New divers and computers

[The Chairman]

I love for my students to use a computer. It helps them to limit their ascent rate as well as lets them learn after the fact. Seeing that safety stop on a time graph really drives it home.

 

[sewcopp]

"

The other day my 1st dive was an no-required-deco dive of 131', 1:06. If my computer dies during the SI, what do your tables say?

A less extreme example is this morning's dive. 79', 45 minutes before getting back above 50', 54 minutes total runtime. What do the tables say about that one? What would the tables say about a failure partway into my second dive -- 46' max, 1:28, after an SI of 1:38.

I don't bother carrying a depth gauge and tables with me because it generally isn't realistic to switch over to tables during the dive. Depending upon the situation, I'll just gracefully abort the dive by going shallower than 30' and hanging around for a while. Or I might (gasp!) look at another diver's computer and take into account the differences I've already observed about his profile and mine."

Sorry if I miss read this.:06: It sounds like you strap on your computer and jump in. What happened to "Plan your dive and dive your plan"?? It also seems that most peopl on this thread don't know how to plan or follow a multilevel dive on a standard "Square Table" so your TBT is not one time for one depth (your max). I realize this can't be so and if it is I think it's time we start teaching/relearning the tables and not just relying on the electronic devices. No they don't crap out often and the batteries don't die a lot but they can and do. Why have that ruin a perfectly good day diving.

Sue

 

[StSomewhere]

...what do your tables say?

What was the average depth? What was the profile like?

 

[Scuba Jerm]

I met an instructor in Fiji and he said he hardly teaches the dive tables anymore. He just lets his students miss those on the test. Of course he covers it like he should.... he just doesn't drill it into their heads... instead he highly suggests getting a dive computer. Simple!! All the calculations are done. To me, diving without a computer would be like taking a calculus class without a calculator. Why put yourself through the mental trauma?

 

[Charlie99]

It also seems that most peopl on this thread don't know how to plan or follow a multilevel dive on a standard "Square Table" so your TBT is not one time for one depth (your max). I realize this can't be so and if it is I think it's time we start teaching/relearning the tables and not just relying on the electronic devices.

Which agency is teaching planning of a multilevel dive on a standard "Square Table" ? Which agency, and which table? Is it something that they are willing to put in writing and stand behind as truly being correct and safe, or is it simply vague verbal descriptions because it "kind of works" and "is pretty close, but not really quite right"?

 

[Charlie99]

Sorry if I miss read this.:06: It sounds like you strap on your computer and jump in. What happened to "Plan your dive and dive your plan"??

I don't know how you read that into it, since all I did is give the simple max depth and times of some dives. The initial phases of this dive were planned as a multilevel dive. There was a deviation from plan when I followed a jack & eel hunting party for a while and they descended a ways, but in general it followed the plan.

Of course, there ARE many dives where I just jump in with nothing agreed upon other than a max depth.

If you think about it for a while, you should be able to realize that a complete dive profile plan is not required. (Nice to have, but not required). What IS needed are a plan for the ascent profile, and a plan for return to the exit point. Those plans (both gas and deco) can be continuously modified during the dive.

 

[Salty Diver]

I feel that as a student you should be following your dive tables, and that is it. I can`t see how some people say it is nice to have as a back up. Your OPW instructor should have drilled them into your head. If you are a little rusty get help with them, learn them, master them. I use a Halcyon SPG on my hip, a compass on my right wrist and a OMS bottom timer on my left wrist. I am just as safe as a person with the most expersive computer.

 

[ScubyDoo]

your safety stop and accent from it in your total bottom time. NAUI says you don't have to include that in calculating your total bottom time. Thinking outloud....

Neither does PADI..

 

[ScubaSixString]

I met an instructor in Fiji and he said he hardly teaches the dive tables anymore. He just lets his students miss those on the test. Of course he covers it like he should.... he just doesn't drill it into their heads... instead he highly suggests getting a dive computer. Simple!! All the calculations are done. To me, diving without a computer would be like taking a calculus class without a calculator. Why put yourself through the mental trauma?

So you're in favor of just throwing the tables out? This instructor is, in my opinion, doing his students a great disservice. If and when they go to get any further certification, they're going to need to know how to use them, unless, of course, they go back to this guy.

The problem with computers, and I have two, is that they very often get used IN PLACE of the tables, instead of alongside them. And then you forget how to use tables. A guy in my nitrox class had been diving on a computer for 8 years. He almost failed the class because he couldn't run tables for repetitive dives.

Do computers allow longer bottom times? They can. But if you don't know why your computer is putting you beyond the table, you shouldn't be doing it, again, in my opinion.

 

[Amberjack]

But if you don't know why your computer is putting you beyond the table, you shouldn't be doing it, again, in my opinion.

Generally speaking, the computer is putting you beyond the table because the table can only calculate square profiles, not multilevel dives, right? If we're talking about a computer that's as conservative as the tables, is there something else at play?