New Divers Beware: Sketchy dive shop in Cozumel puts profits over safety

[nodakdive]

Bvana1,
Still wondering how many dives you did at Papa Hogs? Was it just 2 dives down to 25 feet, or did you actually go beyond 40 feet deep as someone has suggested?
If you went beyond 40 feet deep, did you need to equalize when you got deeper than 25 feet? Did your ears hurt when you equalized at 25 feet, or did you just
feel the need to equalize at 25 feet, or did you just equalize at 25 feet?

Thanks,
-Blair

 

[cvchief]

If I aint equalizing by 10-15 feet I'm in trouble. I have to get it done by there or I will lock up for any deeper.

 

[bvana1]

Bvana1,
Still wondering how many dives you did at Papa Hogs? Was it just 2 dives down to 25 feet, or did you actually go beyond 40 feet deep as someone has suggested?
If you went beyond 40 feet deep, did you need to equalize when you got deeper than 25 feet? Did your ears hurt when you equalized at 25 feet, or did you just
feel the need to equalize at 25 feet, or did you just equalize at 25 feet?

Thanks,
-Blair

The first day we stayed in very shallow water 8-10 ft I'd guess. Mainly just got used to the equipment. The second day we went slightly beyond the pier no deeper than about 20-25 ft. I only had to equalize my ears once or twice at that depth and it was easy to clear them then.

 

[nodakdive]

If I aint equalizing by 10-15 feet I'm in trouble. I have to get it done by there or I will lock up for any deeper.

Yea, 5 or 6 feet for me. I'm amazed that anyone can make it to 25 feet without equalizing, but as I mentioned earlier, when I was young I skin dove all the time, and never had a problem, actually, never felt any pressure on my ears. Most of my "skin diving" was in a deep swimming pool, but there were times at the lake I'd go down past 15 feet to probably 20, and still didn't feel a thing. At that time, I didn't even know about valsalva maneuvers.

The couple times I had trouble scuba diving, I think I was a little overweighted and thus descended faster than one normally would. Dive one, I'd have a 3 mil long sleeve shorty on, and on dive two I'd just have a t-shirt on. (I like to stay hydrated, and I don't like to pee in a wetsuit.) I didn't adjust my weights to compensate, and as a new diver I was probably a little overweighted with the neoprene on, but with the neoprene off, well, you can imagine. Down I'd go, nose pinched, but a little task overloaded, so I didn't equalize until too late. I'd probably already been told in training at some point, or had even read it somewhere, to equalize while on the surface, but didn't catch it. I'd usually have no problem, but the DM saw that I had to ascend to re-eq, and said something. I guess a little pain can be a great motivator. A vigilante DM is a good thing too.

Now, eq'ing on the surface is second nature.

It must take a heck of a toot to eq at 25 feet? But again, everyone's body is different.

-Blair

 

[nodakdive]

The first day we stayed in very shallow water 8-10 ft I'd guess. Mainly just got used to the equipment. The second day we went slightly beyond the pier no deeper than about 20-25 ft. I only had to equalize my ears once or twice at that depth and it was easy to clear them then.

So, 2 days on the shore. Maybe your ears don't feel any pressure at 8 to 10. I wonder if the first two days of dives didn't actually introduce a little teeny bit of barotrauma, and by day 3 when you were boat diving it was an accident waiting to happen, and if you didn't feel the need to equalize until 25 feet, it was probably too late. Here comes the blood.

I think you mentioned in your first post that you were coughing up blood. Do you imagine it was from your lungs? What did the doctor at the clinic say about the blood being coughed up?

Thanks again for the extra info,
-Blair

 

[bvana1]

Everyone including the Dr at the DAN clinic said it was "normal". I guess "normal" for a symptom of Barotrauma. We both agree that I probably caused the problem by trying to force my ears to clear at depth rather than ascend a bit to relieve some pressure, than try at the lesser depth.

 

[SCUBAPA75]

Hey. I was the "experienced diver" on the boat with you. And my friend Don was the other diver who was getting his open water cert. Funny, Don didn't have ANY problems on the dives. You know why? Because HE spent the extra money to have THREE days of one-on-one time with an instructor and actually LEARN how to dive. Unlike you, who bragged on the boat that you did all your stuff online to SAVE A LITTLE money and that you didn't need all that actual instruction. And I heard Rafael tell you OVER AND OVER AGAIN...DO NOT descend if you cannot equalize. And I saw you tell him you were okay. AFTER you had to hold his hand for the first half of the dive. If you would have actually paid the money for face to face diving instruction you would know that you can NOT equalize while ascending and that is THE most common cause of barotrauma, which you admitted to doing on the boat. But even if you did not get that information on your pathetic ONLINE course,
Rafael told us ALL the safety information that Deep Blue does on EVERY dive. Remember the conversation about it being like an airline steward?? Never hurts to hear the safety information again? That is because I have heard that same speech on EVERY dive with Deep Blue...and I've been diving with them for 10 years. I am an ADVANCED open water diver with over 150+ dives. You were given the option not to dive again after your
first display of stupidity, and YOU CHOSE to get back in the water. And the beginning of both dives was me (and DON)...hanging out on the sandy bottom while you took 20 minutes to descend. Then you blew through all your air in the next 20 minutes....while you were holding hands with the dive instructor because you were scared. And you and Don, never went below 60'. You were told from the beginning on the boat that your MAX DEPTH was to be 60' and you were particularly instructed to WATCH your gauges and shown how to use the computer. You are the only person who is responsible. You tried to cut corners and save a little money and do the online course and you OBVIOUSLY did not pay attention to the safety information that was given to you MULTIPLE times. You are the only money greedy person in this situation and you should NOT blame Rafael or Deep Blue. You should stay out of the water and off the island. And withdraw this unfounded, ridiculous review from a whiney, bad diver who wants to blame everyone else for his piss poor preparation before trying to get in the water.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Dear Devon Diver,

My SINGLE point was that Dive Instructors should not have divided duties when in the water with OW students, that's all.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[Zman96]

Well I can see we have picked up right where the Scuba Mau thread left off.
:chairfight:

 

[dmoore19]

Scubapa75

You might want to use a more measured approach to your post. You might still be able to edit it.

Just say you were there and what you observed. Let the rest unfold before your eyes. Name calling doesn't really get you too far. Observations from someone who was there might get your point across better. IJS