can we use VR3 for recreational dives..?

[in_cavediver]

I don't necessarily agree with that either.

I've always had a 'pick one and use it' mentality.

I have a VR3 and a bottom timer. I tend to plan my dives, some more rigorously than others but I can also bail out to tables if need be. I see no issues with different instruments for bailout. There are mearly tools in my toolbox for the dive.

As for my logic - its simple. Were looking for a failure bailout scenario here and I can pretty estimate where I am deco wise with the BT and tables, even on a repetive dive. That coupled to the fact I tend to extend my 20ft stops and have a feel for what my profiles should look like, my risk management says I'll be OK.

 

[Blackwood]

Say you dive with two computers, one very conservative, one very liberal. Your primary (conservative) says "go up" and then dies. The backup (liberal) says "you still have 5 minutes of bottom time left." If you adhere to the dead conservative computer's recommendations and ascend immediately, why do you even have the backup? If you ignore the conservative computer's recommendations and continue diving, why isn't your backup your primary?

What would you do in the situation where your primary model fails during a deco profile it recommends? Do you change profiles to that of your backup? Do you then count time already spent in deco towards you or against you?


I'm not being argumentative for the sake of arguing. I'm really asking: how do you deal with the differing tools when they disagree?

 

[PerroneFord]

All the same questions I asked. And the reason why I have zero desire to do decompression diving on anything but tables. That said, in my wetnotes, I keep bailout plans. If for some reason I was doing a computer dive and my computer crapped out on ascent, I'd refer to my bailout plans for the depth and time I stayed, and proceed with the tables at the depth I am at. Meaning if the computer crapped out as I was going from 120ft to 70, I'd get to 70, and run my bailout plan from 70ft.

To me, this is no different than bailing out on a table based dive when things go wrong. Say I overstay my dive plan by 10 minutes because something happened. That's in my bailout tables for certain depths (ever 20ft) with particular gases.

Not having a computer in the mix makes this kind of things simpler, but if you are going to "rely" on the computer, then having two of the same makes the most sense. Having two that are not the same is less optimal, but still workable if you aren't flying blind and have some understanding of what your deco SHOULD look like.

Of course, if things REALLY go south, you can always just breathe all the gas you have and go from there. No matter WHAT plan you were working on, if you breathe all you have, you couldn't have done it any better.

 

[Blackwood]

Of course, if things REALLY go south, you can always just breathe all the gas you have and go from there. No matter WHAT plan you were working on, if you breathe all you have, you couldn't have done it any better.

True.

All the above is too much for me. I like to keep things as simple as possible.

 

[in_cavediver]

True.

All the above is too much for me. I like to keep things as simple as possible.

I agree with Perrone, the backup, be it 'paper' or 'puter' is your reference for how to bailout. Its not the only word and shouldn't be treated as such. Hopefully, your either a rec diver and within limits (or very close) of your backup or a tec diver and have a clue where you are and should be to get yourself out of the water safely.

I didn't start diving my VR3 as a primary device until I got a feel for the profiles it gave me vs the tables I used previously. And actually, if it wasn't for caves (computers are very nice there), I might not have gone to the VR3 at all.

 

[PerroneFord]

I agree in_cavediver.

Caves are the one place I really like the computer. Otherwise, it's really pretty pointless. And honestly, if it's a cave that you're diving all the time, and you understand your average depths, you can bypass the computer there too.

 

[Meng_Tze]

No matter WHAT plan you were working on, if you breathe all you have, you couldn't have done it any better.

You still need to know/ have some idea where you breath and for how long...... you could start on gassing again breathing all your gas....

so regardless of where you use a computer, you need to have some idea of what your deco profile looks like before you jump in the water. Blindly following a computer will get you in trouble eventually.

For the record. I run a VR3, a gauge and tables in caves.

 

[The Kraken]

Ya know what ???

It is a excellent computer for recreational dives.

Go dive !!! Enjoy !!!

the K

 

[The Chairman]

Watch out for the krak heads...

If you already have a pro plus, I would keep diving it UNTIL you need the extra features. But hey, I love Oceanic computers. I will be diving the new Data mask here in the Keys tomorrow, but I rely on my VT3.

 

[The Kraken]

Ahhh, the Pro Plus ! ! ! THE brick. Those things are rock solid.

the K