Recommend me a deco course.

[waterpirate]

I would recomend you take tdi advanced nitrox and decompression theory with helitrox. It will gear you up properly, teach you what you do not know, and if you choose to not implement any deco dives beyond 100fsw it will make you a better ndl diver for the effort.
Eric

 

[HIGHwing]

Certainly it isn't - given repetitive, multi-day deep dives.

Another good one is ascending with a deco gas programmed and active which you do not actually have on the dive. I've seen this happen more than once with divers programming computers beyond their comprehension. "My computer told me I had one-minute remaining at ten for for like twenty minutes!?! What's wrong with this piece of junk?!?"

 

[kaerius]

Another good one is ascending with a deco gas programmed and active which you do not actually have on the dive. I've seen this happen more than once with divers programming computers beyond their comprehension. "My computer told me I had one-minute remaining at ten for for like twenty minutes!?! What's wrong with this piece of junk?!?"

Ouch, that's pretty ridiculous. I know how mine works just fine, but it doesn't have a deco gas switch function, so that's a purchase I would have to do to use a deco gas that isn't the same as my main gas.

Mind you I just came back from a divetrip that included 10 days on a liveaboard, seeing about 20 divers(including two guides) who I know are all diving on approx 30% nitrox all diving down to 40m+ was a bit of a headscratcher for me, as I looked down on them from where I stoped at 33(I'll stay within 1.4 PP O2 thank you very much), thankfully I had a good buddy who didn't much care to go down to 40 with the crowd either(though unlike me she was diving on air).

 

[PfcAJ]

You don't need a computer for deco diving. Can your current computer be set to gauge mode? If so, you're good to go.

 

[RTee]

TDI Combined Adv EAn and Deco Procs should give you proper knowledge, situational awareness and skills to do it confidently, deliberately, safely and with the proper equipment or hopefully keep you out of situations that you just described.

However, it will not be a substitute for poor planning, dive discipline or weak SA and unless you are carrying the right mix and deco gas(es) will not shorten any unforecast or unplanned deco obligations resulting from such lapses.

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

I am reading that you want to dive within the recreational limits, but may need the flexibility to deal with deco obligations from time to time. I don't see a problem with that as long as you have the training and gear available. However, deco should never just arise by accident either you initially planned for it, or consciously thought and decided to amend an existing plan. If you are a guy who just suddenly finds out he is in deco, then tech training just is not for you.

First off, understand that the NDL isn't really a line in the sand; if you dive to within your last three minutes of NDL you can still bend yourself. If you exceed your NDL by three minutes you might surface and turn out fine. It is strongly advisable to keep risk down by adhering to NDL limits.

The main thing that changes with deco is that the surface is not an option. You need the temperament, gear and gas to deal with possible failures whilst under water, assuming your buddy has deserted you.

I dive gear that allows me to change a dive plan and put on some deco time if I use back gas for deco. You are not going to get away from the need for a stage cylinder or doubles. All in my set up only weighs 50kg fully assembled and you could probably shave a lot of that off if you go for aluminium instead of steel.

In terms of a course, I agree with the TDI advanced Nitrox/ decompression procedures suggestion. The course covers the basics of deco planning, gear requirements and crises management. If you plan on sticking to 40m limits and no more than maybe 15 to 20 minutes of deco, then this is all you need.

I will also suggest that whilst GUE Fundies is a great course, it is not the solution for everyone looking to do deco diving or cave diving. If you are really only looking at minor deco (versus turning into a fully fledged tech diver) then this course may be overkill for your needs.

Initially your deco will be pre planned and you will design your own dive profile using decompression software before you get wet. Over time if you just want the flexibility to extend a dive by a little bit, you are going to need to do every dive in full tech gear and have a tech dive computer whose algorithm you trust. Of course a back up computer also is necessary at this stage.

Bear in mind that both you and your buddy need the training and gear for deco.

 

[DevonDiver]

TDI...IANTD...PADI...SSI...ANDI...CMAS....BSAC.... and most other agencies provide technical training. At the entry-level (Adv Nitrox/Deco Proc) it's all pretty much the same. You learn how to select and use appropriate equipment, you learn how to use nitrox >40%, you learn to plan decompression dives, you learn contingency protocols for foreseeable issues and you learn about the correct mindset and team approach to dives.

IMHO, the only thing that sets one course above another is the professionalism and unique experience of the instructor who provides it.

The biggest hurdle that most would-be technical divers have to overcome is attaining sufficiently high standards in core scuba skills... whilst retaining situational awareness when otherwise highly task-loaded. I've seen plenty of experience recreational divers (and instructors) lacking in this regard. For that reason, a good pre-course 'primer' can be critical. GUE Fundamentals is a good example of that... but many good tech instructors offer some form of pre-course coaching etc.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Dive-aholic: I was descending to see what my buddy who was significantly deeper was looking at, noticed I ended up with 1 minute no deco time, and while ascending back to shallower depth I tripped over to deco, oops. Similar story for the other accidental deco, though that time I was following a divemaster until my NDL was too short, tripped deco while ascending.

Suunto being too conservative. Maybe, though my buddy's poseidon computer was even more conservative, so much so that she was resigned about it, computer ordered deco stops were the new norm for her. Seriously, first dive of the day, if we dove the same profile, and I was well within NDL, her computer was usually showing deco. She said it was one of the least conservative when diving nitrox though, usually giving her more time than anyone else.

Sounds like a buddy issue. Keep in mind that one fatality is better than two. Plan your dive, dive your plan. If your buddy decided to forgo the plan and dive deeper then it's time for you to abort the dive and ascend, not descend to check on your buddy. You are depending on your computer to conduct your dive. That should not be the case. Forget the deco course. Put your computer in gauge mode and plan your dives so you don't exceed your NDL.

 

[kaerius]

Sounds like a buddy issue. Keep in mind that one fatality is better than two.

Possibly a bit of hybris, we were both instructors with 400+ dives, and we both had plenty of gas to complete the deco stop, that said, we didn't have redundant air sources other than eachother's tanks, however each of us had enough gas that we could both have done the deco on what's left in one of our tanks, to actually run into trouble we'd both have to suffer equipment malfunctions. So yeah we were confident, possibly to the point of complacency.

 

[rameus]

Note again that I'm still sticking to rec depths(max 40 meter) for now. It was a bit tongue in cheek, but I'm not going to be running into any multi-hour deco obligations anytime soon. More interested in "how do I plan this to incur less than half an hour deco" situations. In the two dives so far where I've ended up deco, my longest obligation(according to my suunto vyper) was 13 minutes.

if you want to be on the safe side and know what you are doing, how your computer reacts on what and stuff like that: TEC 40! you learn how to deal with deco properly and still stay within the recreational limits of 130ft/40m. yes you will "have to" carry the extra equipment for this class but that experience may also raise the awareness and help you understand why some tec guys are rather "focussed" on their missions.

should you become interested in TEC/Trimix or Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) - i just did mine a few months ago and i have to warn you: it's addictive ;-)

thom