Online Nitrox and SDA??

[ffdiver]

You really pushing your pp02 at 1.6 at 130 feet. Thats alittle much for me. Most tech divers only use 1.6 pp02 while doing deco, since your not working much.

I DO NOT agree that they teach a more conservative course because they think people will just ignore the warnings dive deeper (and not very safely going by your dive plan). I think they teach it that way because they honestly feel that 1.2 should be your max. Do I agree no, but then again I also don't agree with 1.6 at depth.

I don't think dandydon is bashing the agency. He just doesn't trust them. Which I can't fault him for. The "agency" doesn't have the greatest history as per this thread. Thats why I decided to go and get the card and test the waters.

Dandydon im going to PM you the link.

disclaimer: The opinions expressed by MKsmith are just that, HIS opinion and they do not reflect my own opinion of SDA. End of disclaimer.

 

[mksmith713]

(As for your earlier comment, did you *really* mean to say that NAUI isn't a recognized agency?!? From your comments, "Dive Safety Through Education" does not appear to be a motto you choose to dive by, but if you were really saying that NAUI is on par with SDA, I fear I may have wasted a post.)

I'm not really a cowboy. I was just joking. Heck, I've never been past 60 feet.
That won't happen until Aug when I do my AOW.
Just making a point.

As far as who is and isn't certified or qualified, well if you believe that only agencies recognized by RSTC are the only true certified agencies, than YES, NAUI isn't a recognized or certified agency nor is SDA and I can probably think of a handful of other agencies that aren't in the click.

Here's the link to RSTC North America.
Looks like very few of us are certified at all if you believe what they're saying on this thread.

The thing is, RSTC isn't a certifying agency[/COLOR]
They're a group of agencies that banded together to create teaching standards and there are many other agencies that opted to not join RSTC but still adhere or sometimes exceed those standards.
IMHO, SDA's Online Nitrox course content and safety practices are as good as if not better than some of the agencies who are included in RSTC's group.

OK, I'll hunker down and get ready for yet another barrage.....LOL

 

[Thalassamania]

I'm not really a cowboy. I was just joking. Heck, I've never been past 60 feet.
That won't happen until Aug when I do my AOW.
Just making a point.

As far as who is and isn't certified or qualified, well if you believe that only agencies recognized by RSTC are the only true certified agencies, than YES, NAUI isn't a recognized or certified agency nor is SDA and I can probably think of a handful of other agencies that aren't in the click.

Here's the link to RSTC North America.
Looks like very few of us are certified at all if you believe what they're saying on this thread.

The thing is, RSTC isn't a certifying agency[/color]
They're a group of agencies that banded together to create teaching standards and there are many other agencies that opted to not join RSTC but still adhere or sometimes exceed those standards.
IMHO, SDA's Online Nitrox course content and safety practices are as good as if not better than some of the agencies who are included in RSTC's group.

OK, I'll hunker down and get ready for yet another barrage.....LOL

Before you spout off about things that you know absolutely nothing about, trying doing a search, it'll save you from looking quite this stupid in the future.

 

[mksmith713]

A little history on me....
I'm a lil ole PADI Open Water diver.
I'm extremely intersted in scuba and want to learn as much as I can.
I got involved in Nitrox when a fellow diver and friend gave me his training manual from IANTD so I could see what I might be getting myself into.
I read and reread that thing and got a decent grasp on the subject.
Being a healthcare professional, it's difficult to find free time to physicall attend any course because I spend so much time in a hospital.
I do have free time but I have to be here so it isn't really free time.
I saw the Online Nitrox course and though," What the heck".
Well, I have to be honest, I felt the SDA course content was just as good as IANTD's.
SDA used analogies that made it much more interesting read.
Will I be diving Nitrox anytime soon?
No....
I have yet to master breathing techniques to maximized my regular 20.9% air use so Nitrox isn't going to benefit me unless I'm going to do 5 or 6 dives a day.

I'll give everyone who's questioning agencies who aren't recognized a good analogy.
We have technicians who scrub on surgical cases who are graduates of college programs and we have Techs who were trained by either military or OJT.
The military and OJT techs are by far the better tech's....hands down.
And they were trained by programs that aren't recognized by any healthcare organization in the world.
What matters is the student, their will to learn and their ability to apply what they learned to real life situations.

 

[mksmith713]

Before you spout off about things that you know absolutely nothing about, trying doing a search, it'll save you from looking quite this stupid in the future.

A search is exactly what I did, and this is what I turned up.
It's right there in black and white.
NAUI isn't part of RSTC.
Are they?
According to some people on this thread, only members of RSTC are certifying agencies.
If that's true, than NAUI isn't qualified to certify anyone.

DO I BELIEVE THAT?......HELL NO. I think NAUI does a great job. I'm just trying to make a point.
Just becuase you're not a member of RSTC doesn't mean you can't teach scuba.
I feel the opposite is true.
If that were true than the US Navy isn't qualified.
Do you believe that?
Not me, I think the US Navy would be as good a teacher as anyone.

NOOOO< I'm not bashing NAUI.
NOt by a long shot....Just making apoint of how ridiculous this whole thread is.

 

[Thalassamania]

But since you know absolutely nothing about the RSTC, the WRSTC, ANSI, or the Underwater Society of America, your analogy is naught but horse pucky.

About as foolish as your statement, "I have yet to master breathing techniques to maximized my regular 20.9% air use so Nitrox isn't going to benefit me unless I'm going to do 5 or 6 dives a day" which demonstates a complete lack of understanding of what NITROX is and what it's uses are, but I guess that evidence of the fabulous NITROX training that you received. Go take a real class before you hurt yourself or someone else ... please!

 

[ffdiver]

Hold on thalassamania, no need to be that hard on MKsmith, I think the point he was trying to make was that since there is no main governing body on scuba, saying one agency is the only true certifying agency over this agency is pointless.

What I think he meant by saying that he needs to do 5 or 6 dives a day in order to utilize nitrox better is him saying in order to get the long NDL he needs to conserve his air better.

 

[Thalassamania]

Hold on thalassamania, no need to be that hard on MKsmith, I think the point he was trying to make was that since there is no main governing body on scuba, saying one agency is the only true certifying agency over this agency is pointless.

First, I don't think anyone said that there was on and only one authority. But more importantly his promotion of the the current shame RSTC into a position of importance (other than self appointed) or authority goes to his lack of knowledge concerning the industry.

What I think he meant by saying that he needs to do 5 or 6 dives a day in order to utilize nitrox better is him saying in order to get the long NDL he needs to conserve his air better.

But that's BS, you don't need to make 5 or 6 dives to benefit from NITROX, forgetting about the anecdotal items like fatigue factor, one of the most direct benefits comes from diving NITROX on air tables and thus gaining an extra margin of safety. Clearly that (and who knows what else) was not covered in the course he took.

 

[ffdiver]

More dives, more experience= not an air hog anymore. Thats why getting more dives in, means he can use nitrox better. Being able to stay down longer because your table says so goes out the window when your SPG says come up.

Diving nitrox on air tables just waste money. The risk of DCS is so low on the air tables that using expensive gas to give yourself an even bigger margin, is unnessacery.

And by the way yes it was covered in the course, very much so in fact.

 

[mksmith713]

If I get 40 minutes from from an 80 of regular air, how will I benefit from using Nitrox if I only do one or two dives a day to 60 and 40 feet?
The benefits will be negligible at best.