Dive Op’s Limiting bottom time

[AdivingBel]

My apologies. I forgot I was on ScubaBoard - “Where the world goes to learn to dive!”

Hey, that's O.K....you can walk it back. Happens all the time. I'm sure you meant well.

BTW, big fan of the first in/last out move (you don't have to wait until the last dive). It can really lengthen dive times while not pi$$ing everybody off. More folks should do it so I don't have to trip over them getting to the back of the boat.

 

[hroark2112]

I never wait for the last dive to do it, but the last dive is the one where I won’t worry about the DM sneaking a peek at my computer as I climb out.

They usually assume I’m going to be an air hog since I’m not exactly “svelte” and I normally dive CCR.

I don’t get a lot of crap from the boat crew because I’m one of those on the boat that demands minimal to no attention from them. I bring my own analyzer for me and my group to use, my gear when I’m diving OC is minimalized to say the least, and I usually have a tool kit, o-ring kit, parts kit, spare mouthpieces, basically everything I need for me and my buddies. Plus I tip well.

 

[boulderjohn]

This is actually how some of the "air sippers" in our group handle it. Have your stuff ready to go and be first in the pool. In the larger groups that is going to give you at least a 10-15 minute time addition than everyone else would have.

OK--and the reason you can only do that on the last dive of the trip is....?

 

[hroark2112]

OK--and the reason you can only do that on the last dive of the trip is....?

I’m going to recommend you get a copy of “Deco For Divers” and brush up on your deco and tissue loading knowledge.

 

[boulderjohn]

I’m going to recommend you get a copy of “Deco For Divers” and brush up on your deco and tissue loading knowledge.

That's pretty funny. You are really scrambling for an explanation now. This reminds me of the old TV show Get Smart. Caught in a bad situation, Maxwell Smart would begin an explanation with "Would you believe, ...." When the response would be that no, they didn't believe that, he would try again, with the new explanation preceded by "All Right, then, would you believe this one?"

 

[Saniflush]

OK--and the reason you can only do that on the last dive of the trip is....?

I was not speaking as to doing it on the last dive only. I was speaking to how some in our general group handle combating the problem of not running over time from what the boat crew/captain would like. If they are figuring everyone's dive to be generally in the 45 minute range then those that are not air hogs (not me) can gain another 10 - 15 minutes by simply being the first in the pool.

Their dive ends up in the 60+ minute range and the dive outfit is happy cause the diver has not held up the operation.

 

[hroark2112]

That's pretty funny. You are really scrambling for an explanation now. This reminds me of the old TV show Get Smart. Caught in a bad situation, Maxwell Smart would begin an explanation with "Would you believe, ...." When the response would be that no, they didn't believe that, he would try again, with the new explanation preceded by "All Right, then, would you believe this one?"

It was a joke. My apologies. I didn’t realize that the 2 laughing faces after my reply wouldn’t give you a clue that it was a joke. I shall try harder to alert you in the future.

To seriously answer your question, nothing keeps me from doing it the whole trip. I’m usually one of the first in and last out unless I’m diving with someone who limits my time. I try to stay close to the 60 minutes. The last dive of a trip is just always memorable and I don’t want to miss any possible mermaids or dancing sharks. Kind of a goodbye to where I’m diving.

I imagine you’re not amenable to a 3 hour dive right before flying...

 

[3arl J0n35]

Most of our dives here are limited by gas supply, not NDL's. Both operators in the area explicitly state that their half day trip is "two 45 minute dives with a short surface interval in between." so that's what I expect to receive for my money, and I'd claim that their statement in writing constitutes a contract. If I'm the last diver in the water and the cap'n has another load to pick up at the dock and bring diving, that's his problem. He should have planned better.

I recall the "6 P's"...."Piss Poor Planning Prevents Proper Performance."
A dive boat cap'n that's worth his CG certificate should know that if it takes him an hour to get to the dive site, two 45 minute dives from the last diver in the water, a 30 minute surface interval, and an hour ride back to the dock would require him at least 4.33 hours. If he's promised the divers waiting at the dock he'll pick them up in 4 hours it's his short sightedness that's created the problem. On our 18-passenger boat it takes up to 20 minutes to get the last diver in the water, so the 45 minute clock doesn't start until that last diver is in the water. Any experienced cap'n should know that from the time he drops anchor until the time he weighs anchor, 2 hrs and 21 minutes has elapsed on a 2-tank dive trip (unless there's an emergency like a missing diver).

I remember when I was in the Army we had 30 minutes for lunch. That meant if you were the last guy in the chow line you got about 5 minutes to swallow your food down and get out the door. I stopped playing those kinds of games when I got my DD-214.

 

[scubafanatic]

My 2 pet peeves are:

short fills
timed dives

On timed dives, assuming I was unable to research them prior to the trip and avoid them in the first place, I'd just do much deeper profiles, for longer, to get my $ worth out of each tank, with a note-to-self to never darken their doorway again.

 

[3arl J0n35]

My 2 pet peeves are:

short fills
timed dives

I get the short fill thing. I don't think they do it on purpose (most of the time). Luckily, my LDS knows me well enough I just walk in and fill my own tanks and pay the guy at the counter, so I can make sure they're topped off. I'll usually pump my AL80 to 3400 and my steel to 3800 and it'll be about on the money when it cools. (yeah yeah, I know. "The industry" says I'm going to blow the whole city block up doing that, but I figure if the test pressure is 5250, then it should hold 3800.)

From what I see, they fill them in such a hurry and they're hot. Especially if it's that guy whose gotta to get on the boat in 20 minutes and he's waited until showtime to have his tank filled. Usually the FSO has other duties, so he figures he's wasting time waiting for a tank to cool. And liability won't let him admit he could fill a 3000 PSI tank to 3400 and it would cool down to 3000 or 3100.

At my LDS if you bring in a tank with 2800 or 2900 they don't mind "topping it off" for you because they know it was probably a short fill to begin with for the above reason.