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> >Mikes original statement indicated that all it takes to do deep mix dives is > >a brief theory exposure, I think that is the most dangerous line of thought > >I have ever heard Not sure if all of this was posted to techdiver, I missed this part of Tom's reply... not to play Clinton... but define "deep"... I believe I was talking about 100-130 (possibly 150) foot dives. ie, the "narcotic" recreation dives, that divers are already doing every day (without the bloody hurricanes that is) on air. What I was suggesting is that these divers already are doing the MECHANICS of these dives to these depths (ie no new skills needed). What harm is there in giving them a VERY useful tool to improve their dive? That tool is mix. All you are changing is the GAS in their tank. You are not necessarily adding any tanks to these divers. This illustrates in my mind the distinction that does not exist in current mix courses. The breathing mixture has VERY LITTLE to do with the tank management skills (staging, etc). Breathing trimix does not make stage tanks grow out of my side like some movie Alien. However the agencies lump the two together, making a rather simple jump (different gas, different deco table) for even an entry level diver, into a long-delayed jump only after this diver has the skills for staging, deco. Again, what level of understanding does an OW student have of deco theory? Basically none. Availability aside, I see no reason we couldn't start EVERY open-water student on heliox-21 (for the sake of argument) and give them appropriate tables. They would not know the difference, except they would not be narced (or we get to invetigate the O2-narcosis issue much more closely :-) ). The oxtox risk would be no greater (unless I'm missing something) than with air. If you could teach OW students to use heliox, it could also be a standard trimix instead (normoxic for oxtox reasons) and again this shows how crazy it is to make mix courses so "advanced" and "exclusive". Stage diving, deco tanks is "advanced". Just as OW students can easily learn to dive nitrox mixes, so they could learn trimix. again what do most learn? Here's a best mix formula, here's a max depth formula, here's the tables you use, go dive. Is the mix more "exotic" ? Yeah sure. Does it change the mechanics of reading a table and jumping in the water? Not the way I see it. The skills have nothing to do with the breathing mixture. That is old hat thinking where divers ONLY use mix for 200'+ dives. The world of diving is changing. People would like to use mix shallow now. Its time to realize this fact and understand that the courses for such can be much much much simpler. What is more irresponsible, offering a basic mix course for shallow mix diving and worrying divers will get "deeper" mixes? Or making mix such a sacred cow that divers are unable to reduce their narcosis until much later in their diving career? PS. I'm not doing this to hammer Tom. IANTD and GUI (if I understand things correctly) both offer somewhat lower level mix classes. I do think all the agencies are creating too many false demons that prevent them from offering a simple mix course that almost any OW diver could take. The biggest demon is this assocation of multiple tanks with mix. It doesn't have to be so IMO. Mike -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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