Tec Tuesday

Tec diving has come up a lot in conversation recently so I thought I would dedicate a post to it today. 

PADI defines technical diving as "diving other than conventional commercial or recreational diving that takes divers beyond recreational diving limits. It is further defined as an activity that includes one or more of the following: diving beyond 40 meters/130 feet, required stage decompression, diving in an overhead environment beyond 130 linear feet from the surface, accelerated stage decompression and/or the use of multiple gas mixtures in a single dive." For those of you wishing to learn more about the concept, click here for further information.

I have only done some penetration diving and multiple gas diving but full tec diving has never really appealed to me because I don't see the point of going down to say 90m in 7 minutes but then spending 7 hours  ascending in deco stops. 

I'm aware that is not entirely accurate but hereby lies my point: For me diving isn't about meticulous planning and calculations to achieve a depth to impress others. For me, diving is about freedom and escapism and surrendering to the power of the underwater world. I don't dispute the importance of tec diving for expeditions and commercial purposes but as a hobby it does nothing for me. I'm aware some people do it in order to see a wreck or a particular site at a depth greater than the rec limit, this I can appreciate, but to dive to crazy depths just to say you can seems pointless in my opinion.

And all the equipment would drive me crazy!

In Defense of Dive Tables

With inexpensive dive computers on every wrist these days, do we even need dive tables anymore? Yes, in fact, we do.

There was a time when dive computers were for the few, the most dedicated or simply the most flush with cash. The sheer cost of a dive computer meant that most divers went without one, relying instead on a waterproof watch and an analog depth gauge. These were the days of dive planning and dive tables. Before a dive, divers would plan the maximum depth of the dive, which was not to be exceeded, and a maximum time for the dive based on the data their dive tables gave them. Once the dive was completed, the nitrogen load of the dive would be calculated using the table. And based on this, the timing, depth, and duration of the next dive could be planned.

But as Morse’s Law came into effect (any new technology will double its processing power and halve its price roughly every 18 months), dive computers have become accessible for every diver who wants one. Small, inexpensive and all very capable of giving you dive time, depth, remaining dive time and surface time between dives, computers have become for many divers a key piece of gear. I use one myself. And several organizations either have or are considering making the switch completely to the point where dive computers are taught during dive classes and dive tables are left completely out of the equation.

The reasons given in support of this policy are quite good: dive computers are everywhere and inexpensive enough that any diver can afford one, they allow for longer dives due to their on-going calculations of nitrogen loads (rather than calculating the diver as having spent the entire dive at the maximum logged depth, as the tables do), they’re reliable, safe and much easier to learn how to use for a new diver than the dive table and its principles are. So from one perspective, safety would be enhanced by using computers instead of tables.

But we should be cautious about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Having access to dive computers is great, and it’s a great safety asset for divers, but that shouldn’t mean we completely discard dive tables. Why? There are a number of reasons:

1. Dive tables are universal. Dive computers are all slightly different from one another, both in design, user interface and in the algorithm that calculates dive times (hence the warning never to do to consecutive dives on different computers). A dive table is not this way. If you find yourself without a dive computer, the table can always take over. And by making sure all divers are able to plan a dive according to a dive table, there will be no confusion over which computer’s data is used.

2. Dive tables don’t crap out. Yes, dive computers are safe and reliable. But they’re not 100 percent reliable. I have seen dive computers crap out during dives and on diving holidays, and I’ve had it happen to me. The normal advice when this happens is simple: stop diving for 24 hours to allow complete nitrogen degassing. However, if you’ve logged all your dives using a dive table you’re able to continue diving (after ending the dive at the moment the computer dies, of course) using any means of depth and time measuring available. That could be a backup computer in gauge mode, watch and depth gauge or a watch with a built-in depth gauge. Some of the more experienced divers out there will even make a note - mental or on a writing slate - of the time allowed at the maximum depth of their planned dive, just in case. If you have not kept a continuing log for all your repetitive dives and all you have is the dive computer’s log, there’s no other option than to abstain from diving for a full 24 hours should your computer fail.

3. Dive tables prepare divers for more advanced planning. As divers progress in skills and experience, they may start learning how to dive with more advanced gasses in their tanks. And part of knowing how to dive with Nitrox, Helitrox or Trimix is the ability to do depth and dive time calculations based on dive tables - tables that are somewhat more complex than the ones used for diving on normal air, to boot. Knowing how to use the basic tables prepares you for learning how to use the advanced ones. And it doesn’t look like the requirement to be able to plan and calculate your dive and gas needs will go away from Nitrox courses or tec diving courses anytime soon.

4. Dive tables are good practice. For many divers I’ve observed, it isn’t until they log their dives that the reality of nitrogen load really dawns on them. Working their way up the letters indicating nitrogen load is a very tangible way of experiencing that for each dive they came closer to their body’s maximum capacity for dispelling nitrogen. A dive computer doesn’t have the same effect on most people - there’s something too abstract about the digital numbers. So, in particular for new divers, it’s a good learning experience to work with tables.

The bottom line is that I believe dive computers have, in fact, made diving safer. But just like ABS braking systems and anti-skid systems in cars shouldn’t make us lazy drivers and unable to stay safe without them, dive computers should never take the place of the diver’s brain. Use them as an additional layer of planning and safety, but don’t let them replace sound judgment, good planning and reasonable conservatism. And dive tables – don’t forget the dive tables. (Credit: Thomas Gronfeldt)

Crack an egg underwater

Ever wondered what happens when you crack an egg underwater?

Click here to find out

British Jaws hunter vows to stop Lydia the Great White Shark

Why this guy has been awarded "World records for catching

 dozens of sharks" I will never understand. What a messed

 up world we live in.

British Jaws hunter vows to stop Lydia the Great White Shark

A snapshot of life in the Maldives

A short piece of writing I was asked to do for a Travel company about my experience in the Maldives...

I was aware of everyone stopping and staring at me as we walked down the dimly lit sandy street. I sheepishly pulled at the bottom of my long shorts willing them to cover more of my legs, fearing that I was offending the locals or being disrespectful of their culture. “Why is everyone staring at me?” I asked Ammadey, my local guide, “Do they think that I am being disrespectful because I haven’t covered my hair or lower legs?” Ammadey laughed, apparently amused by my question, “No,” he said, “They’re just not used to seeing white ones here.”

It was then that I realised that what I had initially perceived as offence was actually just curiosity and fascination. It was in that moment that I felt gratitude bubbling up inside of me as I realised I was experiencing a truly local culture on this island, one that most tourists never got to see, the real Maldives. 

I could hear the sound of the waves lapping the shore as we walked towards the beach and I gasped in astonishment as I saw that the shore was glowing bright blue, as if studded with thousands of fireflies. “Ammadey what is that?!” I shrieked. Smiling he looked at me and replied, “Bioluminescent phytoplankton. It’s tiny sea creatures that glow when they’re stressed by the waves breaking on the beach.” It looked as though the stars had fallen down into the ocean. “Wow,” I replied, transfixed by the surreal blue glow, “It’s absolutely beautiful.”

We sat down in the joalis, a traditional Maldivian seat, at the back of the beach and I could hear the local children running around in the streets behind us. It was as if everything around had been painted; the star studded night sky untainted by pollution, the reflection of the moon on the ocean and the sparkling blue shore line. I had so many questions for Ammadey, about life in the Maldives, and he had many for me, about life outside the Maldives. We sat and shared stories for hours and I realised that although we were very different, we were the same.

I checked my watch as we boarded the dhoni boat back to the resort island, 10:45pm. A warm breeze cut through the night air. I looked over my shoulder, at the lights of the harbour getting smaller in distance and I knew that I would remember this night forever.

The following morning I stepped outside and felt the blazing sun warm my skin immediately. The palm trees swayed in the light breeze and every member of staff I walked past smiled and said hello, the Maldivian people are so friendly. As I reached the edge of the island I saw the untainted white sand beach stretching out in front of me and looking to the crystal clear blue ocean I knew that I had found my paradise; even my wildest visions couldn’t have brought me to a land as beautiful as this.

In the Dive Centre I was greeted with yet more friendly faces and introduced to Modex, my Maldivian dive guide for the morning. As we walked along the jetty to the dive boat I looked down, the clarity of the water beneath us was breath-taking. “We don’t need to go scuba diving!” I exclaimed, “We can see all the fish from here the water is so clear!” Modex laughed and replied; “That is true, but there is even more to see where we are going!”

When we arrived at the dive site, called “Anga Faru” Modex gave a briefing, informing me of the current there, the type of reef and some of the sea life we might see. After donning our equipment we jumped into the water and began descending. I was mesmerized straight away. It was as though we were swimming through an aquarium; we were surrounded by thousands of beautiful, vibrantly coloured fish. The reef was absolutely thriving with life; beautiful corals, shoals of glass fish, anemone fish, honeycomb moray eels, puffer fish and rays. all of which seemed completely un-bothered by us watching them in awe.

About half way through the dive Modex turned to me and signed to me to stop and then pointed into the distance where I could just make out the silhouette of a shark! Filled with excitement we cautiously swam towards it, staying very still, and watched it majestically swim around in front of us. There was something indescribable about that moment; as I hovered weightless in the water I surrendered entirely to the underwater world.

After the dive Modex informed me that the shark we had seen was a grey reef shark, which is rare to see in that Atoll, making the experience feel even more exceptional. On the boat ride back to the resort we were joined by dolphins which dived in and out of the water at the front of the boat as the sunlight danced over the waves. Looking out across the turquoise waters I thought to myself; ‘If heaven is a place on earth then this is it.’  

My Funniest Diving Experience

Lots of people; students, friends and family always ask me if I have any good dive stories, and there is one particularly funny dive experience that does come to mind. 

When I was working in the Maldives the dive staff went on an exploration dive to discover new dive sites. Therefore, planning a 60 minute dive, the divers took 15L tanks and we all boarded the dive boat. Without the responsibility of guests on the boat, the staff were all having fun and looking forward to discovering a new dive site. 

When we arrived at the proposed site, Pai (A Chinese instructor) was getting ready to jump in to check the current when he discovered he hadn't got his boots and his fins wouldn't stay on by themselves. 
"Let's fine," he declared having arrived at a solution, "I will wear flip flop." 
So he put his flip flops on inside his fins and jumped into the water, much to the amusement of everyone else.

After confirming the current, Pai asked another member of staff to throw his BCD  from the boat into the water for him to put on, making the most of not having to be professional in front of guests and so that he didn't have to get in and out of the water again. 

Someone threw it over the side but as soon as it hit the water, instead of floating on the surface, it started descending, rapidly! 
"Awww #@%*!! My BCD! Help!" 
It was immediately apparent that Pai's BCD would by now be on the bottom. Not knowing the depth, and it being too late to stop it on the way down, everyone looked around with he same bemused expression, not knowing what to do. 
"Nobody? Nobody gonna save my BCD?!" 
Pai was getting more and more distressed about his prized dive gear having been claimed by the ocean. 
Areej was first to gear up and jump into the water and so he kindly volunteered to descend and see if he could reach it. With the law enforcing the maximum dive limit in the Maldives as 30m we all knew that if it had gone deeper there was nothing we could do. 
However, a few minutes later and much to Pai's relief, his BCD popped up on the surface, and after checking it for damage he put it on and we all descended and did the dive as planned.

Afterwards Areej explained that he had found it at 29m and filled it with just enough air to send it to the surface, but was worried with nothing to control it's ascent it may have exploded before it got there due to the decreasing ambient pressure! Needless to say it was not a good day for Pai, who executed a 60 minute dive in flip flops, but he was extremely lucky that his BCD hadn't plummeted any deeper and surfaced intact. 

This incident still makes me laugh out loud every time I remember it, however I am aware that it is most likely one of those 'you really had to be there' stories, but I hope that even if it doesn't make you smile, you will learn a valuable lesson from this... Don't throw a small BCD into the water if it is attached to a 15L tank, even if it is fully inflated.

Next on my bucket list...

Diving with Humpback Whales

I have always been fascinated by humpbacks and would love the opportunity to dive with them. 

After some research I found that Tonga is one of the best places to do so. For those of you who are interested, check out http://www.whaleswim.com/