What a great day with Scubamau!!!

[firstdive2005]

Thank you DandyDon I will update my profile location and thank you for the answer.
I thought it sounded funny diving to 175 ft. I remember my instructor talking about a 60 foot limit for open water diving and a 100 ft limit for advanced open water and maximum diving limit of 130.
I am thinking about going to Cozumel soon and that is a very good suggestion about hiring a private dive master.

While I appreciate your question, why does it sound funny my friend. You have no idea who I am or how I dive or what type of diver I am. You also dont know my dive skills or tech skills.
But keep asking questions that's how you learn. Go diving that's how you get good.

 

[mjatkins]

I am brand new to scuba board and a new diver
is it common practice in Cozumel to do deco diving and dive alone without the divemaster?
I have been reading about Cozumel and thought you had to be with a divemaster to dive there.
What is it to bounce to 175 ft.

With all due respect to the other folks in this thread, you are absolutely right. It is not common practice to do deco diving, or dive alone in Cozumel. We have park rules that forbid diving inside the marine park without a park certified divemaster in the water with you. "Bouncing" to 175 feet is also well outside the limits of single tank recreational diving. In fact, it is just outside the limits of the PADI tech deep course, and into the depths that you would reach as part of the trimix course.

You will find that many people do things outside of the rules of the marine park, as well many people will do things that we are taught not to do as recreational divers (ie 175 ft, go inside the wreck without proper penetration methods and training). You will have to make these choices for yourself as the person who will ultimately pay the price if it goes wrong. I think you are on the right track by asking the questions.

 

[MMM]

You will have to make these choices for yourself as the person who will ultimately pay the price if it goes wrong.

Matt, I agree with what you said. But I don't think it is solely the diver that pays the price if Marine Park rules are broken (such as diving without a guide in the water with them). Doesn't the dive op itself risk losing its park license?

 

[cicopo]

I have to agree with Don's assessment of the depth rules (suggestions) as well as the fact that the majority of dive ops in Coz are going to use your first day with them as an assessment of your skills vs what you might think they are. I just went through that drill after having to take a long rest from diving due to surgery & I have to admit that I made sure they knew about it & to watch out for me. I'd also like to point out that very few of the divers you see in Coz dive tables, and even those are instructed to stay close to & above the DM to rely on HIS / HER computer plus the fact he / she has dove the profile many times before and has a pretty well established dive history to fall back on re times / depth. Most of us DO have computers, and OBEY them, which keeps us safe even though we may have done a dive outside the teaching guidelines. That doesn't mean it's the daily routine, nor that you should "just do it because everyone else is". It simply explains that just like when we first learn to drive your skills & confidence build with practice, and what once seemed risky becomes normal.

Kevin, am I reading this correctly?

"he just has brand new Riffe guns and is out playing. He has the boat for several days he has picked. Great guy from California. He asked if I would like to go today again. We went out to Villa Blanca and he nailed another 3.5ft cuda. What a great shot. I videoed it but he wanted the chip to down load so I cant post that one. Heading out Saturday to the east side with him hunting and I am taking my big video set. Those shots are going to be really cool. Stay tuned.lol."

If so I thought that we had established that spearfishing on Scuba was a no no in the areas around the island.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/352497-anyone-know-about-guy-spearfishing.html

As pointed out in other discussions rules get bent, but when they do it's not a good idea to glorify it on a public forum. Could lead to confusion etc. Might be the right place to apply the "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" rule.

 

[Karibelle]

your skills & confidence build with practice, and what once seemed risky becomes normal.

that may be true, but "bouncing" to 175 feet while a course is going on is not only risky, but it also sets a terrible example. the instructor is trying to teach a student something, and that something presumably included some discussion of general limits for recreational diving, and now has to deal with the possibility of that student asking "what's all that hooey about 130 feet, when that guy was 40 or 50 feet below me?"

Kevin, are you tech trained? Was that a tech dive? it sounds like you went on your own on a single tank from the same boat as the instructor and the student. Did I misunderstand?

 

[Ripple in still water]

I'd guess that all the certifying agencies view solo diving to 175 ft on air as reckless, no matter the experience of the diver.

That the DM turned his back on this kind of diving doesn't speak well for the DM or his employer.

 

[DandyDon]

I'd guess that all the certifying agencies view solo diving to 175 ft on air as reckless, no matter the experience of the diver.

That the DM turned his back on this kind of diving doesn't speak well for the DM or his employer.

This came up on a lost diver thread in Accidents...

If I dip down 10 ft lower than everyone else, do you expect the DM to grab my valve and wrestle me up?

If I dip down 10 ft lower, then keep going - do you expect the DM to chase me and wrestle me?

What if I am the eighth diver behind the DM?

 

[cicopo]

My thoughts were not to justify what Kevin did but to support the idea that depth limits aren't carved in stone, and that just like speeding people find ways to justify what they've done, but that doesn't imply that everyone should also do it. I've accidentally dropped down much deeper than planned on several occasions while taking photos of fish along the walls, but the moment I look at my depth gauge I know I've got to work my way up, and preferably to a depth shallower than the group since I've wasted some air.

 

[Ripple in still water]

Don, this is a surprisingly glib response from you given how much sensible stuff you post on safety-consciousness. I wouldn't expect the DM to have followed Kevin to 175 ft. I would expect an appropriately safety-conscious DM, and a DM who cares about his employer's reputation, to tell Kevin that if he pulls something like that again, the DM won't be going out with Kevin again.

Of course, if the employer thinks this is an acceptable way for folks they take out to dive, than it becomes a little tougher for the DM, who may be forced to put his continued employment at risk by doing the right thing.

This came up on a lost diver thread in Accidents...

If I dip down 10 ft lower than everyone else, do you expect the DM to grab my valve and wrestle me up?

If I dip down 10 ft lower, then keep going - do you expect the DM to chase me and wrestle me?

What if I am the eighth diver behind the DM?

 

[mjatkins]

Matt, I agree with what you said. But I don't think it is solely the diver that pays the price if Marine Park rules are broken (such as diving without a guide in the water with them). Doesn't the dive op itself risk losing its park license?

Yes Marg, I believe you are right about that. I doubt that a shop would lose it's license over someone going too deep, as tec divers are certainly allowed in the park like anyone else. Diving without a DM may well turn some heads, but again, things can happen and people can get separated from the DM. I hear that they are making threats to revoke licenses if shops allow divers to bring spears or guns into the park. But again, an isolated incident would probably not be a problem. A history of infractions..... who knows. Their case would probably not be helped if there ware clients documenting the infractions and the shops allowing it. After all, the marine park has internet access as well.