6 replies to this topic

[Capn Jack]

Took OTWDiver's Advanced Nitrox and Deco class yesterday - and he hand-delivered my EMC-20H

Based on my experience with them as a DAN volunteer on two previous SD trips, I'm a believer.

I'm heading for Palau tomorrow - as if I didn't have enough reason to be excited, now I have my very own Cochran.

[ScubaDadMiami]

So, where's the report on the class, and where's the review on the Cochran?

[Scubatooth]

yesterday was only the academic portion the dives are still to be scheduled.

let mark get a few dives on it and then we will know what he thinks. I will get one eventually but for now i have to stay on the books to get through paramedic.

Tooth

[WreckWench]

So, where's the report on the class, and where's the review on the Cochran?

Bill aka OTWDiver has become our newest SD Corporate Partner and the students can do a thread in his new forum.

[Capn Jack]

So, where's the report on the class, and where's the review on the Cochran?

Different class than I'm used to - remember, I am just an ordinary diver, so all I've been exposed to is the rec courses including my DM training. I have no interest in the being a pure tech diver, but always like to learn more. Now, I'm also learning more so I can enjoy a couple of dives I have put my sights on, such as Bikini.

We took the academic class portions of two TDI classes - Advanced nitrox ( > 40% ) and Deco.

While the principles are the same as the regular nitrox class, the TDI materials were much more straight forward and assume you're serious. No pictures, just facts and formulas. Just what I like. I have an IANTD nitrox book, which I think is much more thorough, but on the other hand, did not approach the subjects of very rich O2 the way the TDI book did. I would say the TDI approach is more practical than IANTD, and less glossy pictures than PADI. I would recommend IANTD for anyone who wants more indepth knowledge that, in my opinion, adds to the richness of your life, but probably contributes only marginally to how safely you can dive these profiles.

I can't speak for the others (NurseShark, Fingrabber, ScubatTooth, ScubaFanatic, and Colin), but we all sat at my dining room table in what appeared to be very attentive positions for the best part of 7 hours with no formal breaks.

Both classes I'm sure will be familiar to the Tech folks - as we all know deco diving puts you in as much of an "overhead" environment as wreck penetrations, ice etc. Thus a lot of focus on equipment, self-reliance and a great deal of Bill's super insights into the nuances.

I think the diving parts will be even more interesting - first we'll be getting used to the technical setup, and the requisite skill drills, then, with any luck, we're heading for the Oriskany for our "graduation" dive.

Seems like a good choice, lots of competing operators with good supplies of various gases, tech equipment and familiarity with tech divers - all in one location, with a signature dive nearby.

About the Cochran -

I used them on two SD trips - Cozumel and Roatan. I took my Aeris on those trips as a backup, but was not paying too much attention to comparing performance in terms of NDL calculations and SI as these were pretty benign dives, and I was also DMing most of the time. I was sold on the Cochran based on the simplicity, along with some pretty impressive multi-gas capabilities. Bill has me convinced that slinging a deco bottle is going to be part of my life, so having a switchable computer became a key driver. It also can grow with you, allowing for software upgrades to PPO2 diving, including helium mixes.

This trip to Palau should present some more challenging diving, and give me a chance to focus more on my own dives. What features are you particularly interested in so I can make better notes?

[ScubaDadMiami]

I was just interested in your thoughts on both things: the class and the computer. Let us know how using it impacted your diving on your trip. Thanks for the write up.

[Capn Jack]

I was just interested in your thoughts on both things: the class and the computer. Let us know how using it impacted your diving on your trip. Thanks for the write up.

Palau was awesome - although I don't think any of the profiles I did were particularly challenging - one diver on our boat tripped himself into deco because he was diving air vs his usual buddy who was diving nitrox. I got within 4 minutes of NDL on one fairly deep dive, but had anticipated that, so was ok with the performance.

The Cochran I bought has the yellow backlight, which I found easier to see in the dark than the off-the-shelf red I used in Roatan and Cozumel.

As an old guy with new eyes (cataracts resulted in lens replacements for both eyes) I don't have the small print issues that some folks have, but the cochran is I believe very easy to read. If you need the alternate display, it's just a rap and go - no fumbling for buttons.

Until I got my own, I did not have access to the Analyst software. The package I had with my Atmos II was simplistic compared to the Cochran's. More ways of slicing and dicing your data that I think I'll ever be able to use, but the displays and interface are as intuitive as the Cochran itself. I've attached an image of one - to whet your appetite. I overlayed the LCD display, which I found fascinating - and you can use the cursor key to advance your time, or the mouse to quickly move anywhere in your profile and see what was going on at the time.

One of the divers on our boat had his computer die, so he used my Atmos II for most of the time I was there, so I couldn't do the comparisons I had hoped for, but when I did have both, the two were pretty even until I started ascending, and then the Cochran gave me much more credit faster until I got to the 8 hour depths when the Atmos caught up.

I haven't used gas switching yet, which was one of the reasons I bought it, but it presumes you will obey your plan and switch as you transition to your depth floor you set - and won't do it unless you have hit the planned bottom time minimum you program in before hand.

Attached Images

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Edited by Capn Jack, 20 March 2007 - 07:38 AM.