Posted by Ken Kurtis on May 15, 2001 at 10:07:16:
In Reply to: Evils of Air - A post from George Irvine III posted by AADIVER on May 15, 2001 at 08:08:35:
The other way to mitigate these "evils" is relatively simple:
1. Don't dive deep (max 100' or shallower).
2. Don't go into deco during ANY portion of the dive at ANY depth.
3. Do a 3-5 minute safety stop at 15'.
"Undeserved/unpredicted" hits notwithstanding, this avoids a lot of the so-called "problems" with air.
But I'd agree with George (which will probably surpise some and give a heart attack to others) that if you insist on doing extreme diving, air may not be your best choice.
However, I personally feel that extreme diving is not a good choice in and of itself, due to increased risk and reduced margin or error and is best left to highly-experienced, highly-trained, and highly-qualified professional divers, who thoroughly understand the risks and are willing to pay the price if they're wrong.
"Extreme diving" is just a style of diving that I personally and professionally feel is inappropriate for 99.99% of the recreational diving community.
And therein lies the rub.
Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, Ca.