My AN/DP/Helitrox course

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Theoretical question.
Could you see a skilled diver doing a limited 150 dive with a 120 cf back gas, include an H valve if you like with 2 second stages for redundancy, a stage 40 cf bottle of gas and a 40 of 100 O2? Add in a competent “personal assistant” buddy if you like.
I know that you are able to do AN & DP in Florida with a single backmount cylinder and a stage cylinder. I have been tempted do do so, but am able to do my light backgas deco without it. I would very rarely use the added opportunities. So I can't do an organized trip to Hole in the Wall in Jupiter, that's OK. If it were more important to me, I might consider it.
 
I am reading posts written by experienced divers and I am very surprised to hear such statements "she might need to hire some assistant" to do tech dive, let's be softer on her and give another chance, etc.

Technical diving is different from recreational diving as it involves much higher risks. Person, who is a real technical diver should be a way better than recreational diver. Such diver should be physically fit to handle heavier and bigger equipment or find a way how to overcome his / her limitations (e.g. in this forum I read about handicapped cave diver who has only one leg.... however, such diver does not need any external assistance to execute dives). Another, even the more important quality is to be able to make rational and sound decisions, e.g. decide to terminate dive if conditions are bad, make other quality decisions underwater. Now let's look at this specific situation:

1) Diver is not able to handle heavy equipment, to get in or out of water. I agree with statement that such diver is a liability because crew, buddy always have to take care of such diver. Do you want to dive with a buddy who ALWAYS needs assistance. What about situations that something wrong happens with buddy? Such diver will not be able to provide assistance because she needs assistance.

2) Attitude. I understand that she already had near death experience and instructor imposed her various restrictions (single tank, restricted depth), which she completely IGNORED. This very clearly shows that you can not trust such person. I understand that she is obsessed with wreck diving and wants to do deep wreck diving at all costs. This clearly shows that such diver does not have technical diver mindset and is DANGEROUS for herself and her buddy. I could never trust such diver judgement.

3) There are other bits and pieces that normally can be overcome in tech training: calculations of gas consumption, MOD, etc, fining techniques, buoyancy, trim. However, if person is still not able to make this right after 4 years (please take into account that these are not my words) this shows that definitely something is wrong.

Based on all these facts think about yourself. Would you want to do a challenging deep wreck diving with diver whom you can not trust, who will need to be kept eye on and you will always need to be ready to rescue her. Can you call such diver as technical diver? No, No, No.

For me this is a very clear case when instructor should openly tell her that she can not be certified as technical diver.... even if she would overcome physical limitations because she does not have technical diver mindset. Purpose of this post is not to bash on @Marie13 but to expose inconvenient truth that she and some other people still do not want to admit. Nobody wants to read articles that "technical diver" died in attempting deep wreck dive.
 
As for calling it a wimpy dive: yes, I was understating it, and I’ll take being called out for it. Having said that, people do such dives [150'] on a single tank (on air!) with no accelerated deco all the time. I would never do that. I suspect you would never do that, nor allow it to be done under something you control. But It’s not exactly an unreasonable target for even a recreational diver to set for themselves. (that is, set it as a goal to do it correctly!)
Yes, people do that and live. Learn to Bounce Dive

Mindset and ability are everything if you want to go totally renegade. But that type of extreme diving has nothing at all to do with tech diving.

When you are part of a team of two or three, you have serious responsibilities for others (as they do for you). Not my cup of tea. Thus, I dive solo within my limits.
 
She so hates GUE but they clearly lay out the fitness expectations for a technical diver.
This thread just proves again the need to take the majority of forum talk with a grain of salt. There is always two sides to a story, @Dive Right In Scuba sounds like they have given her more than a fair crack and the patience has worn thin.
 
in this forum I read about handicapped cave diver who has only one leg.... however, such diver does not need any external assistance to execute dives
I find that hard to believe, happy to be proven wrong though.

I'm curious why one on the most outspoken people on here hasn't said one word after 24hrs of all these comments :idk:
 
I find that hard to believe, happy to be proven wrong though.

I'm curious why one on the most outspoken people on here hasn't said one word after 24hrs of all these comments :idk:

there is definitely a guy with one leg currently learning to cave dive and seems to do fairly well. He’s a sb user.
 
there is definitely a guy with one leg currently learning to cave dive and seems to do fairly well. He’s a sb user.
Oh I don't doubt there's many divers with disabilities that do great, my question was to the claim of the one legged guy cave diving with no assistance at all.
 
Oh I don't doubt there's many divers with disabilities that do great, my question was to the claim of the one legged guy cave diving with no assistance at all.

Most of scuba diving above water is upper body. Even weaker legs/knee issues on a boat ladder can be compensated if a person has decent upper body strength. I do not know this person at all. but I have seen some videos. I imagine he might be a little bit slower than the average diver, but slow is not the same as can't be done without assistance
 
My comments/suggestions pertain almost 100% to her physical challenges/abilities. Just because she almost got killed diving does NOT (in my mind) necessarily preclude her from more diving/training, IF she learned from the incident.

I avoided making comments about her "skills", since I have no knowledge of them and I am hesitant to assume I can predict the future progress of a determined stranger. It is quite possible that she lacks the mentality, humility and coordination to attain some degree of competence in her chosen endeavor, but that's not something I can discern from the internet.

I can think of one person who I have dived with, who I will never dive with again. I am almost 100% sure I will never even set foot on a boat he is going out on. He is dangerous, probably suffers from ADD, is able to hold a high level professional job, but has proven to me on one too many occasions that he lacks the common sense necessary for the activity. He is a danger to others and I am not going to be around him. So I fully acknowledge that some people (even enthusiastic ones) are not right for this activity.

However, I would hate to see someone thwarted by some physical limitations that seem to have some potential work- arounds, if some creativity is applied.

Judging from some photos and comments, she is an over weight, over 50 year old, short female with significant joint problems. OBVIOUSLY diving is going to be more dangerous and challenging for her!
 
Oh I don't doubt there's many divers with disabilities that do great, my question was to the claim of the one legged guy cave diving with no assistance at all.

My understanding is that he's pretty much completely self sufficient and doesn't really require assistance anymore than my wife or I help each other when we cave dive (helping if one of us gets stuck in their harness because they forgot to take their computer with fischer cable off (that'd be me all the time) or being nice and helping carry bailout tanks). That's basically what I've read and heard, but have not actually met him or dove with him so don't have first hand knowledge. Basically he doesn't need any major help like people helping him in out of the water for certain.
 
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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