some according to local weather and tide conditions).

Nearly all operators will also welcome your request to have a Divemaster accompany you and/or your buddy on all dives--for an extra fee of course--and this can go a long way toward increasing your comfort level. However, do not use the company of a divemaster as an excuse to relinquish your role in planning the dive and determining when to call the dive and begin the ascent--YOU are responsible for your well being.

Dive safe and have fun,
theskull
 
Hi,

One of the things that the OW course materials, and the instructor in the classroom should discuss is the Dive Site Orientation. This is where a diver researches the site that they plan on diving. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, but in Coz I would assume that the DM will provide the information you need while on the way out to the dive site, or just before the dive.

As you are getting the OW certification in Coz, your will be making your first four dives with an instructor. In that case the instructor will plan you dives for the group, and will provide the Orientation, and Plan before each dive. After each dive (or maybe after the diving is done for the day) the instructor will log your dives with you, discuss the dive tables, and talk about things that they considered went well, or poorly.

Once you get your OW paper certification, I would suggest that if you plan on doing additional diving (I assume you WILL :wink: that you make sure that the dive operator that you are using is VERY aware of your experinece.

As others have indicated, the DM will plan the dive and go over it with you (assuming you are on a boat) however a LOT of operations do their first dive of the day on the Santa Rosa wall, and it's an 80' max depth drift dive. I have read that a number of paper cert divers have done that exact dive as their first dive following OW certification.

You will have to talk this over with the operator, and determine if that is something you consider OK as it's definatley diving beyond your training. You may choose to do that dive, but IMO you should consider hiring a DM, or seeing if YOUR instructor will be your buddy. Realize that while the DM on a boat will make efforts to ensure the safety of the divers that he is guiding, he is NOT your Personal DM, and he will be responsible for the entire group, not just any one individual.

I'm sure you will have a blast in Coz. Have fun!!

Ron



Toadie:
Hey all,

I've signed up for my open water and I'm currently going through the book and watching the DVD. I understand the logic and the planning but one thing eludes me....

How do you know how deep you're going to go?

For example....

I'm going to Cozumel for my certification, I've heard great things, I'm pretty excited, and I'm looking around the web for dive information. I see lots of great photo's, stories, and even names of places to dive.... but no one mentions the depth???

Now before everyone jumps out and says a newbie has no business planning a dive so soon... I know this... I'm just asking. You head to a location that has great diving, you don't know specific details about reefs, walls, whatever... how do you find out and how/when do you actually plan your dives?

Do you go to a local dive shop the day you get there and ask when you book a boat? What if you go to a place where there's reefs where you just walk in off the beach?

Thanks
 
Hey all,

Thanks for the responses. I'm actually doing all my course and pool work here in Denver with a local shop. Then I'm going to Cozumel where our instructor is leading the course there as well. So, for my entire course I will have the same DM which is nice. He's also been to Coz several times so I feel pretty confidant with him. Actually, to be quite honest, I interviewed several dive shops before I decided on the one I'm with now.

I'm taking the planning thing pretty seriously and I more or less will plan the trip the same way as the DM just to see if I get the same numbers. I've been thinking about getting a dive computer as well but there isn't a lot of diving here in Denver so I'm wondering if it's worth it for maybe 10 dives a year.

While I'm in Coz though I do have the option to take my advanced course and my nitrox course for $220.00. I was thinking that it might be good to knock them out of the way while I'm there just so I have them. That way, when I do book a dive with a DM somewhere else I can do walls, wrecks, and the other stuff that just open water doesn't allow for.

Thoughts?

For that matter.. what are your thoughts on a newbie getting a dive computer if he's strictly a recreational diver and is anal enough to plan with his tables anyway?
 
Curious, which shop RU getting certified with?

I got my Certification in early Nov. I went ahead, and got all my gear including a computer. If you are planning on NEVER diving near Denver, and just doing vacations, you may want to just rent. Then again, I've read some bad stories on some rental gear, and I plan on diving here locally just to stay in practice. I also hear that there is some OK diving to be done in some of the Mountain lakes.

I have a Cuz in FL that we visit a few times a year, and I want to be able to dive with her as she knows people with boats and compressors, but if I had to rent, that adds a bit of work in additional arrangements.

I've got a friend at work that is doing his checkout dives in Coz in March. We then plan on making some trips down to the Hole to stay in practice, and doing some local diving as well just to get wet in the Summer.

$220 is cheap for AOW AND Nitrox. I'm taking my AOW in the next month with A1. IMO you may want just to get a few dives in at Coz beyond the OW. If you jammed AOW, and Nitrox on top of the OW checkout dives that would be a lot of back to back training dives. Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but if you have never been UW, doing four days of training skills back to back could be a bit overwhelming.

IMO if you have the $$$ get a dive computer. They are NOT that hard to use, but they do take a bit of getting to know as there is a LOT of features, alarms, and settings.

You will have to decide what STUFF you want. My buddy went almost all used, and he's got some nice stuff even if it's not new. I did a mix of new and used, but opted for a new reg. We both have new puters. If you do plan on going used, realize that Reg maintenance can run $100 so take that into consideration if purchasing a used reg.

Have fun,

Ron

Toadie:
Hey all,

I'm taking the planning thing pretty seriously and I more or less will plan the trip the same way as the DM just to see if I get the same numbers. I've been thinking about getting a dive computer as well but there isn't a lot of diving here in Denver so I'm wondering if it's worth it for maybe 10 dives a year.

While I'm in Coz though I do have the option to take my advanced course and my nitrox course for $220.00. I was thinking that it might be good to knock them out of the way while I'm there just so I have them. That way, when I do book a dive with a DM somewhere else I can do walls, wrecks, and the other stuff that just open water doesn't allow for.

Thoughts?

For that matter.. what are your thoughts on a newbie getting a dive computer if he's strictly a recreational diver and is anal enough to plan with his tables anyway?
 
Toadie:
Hey all,

Thanks for the responses. I'm actually doing all my course and pool work here in Denver with a local shop. Then I'm going to Cozumel where our instructor is leading the course there as well. So, for my entire course I will have the same DM which is nice. He's also been to Coz several times so I feel pretty confidant with him. Actually, to be quite honest, I interviewed several dive shops before I decided on the one I'm with now.

I'm taking the planning thing pretty seriously and I more or less will plan the trip the same way as the DM just to see if I get the same numbers. I've been thinking about getting a dive computer as well but there isn't a lot of diving here in Denver so I'm wondering if it's worth it for maybe 10 dives a year.

While I'm in Coz though I do have the option to take my advanced course and my nitrox course for $220.00. I was thinking that it might be good to knock them out of the way while I'm there just so I have them. That way, when I do book a dive with a DM somewhere else I can do walls, wrecks, and the other stuff that just open water doesn't allow for.

Thoughts?

For that matter.. what are your thoughts on a newbie getting a dive computer if he's strictly a recreational diver and is anal enough to plan with his tables anyway?

If you have the $$, grab the computer. It gives you credit for multilevel diving and will allow for longer bottom times. It is not necessary, but a good plus. That is a good price for AOW and Nitrox. I would take them up on that one as well if you can. You will love Cozumel diving.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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