Absolutely Insane Dive Video - Cozumel

[Garth]

Here is one fact that many of the critics don't acknowledge: We weren't there and we don't know what happened. Was the dive at 100'? The poster of the video said so. Is it a fact that they were that deep? I don't know, and unless one of us was there, no one else here does either. Was the whole dive at 100' or did the DM start an ascent? We don't know.

There is no evidence of equipment failure. If you want to assume that there was equipment failure, then it's a different scenario. But what I saw was a reg that free-flowed when turned mouth up at depth (which it should do). It stopped when the DM turned it face down. The DM then also turned the VIVA switch down (no doubt, because the reg was not going to be used by the diver and was going to dangle). Why did the DM keep the diver on his long hose? I don't know. I wasn't there and I didn't get to ask the DM. But the assumption that the diver was an air hog and the DM had plenty of air and the DM did not want to cut the dive short seems to be most likely to be correct. Watching the video, you can see that the DM uses a lot less air.

Where was the buddy of the diver? Probably there was none. In dive tourism, it is common for a group of divers to go with a DM and no one is buddied up with any one else. If you stay with the group, then you have several alternative air supplies. This is solo diving in a crowd. Is it approved? No. Is it common? Yes. Is it more dangerous than diving with a single buddy who goes off on his own? You can decide for yourself, but I would rather be with a group of 5 or 6 other divers in high viz water than be responsible for an incompetent buddy or be reliant on someone who goes off on his own and has no idea where I am.

I was on a dive in the Bahamas being led by a DM. There were 5 or 6 of us "dive tourists" in the group. I had a problem with leaking air due to a bad O-ring, and my air supply was going down much more quickly than normal. The DM put me on her hose and we swam together for five to ten minutes. Then I went back on my air supply near the end of the dive. Did I feel that was an unsafe practice? No. I have to assume that the DM knew exactly how much air was being consumed by the both of us. I certainly knew how much air I had left, and it was PLENTY to ascend to the safety stop and take a five-minute stop. Plus they had spare tanks at the hang bar for the safety stop. So even if I were OOG at the safety stop, I could have hung there for an hour or more on one of the spare tanks.

Am I glad that the dive wasn't terminated? You bet. Were the other divers glad too? My guess is yes. If you would have acted differently, I wouldn't criticize your decision on how to handle your dive.

"I have to assume that the DM knew exactly how much air was being consumed by the both of us. " is what you said above.... Direct quote.

We have once again... A feeling of security often while unaware of or unconcerned of unpleasant realities or harmful possibilities...

Just sayin.

Sounds like your dive went okay and everyone survived in addition to extending bottom time on vacation during a paid trip. Okay.

But to come here on a public forum and to explain that this is common place is reckless. To have other inexperienced divers to somehow expect this kind of thing from a dive master is also reckless and easily foreseeable.

If a diver reads this kind of stuff here he or she may think that they can do this on their vacation in a week or month and at 60-100ft without telling the dive master of their plan to extend dive time to pull a stunt like this and jeopardize the rest of the group is also reckless.

If a Divemaster is focused on sharing air he is less focused on the rest of the team. That alone is less safe than avoiding this situation all together.

Garth





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[The Chairman]

"I have to assume that the DM knew exactly how much air was being consumed by the both of us. " is what you said above.... Direct quote.

We have once again... A feeling of security often while unaware of or unconcerned of unpleasant realities or harmful possibilities...

So, what are the "unpleasant realities or harmful possibilities" here? They might run out of air in an OW situation and both have to do a CESA. This is practiced in OW, so it should be am easy thing to do, no? Before the advent of me diving with an SPG, every dive ended with an OOA. More often than not, I was able to pull the j-valve and have a leisurely ascent, but there were a number of times when I forgot to put the valve back in place or it simply got bumped. It doesn't have to be a traumatic event. However, if it were me, I would be checking the donor's air supply pretty closely. I haven't run out of air since I started diving an SPG and I plan to keep it that way.

But to come here on a public forum and to explain that this is common place is reckless.

This is the one statement you made that really perplexes me. It is common place. How is lying about that going to change the fact? Moreover, how is stating the obvious "reckless"?

To have other inexperienced divers to somehow expect this kind of thing from a dive master is also reckless and easily foreseeable.

Even worse than that is the average OW class. How many times did you witness your SI do a bounce dive? How many times did you see your SI kneel or get you to kneel? There were two things that bothered me about the OP's video. Kneeling in the sand and sculling with their hands. That indicates that the diver was out of control during the dive and THAT'S unsafe. What does it matter where his air came from? It's all air! I've handed off my long hose to a dive buddy or student without feeling the need to head straight for the surface. In fact, heading straight for the surface is not always a good idea. Currents are higher the further up you go. I'd rather get them to swim with me out of the current than to battle the currents and waves on the surface. That's not a problem for Cozumel, but it certainly is an issue here in Key Largo.

If a Divemaster is focused on sharing air he is less focused on the rest of the team. That alone is less safe than avoiding this situation all together.

Have you ever shared air before? There is no need to focus, especially with a long hose. Especially if you're only extending bottom time and the customer has enough air to surface with. Again, this is probably not an OOA situation. We saw air coming out of the regulator. So much that the OP thought it was a free flow. To be sure, have one diver on a tether means one less person to keep track of. It's not a hard thing for a professional to do.

 

[MrChen]

@ least he(DM) salvaged the dive.........We were @ CZM a couple weeks ago for a 1 day stopper(damned cruise ship stuff) & @ about the 15 minute mark of both dives, 1 newbie?(musta been IMO----I didn't know the diver) was sharing air with the DM........We made normal 1 hr+ dives----thanks to the DM.........

DM has gills lol

 

[diver 85]

Where is it condemned?

---------- Post added April 8th, 2014 at 08:10 PM ----------



Equipment failure is a reg free flowing for 1 second?

What do you classify a fogged mask?[/QUOTE


stupid comparisons

Temporary blurred vision--like an itch you can't get to for about 5 seconds.........

 

[The Chairman]

DM has gills lol

Obviously, they were relaxed and not rattled by it. This comes from doing it over and over.

 

[halocline]

On this video there was:

1. No free flow.
2. No panicked diver.
3. No imminent danger.

Honestly, I don't know how some of you ever get in the water if you think this video is 'insane'.

But, if the video paints a poor picture of Cozumel and keeps a few nervous-nellie-slash-perfect-diver-in-their-own-mind types away, then YES, Cozumel is a horrible place with no fish and reckless dive practices. There are hundreds of dive deaths each week, and the DMs just toss the bodies overboard. Better stay away from there....

 

[boulderjohn]

Maybe becuse it all started with equipment failure, which does not get better with depth. But again you know that...right?

Several people have already stated this, but I want to emphasize that there is no evidence that it started as an equipment failure. What you see is a diver taking the regulator out of his mouth as the DM hands him his regulator. The diver takes it out in a way that causes a brief free flow.

Is this a common occurrence? Yes it is. Just because you have never seen it does not mean it does not happen often. Mike referenced Aldora Divers in Cozumel. They are one of the most popular operators there, and given the number of boats they fill on a daily basis, I suspect there are few operators in the world who lead as many divers on a daily basis. They do this on just about every dive, and I have been with them when it is being done. It is all briefed ahead of time, so there are no surprises. The first diver to 1,000 PSI (using HP steel 120 tanks usually) shares with the DM until the second person gets to 1,000 PSI, at which time the alternate is returned to the diver and the group begins the ascent. The purpose is to make sure one air hog does not force the rest of the entire group to ascend prematurely. That operator routinely has dives surpassing one hour in length, which is probably why they are so popular.

Some people say that this compromises the DMs ability to assist other divers. I wonder if these people are the same people who consistently argue that the DM is only there as a guide and that you and a buddy are responsible for your own safety. Even if the DM was totally negligent and somehow did not realize that another diver had mysteriously blown through 50 cubic feet of gas since the last time he checked and was thus OOA, that diver has someone else nearby who has more than enough for an air share, and it will only take a few seconds for the DM to get the one with whom he is sharing back on his own gas.

I am curious about the film editing. I wonder why it starts at the exact second of the exchange. Did the videographer just happen to start it then, or was the action preceding the exchange cut out intentionally? Why does it end before the final ascent? Was it because the regulator was returned to the diver, thus showing there was no equipment failure or other emergency, thus making the action less "insane"? I wonder about the advertised 100 feet of depth. I have done a lot of Cozumel diving, and there are only a handful of sites where people go to 100 feet, and that does not look like any of them that I know. (I like those sites, and I dive them a lot.) Even then, you are not at 100 feet for very long before beginning the multi-livel ascent. Almost all the normal first dives start roughly at the 80 foot level and work their way up gradually.

Now, whether or not this practice of extending bottom time via long hose sharing of the DMs alternate is a good idea will make for a good discussion, but let's keep the discussion on what actually happens rather than on something that did not happen.

 

[gopbroek]

On this video there was:

1. No free flow.
2. No panicked diver.
3. No imminent danger.

Honestly, I don't know how some of you ever get in the water if you think this video is 'insane'.

But, if the video paints a poor picture of Cozumel and keeps a few nervous-nellie-slash-perfect-diver-in-their-own-mind types away, then YES, Cozumel is a horrible place with no fish and reckless dive practices. There are hundreds of dive deaths each week, and the DMs just toss the bodies overboard. Better stay away from there....

If you do not dive the exact same way as I do, YOU WILL DIE and then go to hell.

 

[The Chairman]

and the DMs just toss the bodies overboard.

Don't we already have a thread on shark feeding?

 

[diver 85]

On this video there was:

1. No free flow.
2. No panicked diver.
3. No imminent danger.

Honestly, I don't know how some of you ever get in the water if you think this video is 'insane'.

But, if the video paints a poor picture of Cozumel and keeps a few nervous-nellie-slash-perfect-diver-in-their-own-mind types away, then YES, Cozumel is a horrible place with no fish and reckless dive practices. There are hundreds of dive deaths each week, and the DMs just toss the bodies overboard. Better stay away from there....

"Honestly, I don't know how some of you ever get in the water if you think this video is 'insane'. .."......Some of the responses here really confirm my Dx that SOME here need to take up ping pong-----& NOT UW ping pong......But those probably enjoy bath-tub scuba, greatly.........."Oh, that last swimming pool dive was GREAT......"......

EDIT:....Mike Nelson would have been greatly disappointed---in some.........lol