50 metres on the Yellow Peril!!

[Lou]

And indeed looks like you've built it yourself!

There are very few, if any, faultless designs in engineering.  It is always a cost-risk-benefit balancing act.  If you had the access to supplies, time and money you could get something that is close to being perfect *for you*, but it might very well not suit the next guy at all.  One man's meat and all that!

[John Gulliver]

"I'd be interested in knowing exactly how many dives you've done and where because you can bet your bottom dollar that the more dives you do over time the more you will begin to realise that shit simply happens."
True, but, just as a matter of curiosity, Ammers, how many dives have YOU done altogether so far (on OC and on the RB) and what qualifications do you hold? Please don't take this as innuendo. I just wondered.

[Ammers]

I have got no idea how many dives now, I would have to download my computer.  I don't really count dives to be honest, I count hours in the water and try and get those hours in varying conditions.  

Most of my dives are a minimum of 2 hours long, sometimes 90 or 100 mins if it's too cold.   I see some people who go and do 2 half hour dives in a day but I prefer to rack in one big long dive and then go to the pub.  British Decompression Technique.  So my 2 hour dip is still twice the inwater time that 2 half hour dives achieves.  

Long dives on the box can be tiring and cold so I don't push myself towards 2 dives in a day, especially after long deco. As it is, I am already feeling very tired on VPlanner and I think that shows warnings of subclinical symptoms. Soon I will switch off death planner onto something a bit better, it gets you out of the water fast compared to other software but it's not very conservative.

As for qualifications, I have no shame in admitting that I have hardly any. But then, I have never believed that tickets are indicative of diver skill level.  I have met highly certified divers who panicked at the smallest problem and I have met Open Water divers who are extremely proficient.  One of the best divers I have seen in the CDG has no tickets. Some of my instructor friends have done 500 dives in Stoney Cove teaching students, same sites, same depths, unprepared for harsher environments.

Courses do not teach divers to stay calm when a problem happens.  I am completely uncertified on the rebreather, but when a recent problem appeared, with potentially fatal consequences, I was able to deal with it while solo.  The same problem has been attributed to at least 2 deaths and 2 episodes of unconscious diver rescues (one from 44m).  All those divers had tickets.  Of the various instructors that I have discussed the episode with, 2 said I should be dead and they have no idea how I got myself out of it.  The answer is that I did not panic.  Hours and hours and hours of practising and simulating complete failures in the water are what I have used.  I just do not think tickets could develop the same skills.

Since I have absolutely no interest in instructing, ever, I do not feel the need to go badge chasing. To be honest, the few courses that I have done have taught me very little compared to what I have learned on my own and the lessons of experience.   The self taught divers I know have actually learned much more than the divers who go on courses because they go the extra mile to seek out more information.  But that's just my humble opinion.  Feel free to flame away.  Season's greetings.

[John Gulliver]

Why would I want to flame you, or anybody? Thank you for your lengthy answer and clarifying your views on training but I didn't get the answers to my questions. Even if you can't give me exact figures regarding number of dives or hours under water, would you estimate that you have 100 hours,  1000, or 10 000? And what do you mean by "As for qualifications, I have no shame in admitting that I have hardly any. "? Exactly what qualifications DO you have? The questions may not seem relevant to you but I personally like to know if I'm talking to a real authority or just someone who has talked to the right people and read the right books. NB I'm not accusing you of the latter but there are plenty of them about, at least here in Sweden.

(Edited by John Gulliver at 6:35 pm on Dec. 22, 2002)

[Andy Phillips]

Hey AnneMarie,

Followed a thread of yours, I think on this site re O2 sensor failiers. Well spoke to Nigel the resident office genius and between us we have come up with two ides, one to reduce the chance of condensation with the sensor in use and the other a test rig.

Bear with me, I off to play with an RB after Xmas hope to see if it will fit, the test rig is half built but we got a lot of cameras (digital) in for repair so Nigel is side-tracked at the mo

Andrew

[Ammers]

</span>

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Quote: from John Gulliver on 5:28 pm on Dec. 22, 2002
Why would I want to flame you, or anybody? Thank you for your lengthy answer and clarifying your views on training but I didn't get the answers to my questions. Even if you can't give me exact figures regarding number of dives or hours under water, would you estimate that you have 100 hours,  1000, or 10 000? And what do you mean by &quot;As for qualifications, I have no shame in admitting that I have hardly any. &quot;? Exactly what qualifications DO you have? The questions may not seem relevant to you but I personally like to know if I'm talking to a real authority or just someone who has talked to the right people and read the right books. NB I'm not accusing you of the latter but there are plenty of them about, at least here in Sweden.

(Edited by John Gulliver at 6:35 pm on Dec. 22, 2002)

<span =''>

Tickets do not make an authority. &nbsp;I am not prepared to guesstimate how many dives or hours, maybe download it all sometime when not so busy. &nbsp;You may dive with me any time and judge for yourself. &nbsp;AndyP I keep meaning to email you but I just have no time, soon, sometime soon!!! &nbsp;bye

[Andy Phillips]

No sweat, the O2 sensor tester is apparently finished but I have not seen it yet, knowing Nigel, it will work, will mail you in the New Year, we intend to sell it so would like to get it tested for a while, you up for it, you certainly won't be any worse off than you are now. Condensation issue is another matter, will work on this mid Jan as it is the soonest I can get a unit in my hands for a while.

Andrew

[Angleseyskipper]

I've just been reading about the qualifications debate and its intresting to think that a large number of divers still rush to reach the top of the ticket ladder but seem to miss out on all the experience of building up shallower dives (in moving water) to get there.

How often have you heard "I've been diving 2 years, oh yeah, got me
trimix ticket.."

i've done six years of skippering dive charters and i can tell you that, in general, the best/more competent divers are not the ones from the tekie end of the market.

hard for some people to believe but its true.

you simply cannot buy experience and with the easy still water diving trend still more inviting than an intresting sea/wreck dive i think nothings gonna change in the future.

Our simplest test is just to look at someones gear.

If it looks a bit scuffed and shagged they've either pulled it out of a skip and are a complete tight arse, in which case paying a charter fee would be too painfull, or they do shit loads of diving which is what we luv to see.

I had this debate with an ex livaboard skipper steve who had an RN fleet tender up in scotland. in his 9 years of operation he never had a serious incident and the way he did it was that the first days dive was a 15-20m shake down dive on which he watched everyone and then the rest of the week was tailored to the weakest member of the group.

it seemed to work for him and he never bothered looking at paper quals.
cheers elfyn

[Ian Daly]

AM,

For someone who claims to be eagle-eyed to all details you have now twice failed to see the questions that John Gulliver has asked, and if you have noticed them you have deliberately omitted to answer them - why???

Please answer them when you are not too busy planning to penetrate the titanic.

Thanks

Ian Daly