MattWilliams
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Is this a safe practise?
Give your opinion!
Give your opinion!
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Diving Without Depth/time only SPG
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chrpai
Contributor
99% of the time, no!
1% of the time, sure. If you are diving a site with absolutely known max depth and you are diving 1 tank a day (maybe more if it's really shallow... the point is to limit your total exposure) then I could see how you couldn't possibly hurt yourself. Some will suggest that diving above a certain depth ( say 33' ) has effectivly infinite NDL time. I don't really want to find out.
But this scenario is rare IMO. Just get a bottom timer or basic computer. They are cheap.
1% of the time, sure. If you are diving a site with absolutely known max depth and you are diving 1 tank a day (maybe more if it's really shallow... the point is to limit your total exposure) then I could see how you couldn't possibly hurt yourself. Some will suggest that diving above a certain depth ( say 33' ) has effectivly infinite NDL time. I don't really want to find out.
But this scenario is rare IMO. Just get a bottom timer or basic computer. They are cheap.
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I've dived familiar sites without depth gauge/bottom timer before. I know those sites so well I can tell by looking around how deep I am, and know approximately how long a given dive profile will take.
No SPG is another matter ... I won't dive without one. The stakes for guessing wrong are just too high ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
No SPG is another matter ... I won't dive without one. The stakes for guessing wrong are just too high ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
windapp
Contributor
In a swimming pool.
There is no way to know for sure that you are truly within 33 ft without a depth gauge in open water.
Also, if you dive without some kind of timer, it is very difficult to judge how long 1 minute is in the case of a lost buddy.
There is no way to know for sure that you are truly within 33 ft without a depth gauge in open water.
Also, if you dive without some kind of timer, it is very difficult to judge how long 1 minute is in the case of a lost buddy.
R
redacted
Guest
two local dives are a small spring fed lake with a max depth of 25 feet and the river below it with a max depth of 15 feet. i need the spg only so i am at the right location at the end of the dive. otherwise, i would not be opposed to relying on my mk7 [honker] for necessary gas supply information. anyone see a real need, beyond curiosity, for detph and time information?
miked
Contributor
I too, wouldn't dive without one.
But....Am I the only one here old enough to recall the pre-SPG days of the J-valve?
chrpai
Contributor
I meant that 1% of dive sites fit this bill. If one of those dive sites is in your back yard... well, YMMV.
I guess another thing you could do is tow a float on a reel with a max of 33' of line on it. Still... there's an easy solution for those other 99% dive sites.
I guess another thing you could do is tow a float on a reel with a max of 33' of line on it. Still... there's an easy solution for those other 99% dive sites.
Near anyone can come up with some site or pool (duh!) that would mitigate near all risk of diving with no depth & time device. The question was is it a safe practice. The answer is an obvious no.
Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to end up leaving my computer or bottom timer at home because I am not used to taking it with me. Also, I don't see any real advantage to not having it. If you think the little computer not being on your arm is going to make a tangible difference to your streamlining, then I think you're FOS.
Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to end up leaving my computer or bottom timer at home because I am not used to taking it with me. Also, I don't see any real advantage to not having it. If you think the little computer not being on your arm is going to make a tangible difference to your streamlining, then I think you're FOS.
DaleC
Contributor
That's weird? I wonder why we all don't crawl seeing as we practiced it so much as babies.. and I'm not even going to touch hop skip and jump.
A safe practice would need some sort of defining parameters. Is it safe practice to dive with an Al 80? Well, not to 200' it isn't.
I agree with some others. Sometimes a site allows a reduction in instrumentation. At a lake I dive frequently the slope topography indicates depth, as does light penetration. The cold indicates time and my J valve indicates volume. I also run out of air (with my tank) before NDL. But there are a lot of caveats contained in there and I wouldn't recommend this to a new diver just looking to get out and dive without access to gear.
A safe practice would need some sort of defining parameters. Is it safe practice to dive with an Al 80? Well, not to 200' it isn't.
I agree with some others. Sometimes a site allows a reduction in instrumentation. At a lake I dive frequently the slope topography indicates depth, as does light penetration. The cold indicates time and my J valve indicates volume. I also run out of air (with my tank) before NDL. But there are a lot of caveats contained in there and I wouldn't recommend this to a new diver just looking to get out and dive without access to gear.
OldNSalty
Contributor
I agree with James on this 100%. There is a spot I try to dive at least once a week-very shallow, 10-15 feet. It does get deeper but the area I stay in is well defined. I just go there for my alone time. I could easily go there with out my bottom timer, no computer, really no spg...but why? When packing I go through a check list, when I suit up I go through a check list...why would I start changing things up?
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