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I have sat here reading very closely about what you all have to say about PADI, NAUI, YMCA, or any other entry level agency. I my self have been a PADI divemaster for over 7 years now, and by god you all have made me dig out my old manuals.. You have cried about how that PADI and the others should show the new ppl about o2 at depth, saying that it should be taught in class, so on and so forth. Well for you that have been crying the loudest, here is what is taught at this point, and this will follow the format of PADI open water dive manaul, which every new student receives when taking the class: begining in Module Four (4): starting on page 177 Assessory diving equipment Health for diving Breathing air at depth DIve Table Introduction Using the RDP (wheel) Confined water training preview Assessory diving equipment deals with Surface Floats (pg178), Dive flag (179-80), Collection bags (pg80), Underwater lights (pg181-82), underwater slate (pg182), Spare-parts Kit (pg183), Log book (pg184-85), Health for diving (pg185-86), and the BIG topics start *Breathing air at depth*, contaminated air, oxygen, Nitrogen Narcosis, Decompression sickness, and the good old tables. Now for the real good stuff that some of you say that PADI needs to teach, or doesn't touch on, and I quote: "The compressed air in your scuba tank is essentially the same as the air you're breathing right now. It is a mixture of nitrogen (appx 79%) and oxygen (appx 21%). *snip* While neither gas has adverse effects on you above water, both can produce difficulties when breathed underwater at greater pressures. ALSO Oxygen Because you need oxygen to live it may seem strange to learn that it can be toxic in high amounts and pressures. In fact if you were to fill your scuba tank with prue oxygen instad of compressed air, you could experience oxygen problems in very shallow water. This is why you should have you tanks filled with anything except compressed air. (which hopefully will be rewritten soon to cover the new gas mixes out there) The oxygen in compressed air CAN also BE TOXIC, but not untill you descend well past the recommended maximum limit for recreational diving, which is 100 feet. To prevent oxygen toxicity, never fill your tank with pure oxygen and never exceed the mazimum recommended recreational depth limit. And then PADI goes on to Nitrogen Narcosis, saying "while breathing air at depths approaching 100 feet, you can experience an effect called nitrogen narcosis." They go on to tell the dangers, effects, what to expect, and how to deal with it. And finially they go in to a 3 page write up about decompression sickness. So now, like many of you have said, why jump into something that you cant handle, understand, or make heads or tales of right off the bat. In my opion, I think that PADI has touch on everything that you all have be crying about in their written manual, in class via the instructor, putting it to the NEW student in a very basic writting, that any age can understand. Infact as many times as they say that it is not good, they have made it clear that it should not be attempted, that it is dangerous, and down right deadly! SO for the cry babies, shut the hell up. You can't even start to compair a basic teaching of scuba, and say that something as techiey as what the WKPP and others are doing should be taught right off the bat to a person that has never even had a reg in their mouth. It would be better off to let the Open water divers enjoy the basics of the sport, let them get comfortable with diving, get good at being able to do the basic stuff first. Then let them decide on their own about going on further in their teaching. Don't try to put the blame on PADI, NAUI, YMCA or any others!!! OK, I have said my peace, let the flames begin!!! Jeff If these ppl that are out there trying to do someing deep on air, you can not blame any of the agencies for that. All of them have made it clear that it is not safe to proceed past a depth of appx 100 feet for the rec diver, because of the above topics. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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