Do I have to do my depth progression?

[twinsetmad]

Hi, I started diving in 1985 with BSAC 13 Northampton, and after a break of 15 years I've come back. I have been a member of 955 for the past 3 years and have started from scratch. I have recently qualified as a Dive Leader.

Now my question....

I suffer quite badley from narcosis. I have done dives as deep as 42 meters and feel this should be my limit.

Do I have to complete my depth progressions to 50 meters in order to start my Advanced Diver?

Thanks Andrew

[Adrian Kelland]

Hi, I started diving in 1985 with BSAC 13 Northampton, and after a break of 15 years I've come back. I have been a member of 955 for the past 3 years and have started from scratch. I have recently qualified as a Dive Leader.

Now my question....

I suffer quite badley from narcosis. I have done dives as deep as 42 meters and feel this should be my limit.

Do I have to complete my depth progressions to 50 meters in order to start my Advanced Diver?

Thanks Andrew
Andrew,

My understanding of the depth requirement is to have experience of dives at greater than 30m. This does not mean you have to go to 50m.

If you are happiest at a limit of 42m then you should be able to work within that limit. AD is about advanced skills, not advanced depths. No one should be forcing you to go to 50m.

HTH

Adrian

[David Walker]

:= Do I have to complete my depth progressions to 50 meters in order to start my Advanced Diver?

Nope, just need 6 dives to greater than 30m.


My understanding of the depth requirement is to have experience of dives at greater than 30m. This does not mean you have to go to 50m.

Yeah, apart from anything else it would be just about impossible to make 50m a condition for AD because you can't generally plan the depths of dives that accurately anyway - you're technically not allowed past 50m, but who'd be to say what was close enough to 50m to count? 49m? 48m? 45m?

David

[jim watson]

Hi, I started diving in 1985 with BSAC 13 Northampton, and after a break of 15 years I've come back. I have been a member of 955 for the past 3 years and have started from scratch. I have recently qualified as a Dive Leader.

Now my question....

I suffer quite badley from narcosis. I have done dives as deep as 42 meters and feel this should be my limit.

Do I have to complete my depth progressions to 50 meters in order to start my Advanced Diver?

Thanks Andrew

Hi Andrew
As others have already pointed out the depth experience required for Advanced Diver is to show experience of 3 dives to a depth greater than 30m and so you should be able to achieve this.
No one should place any diver under a constraint of exceeding their personal comfort level, especially relating to depth, and I applaud your considered and frank admission of your personal comfort zone!
Advanced Diver in particular is about the management and supervision of diving under a range of conditions and this does not have to mean significant depths.
Indeed the BSAC has a number of First Class Divers who successfully passed their examination even though they were restricted to diving to depths less than 30m due to specific medical limitations on their diving.

Finally, if you ever do find a compelling reason to dive to greater than 42m, that virgin wreck teeming with life and photographic opportunities etc., then please consider taking a basic (normoxic, intermediate?) Trimix course? The cost of the gas is far outweighed by the benefits of a clear head and the ability to remember what you saw.

Good luck with Advanced Diver.

Regards,
Jim Watson
BSAC HQ

[twinsetmad]

Thanks very much everyone...thats just what I needed to hear, Kind regards, Andrew