Oceanic Mako 1 Owner's Manual - page 20
20
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DPV DIVING - A SPECIALTY ACTIVITY
The Mako was designed to broaden your enjoyment of the underwater en-
vironment, providing you with freedom you’ve only dreamed of before. With
it, you will be able to move with increased speed and cover up to two miles
underwater on a single dive, with very little exertion. Consequently, you’ll
also use less air - as much as 50% less! Like any accessory item, however,
using the Mako does not relieve you from your responsibility to remember
and obey the fundamental rules of safe diving.
“PLAN YOUR DIVE AND DIVE YOUR PLAN.” Sound familiar? It
was taught to you in your first open water class, and applies to every dive
you will ever make, regardless of what devices or accessories you bring
along with you. When you use a Diver Propulsion Vehicle, this rule be-
comes doubly important. A popular rule among cave divers, which also
applies to DPV diving, is to plan your dive using
1/3
of your air supply to
reach your destination,
1/3
to return, and keep
1/3
for reserve. Keep in
mind, though, that you will be using much less air than you have
grown accustomed to, and no-decompression limits will often be-
come the more limiting factor for planning your dive while using
the Mako.
In addition to planning the depth and duration of your dive according to
the limitations of air consumption and nitrogen absorption, however, you
must now also pay attention to the limiting factors of battery life and run-
ning time. This becomes especially critical whenever you are diving in
conditions where currents may exist.
Picture yourself diving in a moderate current that is running slightly over
one knot. Ordinarily, you would know better than to start your dive swim-
ming in the direction of the current, knowing what an ordeal returning
against it would be. But there’s something in that direction that you would
love to check out, and you have plenty of air to make it there and back.
You’ve got the Mako with you, and it can tow you back against that current
with ease. That rule about starting your dive against the current and re-
turning with it was only written for ordinary divers who can’t afford ve-
hicles, so what the heck - why not go for it?
Before you take off, though, STOP and think about what a
drag it would be
if your Mako’s low battery indicator appeared, flashing red, or if something
else disabled the vehicle while you were several hundred yards down-cur-
rent from the boat or shore. In a current of any measurable speed, you
may find it impossible to swim back while holding onto the vehicle, and
your only choice will be to let it go before you drift any further down-cur-
rent.
WARNING: ALWAYS begin your dive travelling against
the current, and immediately begin your return to the
boat or exit point whenever the yellow battery indicator
light appears.
Additional Rules For
Dive Planning
Diving In Currents