Basking Ridge Diver
Contributor
So I planned my dive on the Stolt Dagali of the NJ Coast. Sand is about 125 feet and the wreck goes up to about 70 feet.
I used Subsurface software which I have used before and calculated my dive times and gas usage. I was going to just use air for the entire dive but realized my second dive would be cut short due to my Nitrogen load (NDL driven - I am not AN/DP certified) - but I do have my Nitrox certification.
I dive Independent doubles and used air in one tank with the long hose and used 40% in the other under my chin. 40% at 82 feet is 1.4 PPO at 100 feet it would be 1.6 PPO- my plan was only to use it after I get to 80 feet and use half the tank. Saving the other half for the second dive.
I got some questions from fellow divers as to what I was doing and someone mentioned the fact that you are switching gases makes this a technical dive. To be fair I never really thought about it. I used air to get to the deep stuff and used 40% which I am allowed / certified to use and extended my dive due to the nitrox - getting me the longer NDL on both the first and second dives.
I happen to have a Perdix so I marked 21% and 40% did the gas switches and just followed my NDLs. No harm no foul. I did not go into deco and no one was checking my dives - I dove solo but went down the line with a "Buddy" because he wanted to make sure he was ok - I had no problem with the arrangement.
I brought 3 tanks - two filled with air and one filled with 40%. Other than OxTox if I made some kind of stupid mistake - it seemed to work for me and my diving style.
Would you consider this a technical dive? I am not a qualified technical diver and I am using the tools that are available to me - it did not seem to me like I was breaking any rules and the dive boat had no issues but I did not announce what I was doing either.
I used Subsurface software which I have used before and calculated my dive times and gas usage. I was going to just use air for the entire dive but realized my second dive would be cut short due to my Nitrogen load (NDL driven - I am not AN/DP certified) - but I do have my Nitrox certification.
I dive Independent doubles and used air in one tank with the long hose and used 40% in the other under my chin. 40% at 82 feet is 1.4 PPO at 100 feet it would be 1.6 PPO- my plan was only to use it after I get to 80 feet and use half the tank. Saving the other half for the second dive.
I got some questions from fellow divers as to what I was doing and someone mentioned the fact that you are switching gases makes this a technical dive. To be fair I never really thought about it. I used air to get to the deep stuff and used 40% which I am allowed / certified to use and extended my dive due to the nitrox - getting me the longer NDL on both the first and second dives.
I happen to have a Perdix so I marked 21% and 40% did the gas switches and just followed my NDLs. No harm no foul. I did not go into deco and no one was checking my dives - I dove solo but went down the line with a "Buddy" because he wanted to make sure he was ok - I had no problem with the arrangement.
I brought 3 tanks - two filled with air and one filled with 40%. Other than OxTox if I made some kind of stupid mistake - it seemed to work for me and my diving style.
Would you consider this a technical dive? I am not a qualified technical diver and I am using the tools that are available to me - it did not seem to me like I was breaking any rules and the dive boat had no issues but I did not announce what I was doing either.