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AdivingBel
Diver
In my experience it doesn't take much time to pickup groups. You're either going on your SI or headed back to port so a few extra minutes doesn't seem like a big deal. I'm not on that tight of a schedule doing morning dives in Coz. As far as safety, certainly thoughts on that vary and it's a very personal thing. With the op I use, it's not something that is broadcast as an option. It is something allowed if the DMs and captain know you and your skills, otherwise you get very nice group dives with excellent DMs. The onus is on the individual diver to "take the temperature" of the boat and make the effort to get to know the DMs & captain. If you're a skilled, no drama diver and willing to make the effort, it's a dive experience you can have if it's what you want.
On most dives it isn't hard to stay above the group if you have to ascend early so that everyone ends up together at the surface, but sometimes that isn't possible. I wouldn't want the whole group to have to cut their dive short if I or my buddy has to come up early for some reason. It happened to us at Cedral on a ripping current dive last May and we got swept away. I popped my SWB at the safety stop and we spent 15 minutes or so bobbing on the surface waiting for the boat to find us. Another boat came by and we told the captain who we were diving with and he radioed our boat. It was no big deal; there are worse places to kill 15 minutes.
I am all for diving freedom. If the capt and DM said it is ok to do your own dive, but don't stray too far from the group, cool. But I don't agree on letting divers w/o a flag, totally loose on a drift dive with them paying no regard at all to where others are.
What happens on a wall dive ? Dive starts over the sand. Some will stay over the sand, some may head out to the wall, some may head inland, a photographer might anchor themselves and move 1/4 the distance, etc.. Some may stay down for 45 minutes, others 60 minutes ? Multiple dive boats on the same site ?
There are dive ops on Coz that do this regularly ? If so, I imagine all divers are required to have an smb, reel and shoot it when on their safety stop.
What happens on a wall dive ? Dive starts over the sand. Some will stay over the sand, some may head out to the wall, some may head inland, a photographer might anchor themselves and move 1/4 the distance, etc.. Some may stay down for 45 minutes, others 60 minutes ? Multiple dive boats on the same site ?
There are dive ops on Coz that do this regularly ? If so, I imagine all divers are required to have an smb, reel and shoot it when on their safety stop.
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AdivingBel
Diver
LOL...why must all things be taken to the wildest extreme in order to make a point. I don't think anyone condoned the above. Go back and re-read the posts by those that choose to dive in this fashion and you'll see it's not undertaken willy-nilly or in some cowboy fashion. It's a considered choice by the diver in conjunction with dive ops with history with a diver's skillset and demeanor. You don't have to dive in this fashion to enjoy Coz diving (in fact you won't even know it's an option unless you're looking for it), but it's an option if you choose it and conduct yourself appropriately. Everything doesn't have to be reduced to the lowest common denominator. All IMHO, YMMV.
That's not how it works at all. It sounds like you have never dived Cozumel, though of course I don't know for sure. The only times I have ever encountered anything remotely like you describe was at Colombia Shallows where the max depth is 25-30 feet and there was virtually no current. If you have ever been to that site you know why it could be that way there and just about nowhere else around Cozumel.
On wall dives we all dive the wall, follow the same track, and stay within sight of each other, although we may spread out a bit. Some ops, the one I use included, will send buddy pairs up as they get low on air. Many of us, myself included, carry SMBs and deploy them when necessary. I have never seen a diver towing a flag.
The thing about drift diving is that we are all in the same flow going the same direction; even if we get out of sight from each other for a bit we are all going the same direction; all you need to know is whether you are ahead of or behind the group and act accordingly to join back up. Most of the reefs are very narrow and follow the coastline and the current does as well.
A couple of times there have been tech divers aboard who went over the side and we never saw them again until we picked them up, but they were going to 200' or some such thing and not really part of our group; all they wanted was a boat ride.
This side issue of diving on your own seems to have been touched off by my gripe about trying to video while having to stay with the group. I wasn't calling for being able to roll in, take off my own way, then surface on my own. Although I'd love an op that provided that service after doing whatever checking and qualifying they see fit. I don't anchor myself or kick against the current for video. I just don't get the need to outrun the current and constantly kick on a drift dive.
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Drift diving with a flag is impractical when doing swim throughs, diving narrow cracks, or other conditions where your line would get hung up
I think details on what I wrote are getting lost by some readers.
I dive with operators that allow people to stray from the group, but stay within visual distance. Some may surface at different times, but it is still a group drift dive.
Someone posted: "roll in, do as you please, pop your sausage when you surface, and the boat will pick you up."
Again, I would not want to dive with an operator that allows this on drift dives. If this is some kind of unofficial treatment to specialized guests, I'd still prefer not to be on that boat.
I dive with operators that allow people to stray from the group, but stay within visual distance. Some may surface at different times, but it is still a group drift dive.
Someone posted: "roll in, do as you please, pop your sausage when you surface, and the boat will pick you up."
Again, I would not want to dive with an operator that allows this on drift dives. If this is some kind of unofficial treatment to specialized guests, I'd still prefer not to be on that boat.
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