Just curious but if you witnessed a veteran diver telling Open water divers who were fairly new to diving (Within a few months and say less then 20 dives) to go out and dive the Oriskany and that they really should not worry about going deep what would you do? Please consider the following and think of what you would do. The veteran diver encourages the following to divers: 1. To go below 130 feet so they could see the flight deck of the Oriskany.
What has long bothered me about the "O" for new(er) divers is the combination of unpredictable conditions (jumping in and descending with no current, and then running into a ripping current on the ascent), and the allure of that great big flight deck below you. Even if you start out planning to only dive on the island / superstructure (and there is plenty to see up high in shallower water), in good visibility that great big deck practically sings a siren song - 'Come on down, it's OK; it isn't that deep, you'll be fine; no worries, mon.'
And, among the problems I see with that are a) gas supply for that diver, using an AL80 for example, and b) unintended cross-over into a deco obligation - as only two examples. I am sure there are new OW divers who could do such a dive safely, and I imagine that many do each year. But, I would actively discourage it, even in front of the 'veteran diver'. By the way, was the 'veteran diver' a dive professional (DM, Instructor, etc.)?
2. To encourage divers to dive beyond 60 feet in poor visibility and less then 20 dives.
Not always a great idea, but a lot of new divers do just that, in the very quarries in which they previusly completed their OW certification.
3. Telling them to stay close (After either of the first 2) and they would share lights or other equipment since the newer diver did not come prepared to go to such dives.
The 'veteran' who does this certainly has an unusual idea of 'safety'.
5. to dive in water that is never cool enough to kill of bacteria (Such as a power plant lake used to cool reactors and such) so you know for sure the bacteria is possibly extremely high.
This one doesn't worry me as much, at least not the 'bacteria count' issue. Maybe it should, and I am just clueless.
Having posted the above, I also thought more about the whole idea of 'Promoting diving beyond divers skill levels'. As a practice, it is certainly not something that dive professionals would ordinarily do or condone (part of my reason for asking if the 'veteran' was a DP in addition to being very experienced). But, many experienced, accomplished, capable divers have gotten to that point and leve of ability by gaining experience through dives which might well be considered 'diving beyond skill levels', certainly diving beyond accepted 'limits' - depth limits being a great example. How many people on SB ventured below 130' as a relatively new OW diver or, perhaps more relevant, as a diver without any formal training in deep(er) diving? How many people on SB did one or more solo dives as a diver without any formal training in solo diving? How many people on SB pursued diving with doubles as a diver without any formal training in diving with that equipment configuration? And, here is one that is a sensitive issue (appropriately so) for a number of SB posters - how many people on SB have ventured into a cave, perhaps from a cavern entry, with only a Cavern Diver certification? The list of possibilities goes on. And, in asking the questions I am not necessarily promoting diving beyond diver skill levels, as much as promoting reflection. Where is the line between an accidental / unplanned foray to 145 feet, a foolhardy bounce dive to 145 feet, and a carefully thought out, planned excursion to that depth? I do not necessarily know, although I suspect 'it depends', on the individual.
