why do i have expensive gear if i don't trust it?

[maggs_the]

No tragedy here and no actual accident. More like a wake up call in a big way for me!

Diving in Cozumel with the drifts last year and the currents were actually pretty strong. My buddy and I gave up trying to see anything and just zoom’d along the reef till time was up. I have a very conservative dive computer and for some reason, it had me in a deco stop… (lesson #1 watch my own nitrogen levels closer instead of allowing a dive master to lead without questioning) but I wasn’t sure what it was trying to tell me (lesson # 2.. know how to read all of your computer’s alerts). It was telling me to stop at 30 feet instead of 15 which confused me because it was the first time I’d ever been in a deco stop situation. I’m trying to figure out what is “wrong” with my dive computer while my buddy is climbing to 15 feet. As I am trying to communicate to him (lesson #3.. have a signal for a deco stop), I am now over the edge of the reef above the abyss with being pushed by the strong current and questioning why my computer says I am now at 40 feet when I had been at 35 feet and all the time been kicking with my fins to gradually come up to 30 feet. Instead of concentrating on my dive computer and figuring out what is going on, I am looking up again trying to reassure my dive buddy that it is okay and I’ll be there soon when I look back down … still kicking mind you.. and my computer says I’m at 45 feet. This can’t be right. I must not be reading it correctly or something. I’m arguing with myself and my dive computer when I look up to once again try and communicate with a dive buddy who is already safe and I see the dive master swimming towards me hard! The light finally goes off and I realize the current is stronger than my kicks and I truly am going down, not up despite my efforts.

It was a simple enough fix to put some air into my BC and get a little extra lift and the panic didn’t actually set in till I was on the boat and realized how stupid I had been to argue with my dive computer when it said I was going deeper! I was not narc’d, just … stupid.

I wasn’t even close to dying but when I ponder how long I would have ignored and what panic might ensue had I hit 60 feet before reacting..

[MSilvia]

Sounds like you learned some valuable lessons!

[ianr33]

Sounds like a good learning experience! Glad you are O.K.
I do wonder how many divers really have no idea what their computer is telling them.
A raised pinky finger (facing out) is a pretty standard signal for deco.This can be followed by ,say,3 fingers for 3 minutes deco.

What type of computer do you have? 30 feet is a pretty deep stop unless it has an RGBM algorithm or similar.I would have to do a big dive to get a 30 foot stop on my Aeris computer.

[maggs_the]

Originally Posted by ianr33

Sounds like a good learning experience! Glad you are O.K.
I do wonder how many divers really have no idea what their computer is telling them.
A raised pinky finger (facing out) is a pretty standard signal for deco.This can be followed by ,say,3 fingers for 3 minutes deco.

interesting!! i did not know that was a standard signal.. very good.

[Steve Scuba]

Very good info, and a good story. Another lesson to learn (especially for a new diver like me) would be that currents aren't just side-to-side. That sucker was going down.

For now, I'm a renter, and I honestly have little idea of what the rental computer is computer is telling me other than depth. The things are pretty intuitive, but they don't hand out the user's manual when you pick up your rental gear. For now, I've just used it for depth info, and I've been timing the dives myself. But I sure am going to memorize that users manual when I finally get my own gear.

[RoadRacer1978]

Good lesson. It is amazing how many of of think we know more than our instruments. It is so easy to think you know what is going on and think somethin must be broken as what the instrument is showing cannot be true. It is always a good thing to trust you gear, but at the same time instruments and computers can fail. Luckily they usually just quit rather than displaying wrong information.

[Tableleg]

It's a good thing you kept a calm head through the whole thing. And experiences like this are the only way we learn. It's one thing to read the words you just typed and try to think what I would of done in the same situation, but it's a completely different beast to actually be put into a situation.

Congrats on the way you handled it!

[kyfriedchipper]

On a dive trip in the Cayman Islands, we had a photographer on our boat who got so engaged in taking pictures that he completely ignored his dive computer. Once the boat population was ascending back and getting into the boat, the photographer looked at his dive computer and discovered it said he needed a 20 MINUTE DECO STOP @ 15 feet. He didn't even have enough air to complete this deco stop , so the DM had to share air with him, then they had to share air off of the emergency reg that was hanging off the boat at 15'. Needless to say, the boat and dive crew were pissed off - but just another reason to pay attention to your computer - that's why you bought it!!!

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by RoadRacer1978

Luckily they usually just quit rather than displaying wrong information.

Yeah, but sometimes not. My computer failed this year, and I first noticed a problem when it told me (15 minutes into a 30 ft dive) that my time was 3 hours and max depth was 85 feet. A moment or two later, I noticed a bubble under the screen. RIP

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by Steve Scuba

Very good info, and a good story. Another lesson to learn (especially for a new diver like me) would be that currents aren't just side-to-side. That sucker was going down.

For now, I'm a renter, and I honestly have little idea of what the rental computer is computer is telling me other than depth. The things are pretty intuitive, but they don't hand out the user's manual when you pick up your rental gear. For now, I've just used it for depth info, and I've been timing the dives myself. But I sure am going to memorize that users manual when I finally get my own gear.

A great reason why you should have your own computer...and stay with the no-deco limits ...