TM

UTD Student and

Diver Procedures

Photo by Jeanna Edgerton

 Forward

Welcome to the UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual.

This book outlines, in detail, each of the skills, procedures
and protocols as set by Unified Team Diving and its teach-
ings. This manual will help you – the recreational, technical,
overhead, or rebreather diver or student – understand each
procedure we consider critical to proper and safe diving, and
will enable you to achieve your goal of being a strong, think-
ing diver.

The Student and Diver Procedures Manual offers a written

explanation and documentation standardizing the various
TM
student and diver procedures and protocols. You will find the
sections divided into –

• Normal Procedures

• Student Drill Procedures

• Emergency procedures

• Bulletins and Papers

• Checklists and Worksheets

UTD also publishes a series of videos to help you visual-

ize the skill sets. Ultimately, our online classes and printed
v 1.1 student class materials support our certification classes.
© 2011 UTD International, LLC
All rights reserved So go ahead, get started and enjoy. Unified Team Diving
provides an online forum at www.unifiedteamdiving.com
Written by as a place to ask more questions and get answers from UTD
Andrew Georgitsis and Jeff Seckendorf instructors and others in the community. If you still have
unanswered questions, feel free to email us at
UTD International, LLC info@unifiedteamdiving.com.
Carlsbad, CA USA
www.unifiedteamdiving.com Safe Diving,

Andrew Georgitsis and Jeff Seckendorf

 Table of Contents

This book and all the material contained herein is presented as a Preface Introduction.................................................. i
supplement to proper education and in-water training and is not
Normal Procedures
intended to be, nor is it a substitute for, that training.
Chapter 1 Situational Awareness and Other
The authors, UTD International, LLC, Unified Team Diving, their Equipment Management Issues.................. 1
officers, heirs, and assigns, along with any distributors, agencies,
Chapter 2 Basic Gas Management............................... 6
manufacturers, or others referenced in this book, will not be liable
for any damage, injury, or death that may result from the use or Chapter 3 Weighting and Trim.................................. 25
application of any information contained within this book. Chapter 4 Propulsion and Positioning....................... 34
Chapter 5 SMB Deploy............................................. 43
Chapter 6 Laying and Retrieving Line...................... 47
Acknowledgements Chapter 7 Stage/Deco Bottle Switch......................... 55
Chapter 8 Stage/Deco Bottle Management............... 59
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions made to this
document by the following UTD Instructors: Student Drill Procedures
Chapter 9 Basic 6....................................................... 75
Maciej Arkuszewski
Chapter 10 S-Drills...................................................... 85
Emanuela Bertoni
Don Chennavasin Chapter 11 Valve Drills............................................... 94
Poh Chang Chew Emergency Procedures
Kristof Damen
Casper Drieøe Chapter 12 Valve Failures.......................................... 102
Jeanna Edgerton Chapter 13 Loss of Mask........................................... 144
Jonathan Edwardsen
Chapter 14 Line Protocols......................................... 146
Mark Gottfried
Dave Harris Chapter 15 Unconscious/Toxing Diver Recoveries... 169
Adam Korytko Chapter 16 Lost Decompression Bottle..................... 174
Tanya Kuck
Hunter Lacey Chapter 17 In Water Recompression......................... 178
James Mott Bulletins and Papers
Nick Toussaint Chapter 18 Ratio Deco.............................................. 180
Todd Powell
George Watson Chapter 19 Battle Field Calculations......................... 227
Brian Wiederspan Checklists and Worksheets
Thank you to Nick Ambrose and Jeanna Edgerton for Chapter 20 Gas Planning Worksheets........................ 253
providing some of the photographs that illustrate this book. Chapter 21 UTD’s Ten Covenants............................. 257
Chapter 22 Glossary.................................................. 260
 TM
Preface

Photo by Nick Ambrose

Background

By understanding UTD’s roots and background, you will see

our vision and the future of UTD Training, Adventures and
Equipment. Looking back into the early 1990‘s, there was
an equipment configuration style emerging from the North
Florida cave diving community called “Hogarthian.” At that
time the community of technical, wreck, and cave divers
was very small, yet very divided. There were many opinions
on how to configure the equipment the “right” way, often
implying everyone else was diving wrong. Even within the
Northern Florida and U.S. east coast diving communities,
there were many technical, wreck, and cave divers who were
configuring in a variety of ways from “stuffed” long hoses,
to independent doubles, to multiple regulator systems on a
single stage tank, to a multitude of convoluted and difficult to
comprehend systems.

The Hogarthian configuration, named after Bill “Hogarth”

Main, emerged at about the same time as the internet chat
forums and boards. This allowed the word to spread about
a configuration that was minimalist, clean, simple, and well
thought out. The system was soon adopted by a cave explora-
Preface i
tion team called Woodeville Karst Plain Project (WKPP). lack of expandability beyond open-circuit back gas doubles
Their project director at that time, George Irvine III, started and deco/stage bottles became limiting. In 2008 Georgitsis
to instill the configuration into his team and diving protocols. and Jeff Seckendorf teamed up, and Unified Team Diving
His passion for exploration, his extreme dedication to WKPP, (UTD) was born.
and his personality led him to become very ridged in his ap-
proach to applying the Hogarthian configuration and demand- UTD is a progressive training agency with roots in DIR. To
ing a team approach to exploration of the Wakulla Springs that end, we continue to teach a very consistent “DIR” open
cave system. circuit program, from our Open Water and Recreational 1
basic certification classes, through more advanced recreation-
In an article published in the late 1990‘s in Aquanaut al diving, technical, trimix, cave, wreck, and rebreather.
Magazine, a technical dive magazine, Irvine coined the term
“DIR,” or “Doing It Right.” In this article he pushed the idea Our open water students learn the same team procedures,
of not only utilizing a consistent, scalable, streamlined and same emergency procedures, same gas planning and ascent
minimalist configuration mimicked after the “Hogarthian” procedures as our Trimix students. This means there is a con-
configuration and drove the idea that DIR was a complete sistent path to all training within the agency. There is no need
team approach to conducting a dive. That included everything for students to replace gear, or learn new protocols as they
from a consistent equipment configuration, to the consistent move though more advanced classes. Each class advances on
selection of the gases, decompression strategy, skill set and the previous, adding to the students’ experience as they move
so on. DIR was born. to deeper and more complicated diving, such as overhead
cave and wreck environments.
As the scope of the WKPP cave pushes became more and
more complicated, the need for the team to all be on the same UTD then pioneered the integration of other diving disci-
page and also be the source of backup equipment became plines into the “UTD/DIR approach,” including the MX
more obvious. This drew national and then international Series mCCR Rebreather, a fully closed circuit manual
attention. WKPP was achieving what others could not by rebreather, based on designs and disciplines learned, taught
utilizing a “DIR” approach to the project and/or dives. and propagated by Andrew Georgitsis and other WKPP
members using pSCR rebreathers in exploration during the
At the same time, some of the upper level WKPP members, late 1990’s and early 2000’s. This is a UTD/DIR compatible
together with lead push diver Jarrod Jablonski and UTD configuration for a rebreather, allowing a mix of open circuit
founder Andrew Georgitsis, developed a training organiza- and closed circuit divers to seamlessly function as a team –
tion to teach and solidify the “DIR” approach. This teaching gas planning, ascent strategy, and emergency procedures are
methodology would consist of an equipment configuration all similar.
(modeled after the Hogarthian style), a “foundational div-
ing skill set” taken from cave diving, and “procedures and This question often arises: Why does UTD care about “mixed
protocols” culled from the WKPP methodology. Ultimately team” protocols? Simply put, this should be the cornerstone
this is what became taught as the “DIR” approach. of any rebreather configuration and design. In other words,
almost every emergency on a rebreather leads to an open
For 10 years, UTD founder Andrew Georgitsis was the train- circuit bailout therefore, by default, the team has to deal with
ing director for this organization, developing the standards the emergency and exit as a “mixed” team. Knowing, practic-
and procedures, training protocols and the senior instructors. ing, and ensuring the team understands the proper protocols
In 2006 Georgitsis broke away to develop and pursue his and procedures of mixed-team diving is essential in these
vision of the “Unified Team.” Although “DIR” has many “emergency” bailout situations.
tenants that are excellent and make a great foundation from
which to build your diving skills, the extreme rigidity and
ii UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Preface iii
The integration of MX Rebreathers and the UTD/DIR open student, and diver who wants to apply UTD ethos to their
circuit configuration must be seamless, from equipment diving.
configuration to gas management, from deco procedures to
skill set. So if it’s good enough for an emergency, it surely is Our community is our greatest asset. We are offering divers
good enough to enjoy a dive together. a place to train AND dive with like-minded people. So UTD
Adventures – instructor-led trips around the world – is ex-
A second discipline UTD pioneered was the integration of panding to include regularly scheduled dives wherever there
side mount with UTD/DIR principles and protocols. With the is a UTD instructor or divemaster. We are holding Cave Week
explosion of side mount diving as a style, many divers want three times each year, twice in Mexico and once in France,
to take advantage of the benefits of side mount diving, not Wreck Week is the first week in October every year in the
only in their advanced side mount cave diving, but in their Red Sea, and we are expanding into more project/scientific
general recreational, technical, wreck and even recreational dives that are available for all divers.
cave diving.
UTD Equipment is focused on our five Signature Series proj-
Side mount diving in the past posed many barriers and issues ects – Z-System Side Mount, MX-Series Rebreathers, Delta
in consistency within the team. UTD’s research and develop- and Alpha Series Wings, Vision Lighting, and Solar Dry Suit
ment team, along with the UTD instructor corps, spent much Heating. Our plan is to maintain focus on these five areas.
time and effort developing a system that integrates perfectly
with the traditional UTD/DIR back mount system – we call So join us – online at www.unifiedteamdiving.com, in the
this the Z-System. Traditionally, side mount was not consid- water at www.utdadventures.com, and for gear at
ered DIR, but with the UTD Z-System, side mount is now www.utdequipment.com.
seamlessly compatible with either UTD/DIR and/or the MX
rebreathers. We wish you great training, safe diving, and unlimited fun in
the water.
In other words, each of these disciplines is “DIR Compat-
ible” and integrates perfectly with the other systems. Unified Team Diving
September 2011
The Future

UTD will continue to advance consistent, team-focused train-

ing. We are expanding side mount training to integrate it fully
into both overhead and open water environments, providing
a full range of classes for all divers. The same is true for
rebreather training.

At the same time we continue to stay true to our roots and of-
fer a full range of open circuit back mount UTD/DIR classes.
We continue to expand our courses and materials, ensuring
that we keep the community consistent through our student
and instructor materials – from the UTD Standards and
Procedures to the UTD Instructor Playbook, from the videos
to the Student and Diver Procedures Manual.

All of this is designed to educate and facilitate the instructor,

iv UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Preface v
 Situational Awareness
Equipment Management
TM

1
Situational Awareness Check

The purpose of a situational awareness check is to take a

mental note during the dive. We do this approximately every
five minutes. This should be done ‘on the fly,’ without stop-
ping your team. It is one of the most important things to learn
to ensure you stay on top of all aspects of a dive – team,
environment, and equipment. It is conducted as follows:

• Flow check (optional)

• Track bottom time and average depth
• Track gas consumption
• Monitor your team

Double check the environment for:

• Any object or condition that helps with navigation
and return to entry
• Any changes in conditions - current, silt, visibility, etc.

A situational awareness check helps us:

• Confirm positioning of all tank valves

• Calculate current gas consumption

Situational Awareness and Equipment Management 1

• Adjust dive parameters on the fly based on in-water gas Flow Checks
consumption, actual average depth, and ascent profiles or
decompression strategy Flow checks are conducted at various points in the dive
• Assist navigation to confirm that all valves are in the correct position. Flow
• Adjust the dive parameters as needed checks are mandatory in overhead environments.

Standard times to conduct a flow check:

Ascents • On the surface during pre dive - modified valve drill.

• Upon initial descent.
Depending on the environment, we will determine the final • Mid point or turn point in a dive.
shape of the ascent profile. Here is a general set of rules to • Anytime you feel the need due to bumping a valve or
help get started. In any ascent, the last stop should be con- tanks.
ducted at 20’/6m, followed by a slow ascent of 3ft/1m per • After valve failures.
minute to the surface – we call this a 5-minute ascent drill in • After any drill involving manipulating the valves.
the UTD Essentials classes.
Back Mount Flow Check
Recreational Minimum Deco Ascent Profile Overview
This procedure is similar to the modified valve drill in that
• Calculate 50% of the average depth of the dive or your it is normally completed to ensure the valves are all the way
current depth, whichever is deeper. open and can be turned closed. So slightly turn the valve
• Ascend at 30’/10m per minute to the calculated depth closed (less than one-quarter turn) and then turn it back to
from above. fully open. This includes single, double and all stages/deco
• Conduct a one minute stop for each remaining 10’/3m bottles and the dry suit inflation bottle. We generally start
interval including the ascent to the following stop. This from the right side and work towards the left and then down
can be conducted as a 40 second stop and 20 seconds of to the stages/deco and suit inflation, followed by SPG checks.
movement to the next shallower interval.
• Continue until you reach the next strategy or the surface. Check that the right valve is on and can be turned off, isolator
• This ascent profile is based on a one-hour surface inter- is on and can be turned off, the left valve is on and can be
val. If the surface interval is less than one hour, double turned off, and stages, deco’s, and suit inflation bottles are
the three shallow stops, 2 ATA to the surface, or 30’/9m, pressurized and in the correct on or off positions. Finally,
20’/6m, 10’3m. check back gas SPG.

Extended Decompression Dives Side Mount Flow Check

(longer than 15 min bottom time)
As in back mount, this should be done from right to left.
• Calculate 75% of the average depth of the dive or your
current depth, whichever is deeper. • Check the right valve is either open (turn valve slightly
• Ascend at 30’/10m per minute to the calculated depth. off and on) or closed - checking pressure.
• Conduct a one (1) minute stop for each remaining 10’/3m • Check the left valve is closed (turn it on and off - check-
interval including the ascent to the following stop. This ing pressure) or open as appropriate.
can be conducted as a 40 second stop and 20 seconds of • Check that any other deco or stage/deco bottles are pres-
movement to the next shallower interval. surized and closed or open as appropriate.
• Continue until you reach the next strategy.
2 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Situational Awareness and Equipment Management 3
 • Frog kick
Propulsion and • Modified Frog
Team Positioning
• Modified Flutter
TM

4
• Backward

• Helicopter

Using these various kicks allow us to make almost no impact

on the environment, as water is not forced down toward the
bottom. The proper kick will also provide much better ef-
ficiency. Better efficiency means less effort, less effort means
a lower gas consumption rate, and a lower consumption rate
means a longer, calmer dive.
Photo by Nick Ambrose We typically use three kicks for forward propulsion – the frog
kick, modified frog kick and modified flutter kick. For ma-
neuvering and maintaining position while still protecting the
environment, we use the backward kick and helicopter turn.
Propulsion
Frog Kick
We aim to employ a variety of kicks in order to create precise
maneuverability and maximize efficiency. Let’s start with the frog kick. Because it is a very powerful
kick requiring little effort, and it is good for the environment,
Generally most divers were taught a flutter kick to simply go the frog kick is the primary kick we use for forward propul-
forward. Some fins even proclaim to go the fastest forward. sion. There are two simple steps to the frog kick for the diver
In reality, diving is about not only propelling forward, but in trim. First, from the ‘glide’ position simply ‘slice’ the sides
maneuvering in a variety of environments. of the fins/blades through the water to reduce drag. Next,
the ankles turn the blades to create thrust. During the power
The choice of fin is directly related to the efficiency and stroke, picture yourself clapping your feet together. Though
precision of the kick, so a discussion on fins is useful. Small you’re not actually touching the bottom of your feet/fins
bladed fins with stiff tips allow us to feel the tips and really together that’s the general movement. It’s important to note
control our position while allowing us to move away from that only the ankles, knees and groin are used for this kick.
the standard type of flutter kick. We find it inefficient to use Your hips are NOT used and your knees will not drop below
the largest muscle in the body in order to drive water up your hips.
and down – it burns the most energy, stirs up the bottom,
promotes silting and potentially disturbs the environment. Modified Frog Kick
In addition, extending our legs straight out promotes a feet
down / head up angle of trim. The modified frog kick is a kick that is very useful in narrow
environments where the wide strokes of the frog kick are too
These are the five propulsion methods we use: wide for the passage, or when you only need to make very
slow forward progress. The modified frog kick is similar to

34 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Propulsion and Team Positioning 35
the frog kick but the diver only uses his ankles for the load- without have to make a wide, sweeping turn. The loading
ing and power strokes. Your knees are NOT used, nor are the stroke simply has the ankle slice the fin through the water.
groin muscles, only the ankles. Again, like the frog kick the For the power stroke, the outside ankle ‘pushes’ with the bot-
hips are NOT used. This is a very small, efficient, and restful tom of the fin, while the inside ankle ‘pulls’ with the top of
kick. the fin. In other words, one leg does a regular frog kick, while
the other leg does a backward kick.
Modified Flutter Kick

The modified flutter kick is useful as a powerful forward kick

in narrow areas, such as when having to maintain very tight Team Positioning
wing on wing team positioning in poor visibility, or through
a passage that might result in kicking the side walls using the Because we are part of a team, we need to pay attention
full frog kick, or even just to take a break from frog kicking. to both our individual position and team position. In other
The modified flutter varies from the flutter, or ‘scissor’ kick, words, where you position yourself affects the team, so con-
in that the groin and hip remain stationary as they would in sider the complete environment and where the other members
the prone position. During the power stroke, with the knee of your team are when you decide where you will be at any
perpendicular to the body, the ankle is pointed so as to point given moment.
the fin tip directly upward. Then flex the knee to 45º using
the front side of the fin blade for propulsion. The recovery Remember, the goals of the team are:
stroke involves relaxing the ankle which allows the fin to
return to horizontal and minimize drag as the knee returns to • Safety
the 90º position. • Efficiency
The Backward Kick • Ease
The backward kick is critical for the diver to maintain posi- • Individual Awareness
tion in the team, maintain position in light current, and avoid
having to ‘push off’ from the environment or other divers. So your individual goals should be:
For the loading stroke, picture touching the bottoms of your
feet together. Though you won’t actually touch them together, • Awareness of all team members’ positions
picturing it that way can help. Point the fin tips down and
slowly extend them further aft. Make sure to keep your head • Awareness of team members’ fields of view and their
up for balance and trim. For the power stroke, keeping your ability to move
heels together, move your toes apart and then swing the
blades OUT to create the most drag. The blades go out, not • Your ability to communicate, either with visual signals,
toward your head. Sweep the fins forward using the top and touch contact, or light signals
side of the fins for power. Be sure to keep your knees up.
Then recover by extending your fins with your toes pointed Team Member Roles
straight back, being careful not to propel yourself forward.
Then repeat. Within the team, it’s important to agree upon the roles and
responsibilities before the dive. These will be reviewed dur-
The Helicopter Turn ing the Pre-Dive SADDDDD sequence, but a more involved
discussion may be required prior to gearing up. Let’s talk
The helicopter kick allows you to turn or change position about the dive leader. While all members of the team are ex-
36 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Propulsion and Team Positioning 37
 stages. It also develops the rote muscle memory of long hose
use, switching regulators, using clips, dealing with lights and
Valve Drills stages, as well as maintaining buoyancy control and position-
TM
ing while task loading.

11
Team Skills

The valve drill is a team orientated drill. The idea is to create

communication and awareness between team members. Over-
all awareness of the team, equipment and the environment are
all equally important.

UTD Valve Drill Protocol - Single Tank Back-Mount

Team Communication Signal:

“YOU – WATCH ME – VALVE-DRILL”

UTD Standard Protocol Valve Drills Phase One – Get a Safe Source of Gas
Single Tank Back Mount
• Conduct an air share with teammate.
Double Tank Back Mount
Double Tank Side Mount • Clip-off long hose.
MX Series Rebreathes Phase Two – Shut Down Tank

The valve drill is not designed to specifically mimic reality, • Left hand signals light once or twice to gain attention
it is a drill only. The main purpose of the valve drill is to while shutting off tank valve.
ensure the diver can remain aware of their surroundings and
• Purge long hose.
be stable in one position, be horizontal and neutrally buoy-
ant, and in proper trim while task loaded. Further, the goals • Signal OK.
are to be able to reach and manipulate the valves making sure
there are no mobility issues, and ultimately create an associa- Phase Three – Turn on Tank
tion between each valve and its corresponding second stage.
• Turn on tank.

• Unclip long hose.

Equipment
• Purge long hose regulator to confirm a gas supply.
The valve drill will allow divers to become comfortable with
the management of their breathing equipment and to under- • Replace primary regulator long hose, return donated
stand the correlation between valves, first stages, and second regulator.
94 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Valve Drills 95
• Teammate stows the long hose and switches back to • Left hand signals light once or twice to gain attention
primary. while shutting down right post.

Final Phase – Flow Check • Breathe right post down/switch to backup and clip off
long hose.
• Check valve is all the way open (turn valve slightly off
then on again - making sure it can move). • Turn on right post, purge clipped off long hose to confirm
it’s on.
• Check SPG.
Phase Two – Isolator
• Signal OK.
• Left hand signals light once or twice to gain attention
Key Points while shutting off isolator.
• Maintain horizontal trim and a head-up position at all • Turn isolator back on.
times.
Phase Three – Left Post
• Keep aware of team, equipment and the environment.
• Purge long hose regulator to check it is on, unclip long
• Maintain a quick flash of light once or twice, enough to hose.
get the team’s attention, not a consistent flashing during
shutdown. If a teammate loses his attention, pause the • Switch light to right hand.
drill, flash again, than continue.
• Right hand signals light once or twice to gain attention
• Strive to clip and unclip long hose with one hand. while shutting down left post.

• Extend arms out front first before reaching up and behind • Breathe left post down and switch light to left hand.
for maximum mobility.
• Switch to long hose.
• Keep arm and elbow close to ear when reaching up and
behind for maximum mobility (like combing your hair). • Switch light to right hand.

• Be aware of accidently venting gas from the dry suit • Turn on left post.
when manipulating the left post.
• Switch light back to left hand.

• Purge backup regulator.

UTD Valve Drill Protocol - Double Tank Back-Mount
Final Phase – The Flow Check
Team Communication Signal:
“YOU – WATCH ME – VALVE-DRILL” • Check right to left making sure all valves are open (turn
valves slightly off, then on again).
Phase One – Right Post
• Check SPG.
• Purge backup regulator to ensure it is functioning.
• Check deco bottles.
96 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Valve Drills 97
 simple to use by both the diver and the team, especially
during the dive. If any changes occur to the planned depth or
Ratio Deco bottom time, the deco can easily be adjusted.
TM

The following discussion of Ratio Deco strategy is a starting

18
point, with a set of guidelines that are based on UTD / DIR
standard mixes, deep stops, oxygen windows, free phase
gases and dissolved gases. Initially, you will want to take a
small step away from relying on a computer-generated profile
and/or wrist mounted computer, and practice using a very
conservative Ratio Deco Strategy. Therefore, we encourage
you to start by using the set of Ratio Deco rules and strategy
outlined below. This will allow you to gain the experience
and confidence in your deco schedules prior to deviating. You
can then develop your own set of rules or tweaks.

You will find that these in-water times for decompression

are very similar to a Neo-Bühlmann or Workman profile set
to a conservative factor of GF low 30 and GF high 85 and/
or a computer generated profile from V-planner (RGBM /
Overview VPM-B) set to a conservative factor of +2. However, you will
find with Ratio Deco that deep stops are incluced and yeild
Ratio Deco is a simple “on the fly” strategy of applying a a shape that is very different from anything produced by a
set of rules to develop your “decompression strategy” that computer software model or a computer strapped to your arm.
will minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of the The Ratio Deco strategy shape takes into account the best of
dive for you and your team. No matter what your range, various theories and practical experience as we know it today.
environment, or equipment (open circuit, semi closed circuit, The rules have evolved and will continue to evolve slightly as
or fully closed circuit), Ratio Deco will help you approach we learn more about decompression.
the decompression as a team with a consistent approach and
strategy.

Most importantly, you and your teammates will understand Global Perspective
the risks vs. benefits and how to best deal with the decom- Background
pression, especially when something goes wrong. Your Ratio
Deco strategy will be derived from a combination of different The first concept for a diver or team to understand is that a
decompression theories, existing software profiles, past and decompression profile or decompression strategy is not an
present ideologies, and ultimately your experience with the exact science. It is not black and white. The times and stop
profiles. All of these are then combined into one easy to use depths are not precise, predictable, or even scientifically
“on the fly” strategy. proven. DCS is very unpredictable – you can do everything
perfectly and still suffer a symptomatic progressive DCS hit.
Ratio Deco is applicable and consistent within any environ- Therefore, there is no perfect model or shape to decompres-
ment, throughout any range of diving, utilizing either open sion. Diving has the inherent risk of DCS and your approach
circuit or closed circuit. Most importantly, Ratio Deco is and strategy to your diving, including your decompression,
180 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Ratio Deco 181
 should weigh the risk vs. benefit, minimizing the risk and For example, if we were going to plan a dive to 140’/42m,
maximizing the benefit. rather than calculating and using an exact mix to offset the
most inert gas, in a Ratio Deco strategy we rather use a
In other words, every time you dive, you get bent. Whether standardized mix of either 18/45, 21/35 or 25/25 for the dive.
you are symptomatic or not, you essentially suffer some The appropriate choice would be based on first reducing the
degree of DCS. How much is based on many factors – not risk of oxygen exposure and toxicity, then the reduction of the
only the gases you use, the profile, the times, and the stop production of CO2 through gas density and narcosis, and then
depths, but also the condition within the human body. The lastly reducing the risk of DCS.
human body is a living organism that is very dynamic and it
deals with the introduction of foreign objects (gases, bubbles, If you are on open circuit or semi closed circuit, you would
pressure and so on) in a very unpredictable way. pick a standardized back gas or bottom gas that maintains
your PPO2 on the bottom above 0.8 and below 1.2. If you
Rather than believing you will not get bent if you follow your were on fully closed circuit, such as the MX Rebreather,
computer exactly, or if you print a black and white profile rather than trying to maintain a perfect PPO2 of 1.2, you
from your home computer and perfectly follow the exact stop would keep it above 0.8 and below 1.2 throughout the bottom
times and depths, consider managing your decompression portion of the dive by maintaining an average of 1.0. You
strategy properly so that you minimize your risk of being would then pick the appropriate level of helium to reduce the
symptomatically bent (a DCS hit). gas density, breathing resistance, and narcosis, Finally you
pick the decompression strategy.
A second concept to move away from is that of a “best Mix,”
or exact bottom mix custom blended for a particular dive, Moving on to the decompression bottles and gas choices
depth, and time which leads to a requirement of exact stop (amount and FO2 in the mix), in open circuit, semi closed
times and depths – this is the basis of most decompression circuit, or open circuit “bailout” for fully closed circuit
models. rebreather, you could choose from a range of standardized
deco gases that meet various criteria. First and foremost, the
However, these are statistical models generated mathemati- first deco bottle choice must be based on the volume of bot-
cally by formula which do not exactly apply to a living tom gas reserved to meet the UTD Rock Bottom requirements
organism such as the body. It can give you a basic premise, (see Rock Bottom Section).
but it can’t be exact. Your Ratio Deco strategy will be based
on an average partial pressure of oxygen – PPO2 – on the Side Note: Keep in mind to reserve enough gas for two divers
bottom of above 0.8 and below 1.2 depending on the length to air-share from the bottom to the next available source of
of your exposure. gas, whether it be a stage bottle, deco bottle, and / or the
surface.
If a dive has four hours of bottom time, it may not be pru-
dent to expose yourself to a PPO2 of 1.2, or worse yet 1.4, For example, if you do a 200’/60m dive with just an oxygen
believing you are somehow offsetting the maximin amount bottle for decompression, the software might show a good
of inert gas or nitrogen and reducing your risk of DCS. The decompression profile. However, you can clearly see that the
more important fact is that you are exposing yourself to a required rock bottom “reserve gas” needed to get off the bot-
much higher risk – oxygen toxicity (CNS and pulmonary). tom, do all the deep stops and the mid range decompression
This is an example of how a computer decompression profile stops, and then switch to oxygen at 20’/6m would be impos-
or program does not take into account “real” world diving sible, especially while two divers are air-sharing – you would
weighing the risk vs. benefit to give you the best “Decom- not be able to carry that much back gas. Therefore, you would
pression Strategy.” be served by introducing a deeper decompression bottle as
well as the oxygen bottle. This would provide for a safer dive,
182 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Ratio Deco 183
 UTD Standardized Mixes
Battlefield
Calculations
TM

Bottom Mix/ Working Depth/ MOD END Mixing

19
Deco Mix Deco Range (Max PPO2) (Max Depth) (Air Top)

Nitrox 32% 0 - 100ʼ/30m 111ʼ/33m - 14% O2

Helitrox 25/25 90ʼ/27m - 130ʼ/39m 151ʼ/46m 88ʼ/26m 12% O2

25% He

Helitrox 21/35 100ʼ/30m - 160ʼ/48m 190ʼ/57m 98ʼ/29m 9% O2

35% He

Trimix 18/45 160ʼ/48m - 200ʼ/60m 220ʼ/66m 94ʼ/28m 8% O2

45% He

Trimix 15/55 200ʼ/60m - 250ʼ/75m 275ʼ/83m 90ʼ/27m 7% O2

55% He

Trimix 12/60 250ʼ/75m - 300ʼ/90m 352ʼ/106m 100ʼ/30m 5% O2

60% He

Trimix 10/70 300ʼ/90m - 400ʼ/120m 429ʼ/130m 88ʼ/26m 4% O2

70% He

Oxygen 20ʼ/6m - 0ʼ/0m 20ʼ/6m - O2

Nitrox 50% 70ʼ/21m - 30ʼ/9m 70ʼ/21m - 36% O2

Introduction
Helitrox 35/25 120ʼ/36m - 80ʼ/24m 120ʼ/36m 80ʼ/24m 25% O2
25% He
Picture yourself on the road, driving to a dive site. Suddenly
Helitrox 21/35 190ʼ/57m - 130ʼ/39m 190ʼ/57m 98ʼ/29m 9% O2 you notice a sign that reads, “Next Gas 65 Miles.” A quick
35% He
glance at your gauge reveals that it is one-third full; do you
Trimix 18/45 240ʼ/72m - 200ʼ/60m 240ʼ/72m 94ʼ/28m 8% O2 need to stop now and fill your tank, or do you have enough to
make it to the dive site?
45% He

To be able to answer confidently you need to know your car’s

gas mileage and how much a full tank holds. The gas mileage
may change with the terrain and how many scooters and tanks
you’ve loaded into the back. With the right information you
can do a quick calculation and know if you need to stop, even
if you’re driving a rental, or a car you are not familiar with.

The same applies to diving. Once you get to the dive site you
can do simple “battlefield calculations” to properly manage
your breathing gas supply before and during the dive.

Battlefield calculations build on a basic understanding of the

pressure in the water column and the pressure in your tanks to
give you effective ways to do math on the boat, on shore, and
even underwater to make diving safer and more fun.

226 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Battlefield Calculations 227
 We know that to some the word “math” is a “four-letter” Boyle’s law affects many aspects of diving, including gas
word and for others as soon as you hear “calculations” you management reserves, consumption rates, etc...as well as just
reach over for a calculator. STOP. Battlefield calculations are basic physiology.
exactly that - meant to be done on the fly, quickly and easily,
while underwater – no calculators, no scratch pad, no help Assuming temperature remains constant then the following
from your mom – just study this chapter, get some practice, holds true:
use your brain, and before you know, you’ll be doing math
and calculations quickly and easily while underwater and “on Pressure (ATA) = 1 / Volume
the fly.” So reach over, grab a cup of your favorite coffee, get
out your wetnotes, and let’s get cracking. Better stated, the pressure is inversely proportional to vol-
ume. As pressure goes up (descending in the water), then the
First and foremost, this is “scuba math”– it is not exact math. volume goes down. As pressure goes down (ascending) then
You cannot and will not be able to calculate every variable. volume increases proportionally.
Diving and the in-water environment is so dynamic we can
allow for some room in the calculations. We will normally This is very important to us as divers, because on any ascent,
“error” on the side of conservative, but you cannot predict as pressure is reduced, teh volume is increased. Which means
and account for everything. It is better to get a basic idea by gas is expanding in our lungs, sinuses, inner and middle ears,
doing a best “guesstimate” when planning, then double check BCD’s, dry suits, wet suits (in the neoprene), etc.
the work while diving, updating “the plan” as we go, ulti-
mately changing and accommodating it to the environment as
we dive. This can be a very difficult concept for many divers Dalton’s Law
and students who have a background in industries that require
precision. It may take years to finally come to the conclusion Dalton’s law of partial pressures states that the total pressure
that it is better to have a basic best guesstimate plan and of a mixture of gases is simply the sum of the partial pres-
update as the dive unfolds. sures of the individual gases. Dalton’s Law is as follows:

Where PTotal is the total pressure of the atmosphere and

PGas (PO2, PN2, PCO2 , etc.) is the pressure of the gas mix-
Gas Laws Reviewed ture in the atmosphere.
Basic gas laws involve three variables – pressure, volume, Dalton’s law helps us calculate mixing gases and understand-
and temperature. ing how each of the gases within a total gas mixtue affects us.

PTotal = PO2 + PN2 + PCO2 + Pother

Boyle’s Law In other words, when we dive, and we subject our bodies to
increased pressure, we can look at the individual pressures of
Boyle’s law, published in 1662, shows that at constant tem- the gases we are breathing. If air is basically 21% oxygen and
perature, the product of an ideal gas’s pressure and volume 79% nitrogen, and we double the pressure on our bodies by
is always constant. If a container, with a fixed amount of descending to two atmospheres (33’/10m) then the individual
molecules inside, is reduced in volume, more molecules partial pressures double – the oxygen becomes .42 and the
will hit the sides of the container per unit of time, causing a nitrogen becomes 1.68. Add the two partial pressures together
greater pressure. and they equal ambient pressure. In this case the ambient
pressure is 2.0 (two atmospheres, or 2 ATA).
228 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Battlefield Calculations 229
 Imperial Gas Metric Gas
Planning Worksheet Planning Worksheet

254 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual Gas Planning Worksheets 255
 Notes:

TM
Conclusion

The Ten
Covenants
of Unified
Team Diving

Photo by Jeanna Edgerton

21
Over the years we have defined who
we are as UTD Divers. The following
ten covenants clearly define the way
we dive, the way we think, and the
way we act when in the water as a
unified team.

We offer these covenants as a way

for you to define your own diving,
whether technical diving, working
underwater as a scientific diver, or just
out for an easy recreational dive.

1. Unified Team Diving – The team

is your backup – gas, equipment
and brain.

2. The Thinking Team – No team

member relies on another person
or piece of equipment to make the
“sole” decisions. No “trust me”
dives.

256 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual The Ten Covenants 257
 3. Rock Bottom Gas Management – 10. The Proper Training and
Every diver carries enough gas to Experience for the Dive – Have
bring two divers to the next avail- the appropriate training to ensure
able gas source, either the surface, consistent protocols and skills for
a deco bottle, or stage bottle. the dive, and understand potential
hazards. This will ensure the
4. Standard Gases – Dive the correct starting point to build
desired PPO2 at the target average experience.
depth and keep the equivalent
narcosis depth to 100’/30m or less.
NO DEEP AIR.

5. Consistent Modular Equipment

Configuration – Have an equip-
ment configuration that is consis-
tent, modular and scalable within
the team for all types of diving and
diving environments.

6. Minimalist Approach – Only take

what you need for the dive.

7. Holistic – All components of

the system are thought out, work
together, and have a solid reason
behind their use and placement.

8. Streamlined and Accessible

Equipment Configuration – All
components can be stowed, yet are
convenient to access.

9. Situational Awareness – Manage

the environment, equipment and
team, giving equal attention to
each, but never become fixated
or inflexible. Head up, eyes open,
and brain on.

258 UTD Student and Diver Procedures Manual The Ten Covenants 259