Compression stops at 190 feet: the tables lied to me

Did a bounce dive off a rig in the Gulf last month and realized my deco schedule was way off because I used the older Navy tables instead of the updated ones. One diver on deck pointed out the newer tables add 4 minutes of oxygen at that depth, which I never saw in my original cert materials. Has anyone else gotten stung by outdated tables, or do you all just stick with your dive computers?

2 comments

2 Comments

jana_shah1mo ago

Hell yeah, this is exactly why I stopped trusting paper tables years ago. The old Navy stuff is fine for basic planning, but it doesn't keep up with real dive profiles, especially bounce dives off rigs. Your computer is your best friend, but only if you update the firmware and actually read the manual. Most guys I know got burned once, then never went back to the tables. That extra 4 minutes of oxygen is a big deal, and it's scary that your cert materials didn't mention it. Bottom line, if you're diving deep, get a proper computer and don't cheap out on training.

wilson.joseph26d ago

Ever notice how the same thing happens with tax forms every year? The instructions get updated but nobody tells you until you're already three steps in. @jana_shah is right though, once you get burned once you stop trusting the old way. I still keep a physical table in my bag for backup, but the computer gets final say now.