Too old for tech?

[Steve SDI/TDI HQ]

TDI will come around sooner or later

(most likely later: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/3263020-post14.html)

Not sure what you mean... aren't you flogging the same dead horse. TDI has encouraged the use of helium since its inception in 1994.

Brian's statement (you supplied the link to) is pretty specific... Given this [cold water dark conditions] most of us would start using helium much shallower [than 130 feet/40 metres]

He goes on to say that the depths quoted from TDI standards are maximum allowable NOT suggested "The maximum depth for the course would be outside the comfort range of some in Great Lakes conditions, but of course this course can be, and is, conducted in very shallow water. I've seen it conducted successfully in less than 80 feet of water off the east coast."


Teaching staged decompression before encouraging helium use is not set in stone but remains our philosophy because the bio-physics informing this choice has not changed.

Also, human nature has not changed and you and I both see divers with "recreational trimix" cards diving with decompression gas(es) conducting staged decompression dives for which they have no training... I cannot speak for the agency on this point but my personal feeling is that this is an unfortunate situation... there's nothing smart about it, since staged decompression diving at any depth is about far more than management of narcosis.

 

[Blackwood]

Steve - I didn't mean anything by it.

It seems like more and more people are picking up helium earlier rather than later

Educators who are concerned about losing business to other agencies will likely start to offer a competitive option.

If TDI sees some flaw in introducing helium earlier, I applaud them to sticking to their guns in spite of industry trends (even though I likely disagree with the "flaw").

 

[toxdoc1947]

My wuss of a doc (who doesn't want to be stuck running the poison control center all by himself) insisted on a cardiac stress test before he would sign my SCUBA medical release. The cardiologist got me up to 174 beats per minute with no sign of abnormality - disgustedly showed me the door "you DON'T need a heart doctor."