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Why does nobody bring up surface decompression tables when your tender is green and the clock is ticking
Had a job last Thursday in Port Arthur, 40 feet of water, and my regular tender called in sick so they sent a green kid fresh out of school. I had two choices: run the dive on my own tables like I always do, which meant a slower descent and more bottom time, or switch to the company's surface decompression schedule and get in and out faster but trust a guy who had never run a chamber. I went with the surface table, and the kid did okay, but I spent the whole 20 minutes at 40 feet watching him like a hawk instead of focusing on the job. We finished the weld in 35 minutes instead of the 50 it usually takes me, but my hands were shaking when I got back in the basket. Next time I'll just wait for a tender I know, even if it costs us a day, because saving 15 minutes is not worth that pit in my stomach. Any of you older guys got a rule for when to trust a new tender on tables?
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dylan_green589d ago
So was the green kid diving the tables or were you just babysitting him while he played chamber operator? You basically paid 15 minutes of saved time with 20 minutes of pure stress, and that's a terrible trade every single time.
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