We are now into our second week of dive tables and students are making great progress in learning how to plan safe dives. Dive tables or dive charts are tables used to determine the amount of nitrogen that is absorbed by a diver’s body. The charts offer a guide for the amount of nitrogen that can be safely absorbed while diving with no adverse health effects and provide allowable depths and times for both single and repetitive dives.
Our class is using NAUI dive tables which are comprised of three separate charts: End of Dive Letter Group, Surface Interval Time (SIT), and Repetitive Dive Timetable. Last week we learned to use the first two charts, and this week we will add on the third chart and discover how the table can be used in a cyclic manner to plan for multiple dives.
As a culminating activity for our Scuba unit, we will be taking a trip to The Dive Shop. During this adventure students will have the opportunity to try on scuba equipment, see videos from shark and stingray dives, learn from Dive masters and get in the pool to actually try snorkeling and scuba diving skills. This is a special trip and it does require students to demonstrate mastery of diving principles and dive tables before they are allowed to actually dive with the scuba equipment. Students are aware of the fact that they must have a 90% on their dive table test before they will be allowed to dive. This is a safety standard that is modeled after scuba agencies that require a 100% on a dive table test before an individual is allowed to complete an open water dive.
All students will be able to attend the field trip, work with the dive masters, try on the equipment, and practice snorkeling skills for Discovery Cove, but actually diving in the pool with compressed air will require a 90% on the dive table test. Students will take the dive table test the week of March 28th and the test will cover dive tables only- no gas laws. For students who do not make a 90% on the first test, there will be an extra help session Friday, April 1st at 7:20 a.m. A second opportunity to demonstrate mastery will be offered in class the week of April 11th.
In order to help your child be successful with the dive tables I have purchased some dive table software so that your child can come by in the mornings and practice as many problems as are necessary to ensure mastery. This software is outstanding as it provides detailed explanations for any problem a child gets incorrect; there is a free version of this software if you would like to download it for use on your home computer. This version allows students to complete an unlimited number of first dive, surface interval, and missing surface interval questions, as well as 20 repetitive dive questions. Please use the link below to download the Table Tutor Software.
