Please explain (teach me)

[fnfalman]

5 minutes on a PADI table is an emergency deco stop. It is mandatory, in the event of exceeding an NDL. Full rules for emergency deco is written in the special rules on the table.

Likewise, a 5 minute STOP on a computer is also highly likely to be deco. I don't know of any computer that gives more than 3 minutes as a safety stop. If it was deco on the computer, then it would also indicate a ceiling, that you could not ascend beyond for the given stop time.

and to ianr33: during my "safety stop" I still had 1800psi.

Hi everyone,

Then, my fiance and I got out of the water, went to lunch for a bit, had a surface interval of 3 hours 20 minutes.

Then we went out to a different dive site. This time visibility was absolutely terrible and I went a little deeper than expected. We went down 78 ft (at that depth for about 12 mins) and when I noticed how deep we were we went up to 35 ft for a bit hung out there, did a 10 minute deco stop at 15 ft then ended our dive. According to my dive computer total bottom time on this dive was 68 minutes.

Please enlighten me as how the OP would have been under long enough to do a "deco" stop, be it a 5-minutes emergency deco stop or otherwise?

 

[RTee]

Please enlighten me as how the OP would have been under long enough to do a "deco" stop, be it a 5-minutes emergency deco stop or otherwise?

Some computers will add up time to your safety stop if you fail to come up at the recommended ascent rate...ie coming up faster than the 30 ft/min which might have been the case here especially when he noticed they were much deeper than anticipated and the vis was fairly poor (based on his initial remark)

 

[The Chairman]

I applaud you for asking why, but am disturbed as to the apparent lack of education by a person with a c-card. What is in dive training/certification these days?

Unfortunately, many classes (past and present) never train diving with a PDC. They might say, "Read your manual" and that's about it.

Today's divers are increasingly using this capable and versatile tool to plan and execute their dives. Their use and how to avoid their abuse should be an integral part of every class. Many see this as "dumbing" down the class, I see it as showing due diligence in teaching them how to use a great tool.

 

[The Chairman]

Please enlighten me as how the OP would have been under long enough to do a "deco" stop, be it a 5-minutes emergency deco stop or otherwise?

The table didn't give him a deco stop: his PDC did. Depending on the personal conservancy set by the user, it's certainly not unthinkable for him to be in deco.

Why not take him at his word?

 

[Hoomi]

If we start really dumbing down the classes, will they serve Brawndo for the refreshment.

Brawndo. It's what Divers crave!

 

[ozorowsky]

Unfortunately, many classes (past and present) never train diving with a PDC. They might say, "Read your manual" and that's about it.

Today's divers are increasingly using this capable and versatile tool to plan and execute their dives. Their use and how to avoid their abuse should be an integral part of every class. Many see this as "dumbing" down the class, I see it as showing due diligence in teaching them how to use a great tool.

I agree with you NetDoc; I bought all my gear from my training shop, and they STILL wanted me to use the "training gear." Don't get me wrong I enjoyed my training but I had to persuade them to let me use my training gear. My reasoning was if I'm paying for training I would like to learn on gear I will actually be using (My own).

And yes, NetDoc; my PDC said to do stop at 15 feet for 5 minutes. My dive (last dive) went like this:

1) Dive down to 15 feet sit for a minute and equalize
2) Dive down to 35 feet (low visibility but wanting to explore. They had a rope to guide you down so I just pulled along the rope and followed for a bit. I wanted to go to 60/70 feet and see how I felt because I am going to do advanced open water soon and I wanted to see how I took to 60 or so feet.)
3) My mask was fogged so I had a hard time seeing my dive computer. So I cleared etc and looked at computer again shining my flashlight on it, and saw I was at 78 feet. Felt fine.
4) ascended along the line to about 30 ft. I saw my computer said to do a deco stop, slowly ascended to 20 ft, deco counter started, said to be at 15 ft, so I went up to 15 ft hung out there for 10 minutes.
5) I dove around between 15 and 30 ft after deco stop for a bit then hung out at 15 ft for 10 mins then ended my dive when I was down to about 400psi

 

[fnfalman]

IAnd yes, NetDoc; my PDC said to do stop at 15 feet for 5 minutes.

I'm curious but what brand and model is that dive computer?

Your second dive profile was most conservative. I can't understand why the computer would prescribe a 5-minutes stop unless that's what the computer was automatically programmed to do - 5-minutes stop versus 3-minutes stop.

 

[DBailey]

So as long as I follow my dive computer I should be safe right?

I would change this a bit:

Use your computer to help plan the dive.
Conduct your dive following the plan you developed.
Use the computer to help you follow that plan.

 

[merxlin]

I'm curious but what brand and model is that dive computer?

Your second dive profile was most conservative. I can't understand why the computer would prescribe a 5-minutes stop unless that's what the computer was automatically programmed to do - 5-minutes stop versus 3-minutes stop.

My guess, since he really did not have a 68 minute second dive, was that his computer did not reset during the surface interval, or somehow was activated before he hit the water.

 

[fnfalman]

The table didn't give him a deco stop: his PDC did. Depending on the personal conservancy set by the user, it's certainly not unthinkable for him to be in deco.

Exactly my point. Why did the PDC do this? Nothing in his said second dive profile warrants a true deco stop.

Why not take him at his word?

No offense, but maybe he was a newbie and still trying to feel his way around? Maybe he doesn't know the difference between a deco stop and a safety stop? Maybe he need to figure out why his computer gave him a 5-minutes deco stop? Maybe RTee was right about the OP ascended too quickly and got penalized.

Wouldn't this be the best time for him to find out why the computer gave him a 5-minutes stop? Computers just don't go into deco for nothing.

And as DBaily had eloquently stated, use your computer to aid in your dive planning and dive monitoring. Don't trust the damn thing to do the thinking for you. It's only a machine.