Split from Exploration dives without a computer

[H2Andy]

The problem with doing that way, is finding a buddy for the second part of the class.

hmmm... didn't think about that

that's true... i guess the easiest way is to agree with your buddy ahead of
time for both of you to do it the same way

hmmmm... or.... you could just show up for the tail end of a regular Tech 1 class....
would you need to still bring a buddy or would they pair you up?

Did you guys have to swim 440 yards in 10 minutes, snorkel/fin 880 yards in 18 minutes, tow the animal 100 yards, and buddy-breathe with one reg without without a mask following a line for 100 yards?

no, no, no, and not yet

 

[JeffG]

hmmmm... or.... you could just show up for the tail end of a regular Tech 1 class....
would you need to still bring a buddy or would they pair you up?

I guess it would depend on the class. Might not have room for an extra. Tech 1 class is either 2 or 3 students. So you would have to be lucky to find one with just two (and they would have to be willing to accept you as part of the team.)

 

[TheRedHead]

no, no, no, and not yet

I knew he was a sadist...

 

[Snowbear]

The problem with doing that way, is finding a buddy for the second part of the class.

In Andy's neck of the world, buddies are plentiful.

I took mine in Ontario. The 3 of us had never met or dived together before.
Since we all had the same "basic training" via DIRf, we somehow managed to get it together. The TDI guy brought the "every dive is a solo dive, heck with your buddy, every diver for himself, only you can do your deco, independence for every diver" attitude with him. The other 2 of us worked pretty hard to get him to remain part of the team even when he or we were having a "problem."

By keeping the team together, every 'problem' the instructor threw at us was easily solved into a non-problem, even when there was more than one at a time (i.e. a team member with no gas, no mask and doing deco. It's up to the other team member(s) to help him/her get to the surface.

By looking out for each other, we were even able to avert some of them. Whenever the team started falling apart, the problems compounded and someone got in "trouble." There was much emphasis on thinking about everything we do and everything that happens. Sometimes the automatic or instinctive reaction is the one that's going to hurt someone. It was no "vacation" by any stretch of the imagination.

As for taking time off Andy - depending on the schedule of the instructor, some of these classes can be done as a long weekend, so you can do them with only a day or two off work. Most employers allow a personal day or two in addition to vacation time, don't they?

 

[PerroneFord]

Did you guys have to swim 440 yards in 10 minutes, snorkel/fin 880 yards in 18 minutes, tow the animal 100 yards, and buddy-breathe with one reg without without a mask following a line for 100 yards? I'm trying to determine the sadist factor of my instructor.

Let see, we did not do the 440, or the snorkel/fin, or tow. We did have to do the buddy breathe both on the bottom and neutral, and both with and without masks. We also had to do an underwater blind swim, on a breath hold, the length of the pool to a waiting buddy who had his back turned.

Hardest thing we had to do was ditch and don. Ten feet of water, nothing on but our wetsuit. Seems easy enough right? Well, I was in a 5mm as the water was about 65F. Diving steel doubles so I had no weight belt. Ever try to descend 10ft in fresh water with a 5mm and NO weight? I thought I was going to DROWN. And then I had to grab the reg, take a few breaths, and then find a way to lay the tanks on my back to make me negative enough to don my gear. Hardest thing I've ever done in the water.

 

[Thalassamania]

That's fairly standard where I've trained and taught (except for the line).

 

[TheRedHead]

With TDI, it depends a lot on the instructor, which may be a benefit of GUE - at least the curriculum is always the same. Mine was rather tough and covered information not in the books.

 

[gcbryan]

I'm curious Pug, Bob, what do you guy's use (gas) from 100 fsw to 120 fsw up here in the PNW. I know you guy's dive a lot and are in the 110-120 fsw range a lot. Are you really using that much trimix?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm curious Pug, Bob, what do you guy's use (gas) from 100 fsw to 120 fsw up here in the PNW. I know you guy's dive a lot and are in the 110-120 fsw range a lot. Are you really using that much trimix?

Not me ... I use almost exclusively EAN32 for dives between 40 and 110. Below 110 I'll go with 30/30 or a leaner EAN mix, depending on schedule and finances.

Uncle Pug ... on the other hand ... has his own fill station.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

I'm curious Pug, Bob, what do you guy's use (gas) from 100 fsw to 120 fsw up here in the PNW. I know you guy's dive a lot and are in the 110-120 fsw range a lot. Are you really using that much trimix?

For a partial answer, quoting UP from this post:

For recreational type natural multilevel dives... no deco gas/OW/ just out having fun. Most often (but not always) these are shore dives.

(This is not quite the same as what I do on square profile dive sites where the UW terrain does not lend itself to natural multilevel dives.)

I always use EAN32 <100 but will take it down deeper for a short period of time at the beginning of a dive but not past 1.6 PO2.
.
.
.

(As always, be sure to consider the context of the quote. Also, note that this is from 2003. He may have changed his procedures.)