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You and a buddy are cave diving and you look at your wrist computer and it is blank. Now what? Base your answer on the gear/buddy/location you normally dive with, at what depth/penetration you normally do. And what if your plan is to dive two more days yet?
-skip
I've had this happen... thankfully I wear two computers. but if i didn't I'd wait 12hrs (probably just overnight) and plan very conservative dives with tables and increase my hang time by 25%... diving tables is pretty conservative anyway. In regards to the dive where the computer is blank... I usually end up with 20-30 minutes deco at JB and it drops to 13-15 on oxygen... so I'd switch to oxygen and do a 20 minute hang. Will I at least have a watch for this??
-Matt
Been there.....Just after I finished my full cave. I learned the hard way that an Ocianic Data Max computer will shut down after 2 1/2 hrs....I was past the Room of Tears, in Carwash still on the way in when I looked down and saw a BLANK SCREEN, or I should say a frozen screen. Lucky for me I was with 3 other people on the same profile. I used the longest time of the 3 computers and added to it. THEN I TRASHED THE COMPUTER AND BOUGHT 2 NITEK 3'S............I always use 2 computers and a watch from then on. FYI---------Ocianic told me that the computer was not intended for that long of a dive and was desinged to shut down.....
You look at your other wrist!Quote:
Originally Posted by skip
Actually, it's not always that easy. During this year's Scooter Race the rules were that you had to be cave configured, but it didn't mention computers. I didn't want to add a "six feet for three minutes" dive to my logs, so I left both computers in the trailer. Then BobK said, "Let's go diving."
When we got to the Hill 400 jump I looked at one wrist, then the other. Not a huge deal, because I knew what kind of profile we were doing. I figured it was a No Deco dive, so I did ten minutes.
Then kicked myself.
http://www.5thd-x.com/xducation/pdf/ratiodeco.pdfQuote:
Originally Posted by skip
very simple explanation. see four pages at the end of the document. for the most of our deco diving there are only 4 base tables (actualy methods) we can get away with. It also requires nice watch with good glow large hands and a bottom timer but no VR3 :-)
I take it you don't have to set PPO2 before every dive? What computers do you use?Quote:
Originally Posted by Slüdge
I think the "blank" in this case was probably your stare :D
If you log your dives at the end of each day, you can go to the tables and re-create all your dives there, and get a pretty good idea what group you would be in for the next day's dives.Quote:
Originally Posted by skip
FWIW, I not only use 2 computers, but different brands. Identical computers might have identical problems, like shutting off after a 2.5 hour dive.
Nitek Plus and Nitek HE. Set them for the first dive of the day, and as long as the mix is the same you don't have to reset them.Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
Besides, the only thing on my mind at the time was that I would have won the scooter race if I hadn't stopped to help that child that was drowning. :D
If my computer was blank or wasent working, I wouldnt freak out and just bust out the air tables i carry and look at my watch to see how long i had been down. Id know the max depth from my backup depth gauge (the one on my spg), so i would probably not turn the dive jsut cause my computer failed, i would just know i had a long deco ahead of me. Now when i got to deco, i would jsut do the air deco for that dive, and most likely waste my time trying to figure out my EAD for that mix i was diving to shorten my deco time :-D (its happened before)
You should always carefully plan your dives. The computer should be the back-up for the diving plan. Always carry on some kind of pre-printed waterproof dive tables ( you can buy them or create at home, there is a huge selection on the market).
Pull out the tables if necesary or if it is a common profile go on memory with a little extra stops for the cook. Put the profile into your computer or software when you get out.
Don't buy a computer that you have to set or reset before every dive or resets itself while you are waiting in the water.
I was there for both the scooter race and the dive. First, I don't think the 22 year old girl was technically "drowning", at least 'till you got there. Second, it seems there should be more thought put in to light or hand signals for "My computers are in my truck". :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Slüdge
I was thinking of everyone answering based on the gear they have, buddy, site, depth, time into dive.....I was also thinking of what you'd do right then....signal buddy? turn dive? go to backup and not worry about it? No right answer, just curious to see all the solutions/strategies/plans.Quote:
Originally Posted by IowaCaveDiver
-skip
I feel compelled to be Matt's big brother here (if only you would've followed my first piece of advice of not to fall in love....): be careful when it comes to deco by using tables, some tables are not so conservative and remember things in your body change from day to day and remember tables tell you the minimum amount of time you need to deco.....IMHO you should always do more (that's what I call conservative).Quote:
Originally Posted by IowaCaveDiver
Cheers
Skip Wrote:
I was thinking of everyone answering based on the gear they have, buddy, site, depth, time into dive.....I was also thinking of what you'd do right then....signal buddy? turn dive? go to backup and not worry about it? No right answer, just curious to see all the solutions/strategies/plans.
-skip[/quote]
OK Skip,
Site - Little River
Depth - 100' something
Time into dive - 19 min's
Equipment - Duo on one wrist, Oceanic XTC on the other
Instructor - Wearing HE
All three computers faulted, because the PO wasn't set on any of the 3.
That particular day, I freaked, and the instructor said it's no big deal, check your watch, and dive the slate with your contingencies. Since then, I carry the table for the mix I'm using, and plan on the computer going bye bye. I had dove LR a few times before that day, so even without a depth gage, I should have had the memory. We count on our computer's too much! Do the tables either way.
The last place I got bent,..... Little River, with a perfectly functioning computer, with my deco obgligation very satisfied, according to the computer!
The last time I had decent deco obligation, and neither my buddy. or my computer worked right (at that moment), we stopped, both grabbed our tables, and worked it out at the 60' mark, and compared written notes until we agreed. Then we got my computer working, and I still didn't trust it.
I owe a big thanks to John M.-
We were diving- I think day two and the number of dives we were putting in just crushed my poor Bridge II computer- the battery final gave up the ghost.
John handed me one of his Uwatec Pro Ultras and just smiled.
We were buds after that… that’s a lot of faith to hand someone a computer for the rest of the week. Thanks man…
Hey John- remember that Georgia trooper his handcuffs, that hot chick that mounted up on (you know who) and then we covered him with shaving cream- boy he was pissed! He’ll never forget that birthday!
Never knew you could have so much fun at Vortex with hot chicks, a state trooper and a lovely lady that played the viola. 8)
Andrew :-D