Precision Diving

I was chatting with some friends on the west coast recently and we got into a discussion about technical diving education and whether it is in a state of decline, quality wise, like recreational diving (arguably). This got me reminiscing about my experiences in the past as well as some of the things I’ve seen other people experience.

I think back to my experiences as a tech student. Even though I learned the skills and was able to not kill myself or my buddy, I quickly learned that there had to be something more than my current performance. After a hard look at my skills, I quickly realized that I should not be diving on helium to 200+ feet, regardless of certification. This started my journey, my search for mastery. (more…)

One of the most difficult skill new (and some experienced) divers have is learning how to clear their mask. There are many reasons why people have difficulty. A primary reason for this difficulty is because many people are not conscious of their breathing. That is, many people do know know that they breath in and out of their noses in addition to their mouths. While this post is not going to go over the mechanics of mask clearing, it is to give people some guidance on how to overcome their difficulties learning this essential skill. (more…)

I was talking with a diving friend. He mentioned that during a visit to a local dive store, the employees were referring to 50% Nitrox as 50/50. They said that 50/50 was 50% oxygen and 50% air. Air is composed of 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. Now, my fifth grade math may be a little rusty, but 50% + 21% + 79% = 150%. Unless this dive store has found a new gas law, it looks like a quick review of Dalton’s Law is in order. (more…)

“Tank factors? Aren’t those things people should consider when purchasing a tank? Things such as size, color and buoyancy characteristics?” This was asked by an employee at a local dive store when he overheard me talking about dive planning. It didn’t really surprise me at the time as not many people have heard the term tank factor. The truth is, tank factors are a critical part of planning our dives and divers should have an understanding of what they are in order to plan their dives properly. (more…)