Diving Devil's Throat and Columbia Deep

[Jungho Kim]

Hello all,

I'm heading down to Coz this weekend and have booked the majority of my dives, however, the dive op I booked with cannot accommodate my request to dive Devil's Throat and Columbia Deep due to the certification level's of others in the group. :-( I've called other dive ops and they are all booked!! I would love to dive these sites either Dec 27th or Jan 1st. Any dive ops that can squeeze one more diver into the boat on these days?

cheers, JK

 

[Ron Lee]

I am curious if your dive op just has one boat. If so, that is one potential negative compared to a dive op with multiple boats....the ability to separate divers of significantly different experience level for a few more challenging dive sites.

 

[Zman96]

I would imagine you would need to dive with an op a few days before they take you to Devil's Throat to establish your abilities.

 

[Jungho Kim]

I would imagine you would need to dive with an op a few days before they take you to Devil's Throat to establish your abilities.

Even if I have my rescue diver and I am currently working towards my DM? Would also a reference from my instructor help?

 

[Jungho Kim]

I am curious if your dive op just has one boat. If so, that is one potential negative compared to a dive op with multiple boats....the ability to separate divers of significantly different experience level for a few more challenging dive sites.

I believe so... I went with them because they come highly recommended and take only small groups...

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Even if I have my rescue diver and I am currently working towards my DM? Would also a reference from my instructor help?

Cards do not equal skill. Your profile indicates that you have less than 50 dives, so you're still a very new diver. I think taking a diver to challenging sites without knowing their actual skill level would be foolish. I prefer not to dive with fools. Therefore, if you find an op willing to take you on these dives without first hand knowledge of your skills, please post the name so I can avoid them.

Note that I'm not taking a position either way on your suitability for these dives.

 

[Jungho Kim]

Cards do not equal skill. Your profile indicates that you have less than 50 dives, so you're still a very new diver. I think taking a diver to challenging sites without knowing their actual skill level would be foolish. I prefer not to dive with fools. Therefore, if you find an op willing to take you on these dives without first hand knowledge of your skills, please post the name so I can avoid them.

Note that I'm not taking a position either way on your suitability for these dives.

Agreed... I will see if a reference of my abilities from the other dive op I have booked with will suffice... They are quite well known, I assume their word carries some weight in a close knit dive community...

cheers,

JK

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I would also not take the word of another op. Some well known ones do some pretty dumb stuff and therefore lose much credibility with me. I have yet to do the "Throat" and not sure if I ever will.

But out of curiosity what is your plan for it? Depths, times, gas supply, fact that it is a true overhead environment. What is the skill level of your buddy or potential buddy? What is the acceptable level you are ok with in regards to your buddies on a dive like this that empties out at the recreational limits? What is your back up deco plan should something happen 1/2 way through and you get hung up? What's your tolerance level for nitrogen narcosis and how do personally manage it?

How much overhead experience do you have, ie wrecks, ice, cavern, theoretical (planned deco)?

I hope you are not planning on an al80 for the dive and have asked for 100cu ft tanks as a min.

It always scares me when I hear of divers thinking of doing this dive based on what card they have. I consider this based on the videos I have seen as a cave dive. Cavern at the least. I would not take anyone without some type of overhead training into it. I know lots or people have done it and been fine. I have also talked to an instructor who did it twice and on both dives had to assist another diver. Once someone who was narced and decided to keep going down (he caught her at 150 or so).

 

[cicopo]

A lot of ops will do Colombia Deep on a regular enough basis but Devil's Throat is considered an advanced dive AND doing it is very subject to conditions so planning in advance is not commonly done. Irregardless no op is going to take you there without seeing you demonstrate your skill on at least a couple of dives plus they will need to know you can manage your air supply well enough to have some left when you exit the cave. The exit is at 121 (top) to 128 (the floor) according to my computer & the dive op doesn't need a diver to exit & signal they are low on air thus ending their & possibly everyones dive. To me (I've done it twice & hope I never have to please another group by doing it again) it's a boring dive until you start drifting along the wall after everyone clears the throat. It's the only dive I've done in Cozumel that was a complete disappointment.

 

[Dhboner]

Don't get caught up in "trophy dives". To be honest "Devil's Throat" really isn't that great a dive if you ask me. With an AL80 you have very little NDL and unless you are first through it can be a total silt-out.

If this is your first trip to Cozumel, just sit back and enjoy your dives...there isn't a bad dive on the entire island.

Bob