I semi-inadvertently made my first deco dive recently, and though not a Catholic, this seems the proper place for a confession. 
I dove with a guy holding numerous instructor ratings, though not as a class. First time with a steel tank, first dive with this guy. 135 feet for a total time of 24 mins. The last thing I said before leaving the surface was "I've never done a deco dive, and don't intend to learn on the fly. The steel tank is enough new to think about!" Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men (and divers!). Once adjusted to the steel on my back, we descended a bit more slowly than I would prefer, but properly. He was familiar with an area I wished to explore, and a very knowledgeable guy, so I pretty much abdicated and followed like a puppy. With 2 min. to go before dive-rite said time for me to boogy, I attempted to gain his attention by circling my light repeatedly. In retrospect, perhaps I was merely saying OK! multiple times. He never acknowledged my signal. perhaps I was narced, perhaps we both were, but it seemed rude to just bail w/o a proper goodbye! I had to swim another 5-6 feet down to physically grab him and signal my intent. He couldn't have cared less! At this point my computer said one minute deco @ 10 feet/3 meters. Made nice slow ascent , normal safety stop of 3 min. @ 15 feet, by which time I had fulfilled my deco obligation. For those still with me, at long last the point! Never trade your own hard earned experience for someone else's plastic cards! For those bound by dogma, I commited numerous "errors": feel free to criticize. I still feel kinda like I did when I lost my virginity. Updated 9-8-5. In fairness to my buddy, I had told him I would be leaving once I neared my no-deco limits. We'd agreed to surface seperately, and we both dive most often alone. He's probably unwilling to baby-sit when he's not getting paid; I can't blame him for that. He was also prepared to do it all alone, as was I. We just had (roughly) the same profile in mind, and agreed to go together. Bottom line, we both expected to take care of ourselves. Maybe I just wanted more attention? When I circled my light, didn't that mean I want your attention? I know we should've been absolutely clear on comms before departing. I think we both thought we were. He didn't put me in that position at gunpoint, I went very willingly!
I dove with a guy holding numerous instructor ratings, though not as a class. First time with a steel tank, first dive with this guy. 135 feet for a total time of 24 mins. The last thing I said before leaving the surface was "I've never done a deco dive, and don't intend to learn on the fly. The steel tank is enough new to think about!" Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men (and divers!). Once adjusted to the steel on my back, we descended a bit more slowly than I would prefer, but properly. He was familiar with an area I wished to explore, and a very knowledgeable guy, so I pretty much abdicated and followed like a puppy. With 2 min. to go before dive-rite said time for me to boogy, I attempted to gain his attention by circling my light repeatedly. In retrospect, perhaps I was merely saying OK! multiple times. He never acknowledged my signal. perhaps I was narced, perhaps we both were, but it seemed rude to just bail w/o a proper goodbye! I had to swim another 5-6 feet down to physically grab him and signal my intent. He couldn't have cared less! At this point my computer said one minute deco @ 10 feet/3 meters. Made nice slow ascent , normal safety stop of 3 min. @ 15 feet, by which time I had fulfilled my deco obligation. For those still with me, at long last the point! Never trade your own hard earned experience for someone else's plastic cards! For those bound by dogma, I commited numerous "errors": feel free to criticize. I still feel kinda like I did when I lost my virginity. Updated 9-8-5. In fairness to my buddy, I had told him I would be leaving once I neared my no-deco limits. We'd agreed to surface seperately, and we both dive most often alone. He's probably unwilling to baby-sit when he's not getting paid; I can't blame him for that. He was also prepared to do it all alone, as was I. We just had (roughly) the same profile in mind, and agreed to go together. Bottom line, we both expected to take care of ourselves. Maybe I just wanted more attention? When I circled my light, didn't that mean I want your attention? I know we should've been absolutely clear on comms before departing. I think we both thought we were. He didn't put me in that position at gunpoint, I went very willingly!
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