pdhenry
Contributor
IIRC there was one multi-level dive question on my Nitrox exam, involving calculation of Oxygen exposure from a multilevel dive. The answer accepted as correct was to calculate as it two dives with no SI.
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IIRC there was one multi-level dive question on my Nitrox exam, involving calculation of Oxygen exposure from a multilevel dive. The answer accepted as correct was to calculate as it two dives with no SI.
So you're given a dive briefing on let's say a wreck. You know the different "levels" on the wreck. But you really don't know how much time you want to spend at each level (my shell collecting comes to mind). Or you may just go to the bottom, spend a few minutes there and gradually ascend (like a wall dive). How do you plan that?-- other than following your computer and maybe using the RDP to plan a square profile and go from there. As I have mentioned in the past, the eRDPml would seem quite useless as would the Wheel.
I generally don't wait until I am sitting on the boat to do my dive plan. I create a plan after I am setting up the dive - with known location and depths. Do I plan every dive I do - no... But if I am going deeper than 50 feet I generally use an excel sheet that I built that tracks Depth, Time and my RMV/SAC rate. I use the information as a guide in a square profile or multi-profile just to make sure I have enough gas for what I think I am going to do.
Do you need to Plan your Dive and Dive your Plan - no but it may help you frame your dive. I generally use a liberal RMV/SAC for the plan and watch my SPG and PDC as a confirmation and if I have extra gas - I use it as I want and extend the dive as needed or head on up based on conditions.
I'm unsure when exactly you do the planning--You said you don't wait until you're on the boat but you plan it after you're setting up the dive with known locations & depths. So you get the info. before the boat leaves the dock/shop, I assume? Some of the boats I've been on have changed plans en route to sites, but, anyway.
To be fair most dives are multilevel dives.
In terms of the course itself, as is often the case, what you get out of it depends on the instructor teaching it. For most divers who have their own personal computer, they should be able to plan and execute multilevel dives already - as long as they have a sound appreciation of the rules for using a computer, and how theirs actually works.