Faith diving and magic?

[AbyssalPlains]

That sounds less like a computer issue than a relationship issue to me... you knew you were close to your limit, you were uncomfortable with that, and rather than risk having your wife peeved with you, you went and took video of her. Don't blame your computer for that.

Glad to hear it ended well, and you've learned something from the incident. That's good.

-kari

Very good point. I was thinking the same thing while reading.

 

[Rick Murchison]

... At one point in the dive, the Suunto was telling me I was skirting NDL while the Oceanic was telling me I had 26 minutes of NDL time remaining.

Which one am I supposed to believe?

Dive the SUUNTO and use the Oceanic for a warm fuzzy feeling that you have 26 minutes "in the bank."

- or -
dive your plan...
Rick
P.S. Confession: I've been known to put the SUUNTO in Gauge mode so it won't whine about the plan.

 

[TSandM]

Boy, the point about clear thinking whacked me upside the head. I really think people don't make good decisions at a hundred feet, even when they think they are just fine. This could well be an example.

And I think folks are being awfully harsh. Is there anyone among us who hasn't at some point made a mistake that was pretty stupid? I got in the water last year with a half-empty tank, because I didn't check it. This guy made some bad decisions about his deco status -- I'll bet a) he won't do it again, and b) he may well have had a little talk with his wife about buddy issues. And I've also had the experience of trying to get my photographer husband to end his dive and ascend with me and our brand new diver teammate, and he wouldn't do it, and I finally got mad and left him there. So relationship issues are definitely something you have to work within and through when you are diving with your spouse!

Cut the guy some slack. He brought the story here for people to read and think about, and it takes a fair amount of intestinal fortitude to do that.

 

[Jax]

There are some good lessons to be learned here, without snarking about the diver or the other snarkers . . .


What this newb sees:
1. complacency - nothing wrong with the computer, it did its job - where was the diver awareness?

2. buddy communication - don't want to get your wife peeved at you . . . I'd say the wife ends at the waterline, and the buddy begins.

3. complacency . . . to take time to video your buddy

4. awareness - didn't know you were so close to going empty on your current use . .

5. planning . . . no thought of turn pressure or minimum gas



Question to you smart folks -- can't ALL that be rolled up into complacency? Should it be?

 

[scubadada]

Come on, pay attention, there's really no excuse

 

[Rick Murchison]

Boy, the point about clear thinking whacked me upside the head. I really think people don't make good decisions at a hundred feet, even when they think they are just fine. This could well be an example...

Busted! I reckon I'll have to finish that "scan regression" article after all.
The elephant in the room on this one to me is PLANNING! And PLANNING ABORT CRITERIA. And DIVING the PLAN.
What was planned max depth? The bottom?
What was planned max bottom time? When the computer whines?
What was rock bottom (planned minimum ascent gas)? Figure it out on the fly as NDL ticks down to zero?
If one is to dive safely at even moderate depths near the limits of gas or deco envelopes, then one would be prudent to have those critical questions answered before ever getting in the water.
When I read this narrative, first I go "oops" and then "wrong" and then "sheeeeesh" and then "AAARRRggghhhh."
But all the wrong thinking and poor decisions in the water could have been eliminated by answering the basic planning questions of "Who has the lead?"; "Max depth?"; "Max bottom time?"; "Minimum ascent gas?" in the planning stage of the dive. Then you won't be faced with trying to make 'em with a little extra nitrogen on the brain.
Where, you may ask, did I learn to be so anal about adequate planning and abort criteria? Let's just say I've been where the OP was on the dive we're reviewing... squared.

Rick

 

[caseybird]

How much do you count on your dive computer?

do you dive twice a day and it never really shows you near any limits so you feel safe?

Do you push every last second out of your computer and ride the thin line of NDL right to the boat?

Are you a thrill seeker and occasionally put your watch into Deco, but manage to clear it by the time you get on the boat?

Why are you asking me this question? You are the one who totally screwed up the dive, not me.
Simple mistakes. It's not the computer that put you into deco. It was your team. Be a little more careful next time. I don't like waiting on the boat for cowboys.
Harsh? Deserved.

 

[Ana]

Why are you asking me this question? You are the one who totally screwed up the dive, not me.
Simple mistakes. It's not the computer that put you into deco. It was your team. Be a little more careful next time. I don't like waiting on the boat for cowboys.
Harsh? Deserved.

Out of the subject at hand but what difference does it make to the other divers waiting on the boat if this was an issue of unplanned deco or just a very long dive?

This two could've very well decided to stay the whole dive way above the bottom on the water column and have a forever and a day dive.

As far as their actual actions, seems to me a rhetorical question is up for discussion. I don't consider the workings of a dive a computer any thing to do with Faith or magic. These are tools for diving, and I think they are very good. Taking computers to the limit? yeah I do sometimes, but is not about faith, is about accepting risk and believing I am applying enough mitigating factors on the side to keep me safe. At the same time I believe anyone can get bent in a very conservative dive, without pushing the envelope not even seeing the envelope, the odds are low but not 0.

So take notice of what this couple did and figure if you like to dive like that or rather use a different approach. Posting accusations to the guy about his mistakes or the wife's seems redundant and a waste of time, he already knows, the tone of his post already acknowledges responsibility, I guess we can send him to the catholic thread and make him pray a dozen Our Father and to repent.

Also I don't believe the conservative settings should be considered for old people and/or cardiac patients, We know our bodies, and unless one is really delusional, one can tell when/if you are in shape, even if you are in shape you can tell if the last couple of days you have abused your condition, many factors brings you down from your top shape, acknowledge you condition at the moment and adjust accordingly

 

[D_B]

Thank you for posting your story .. yes, we all have made mistakes, sometimes approaching that, "what the hell was I thinking?" area. :blush:

One thing to keep in mind is that once a moderator posts to a thread, they are no longer a Moderator, they are a poster just like everyone else, and no longer able to moderate that thread
But ... Forum Moderators are held to a higher standard , and I understand why they are, because their posts somehow carry more weight, or are seen as more knowledgeable in that forums area

 

[DevonDiver]

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