Gas Consumption Rant

[don Francisco]

Originally Posted by don Francisco
With all due respect, this is a highly unlikely situation, bordering on the "never happen".

Gauges are among our most reliable pieces of equipment, and the risk of one to being off 300-500psi at the low end of the scale is negligible, bordering on zero.........

You might possibly want to call this statement into questioning. I will try to remember who it was and where the thread is (I am drawing a blank...hopefully someone else will recall it) but a well respected member of SB has personal experience of what exactly "acceptable tolerance" is to a computer/gauge manufacturer. This is not my personal experience however I DO have a computer, a tank checker guage and a buddy's console, all with a spread os 250psi from high to low....all different manufacturers but do you think you get to choose which one is accurate before the dive? I am personally going with the conservative one....that way I can dive again.

I stand by my original statement. While gauges have tolerances in their readings and can vary from one another within those tolerances, they should be accurate within 100psi at the critical low end of the range. I also went further in my post offering a simple method for checking the accuracy at that end of the scale.

There are lots of things we have to accept in life, unreliable or inaccurate gauges aren't one of them. If you don't trust your gauge replace it.

 

[psychocabbage]

Hmmmm.. in Cozumel, when drift diving with the group, when I am done if no one is around me or they are too far, I will call it and head up on my own.. Boat always gets me.. Big sausage helps.. haha

Guess I just dont worry that much and am usually watching the action below me as I drift up.

I went from being 1st up last year to being in the average group that comes up.. My wife (life buddy) doesnt use air.. she seems to be a fish so I dont bring her up with me on the first few dives as she can stay down there forever with her super low sac rate.. To keep her closer to my no fly time, mid week I will bring her up with me..