Beginner Diving in Curacao??
- Thread starter nldunn
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This issue has been discussed numerous times on SB, and I believe the consensus has been that the depth limits you stated are for training toward OW, AOW, etc., and not for follow-on training accomplished through non-certification agencies such as mentors, dive buddies, and self initiated, conservative increases in dive depth and challenging environments. I also realize that dive shops can limit dive depths according to their own policies and procedures (their boat, their rules), and there are no scuba police checking your individual dive experience or profiles. Although I am PADI OW certified, with 24 years of dive experience, I have never been restricted to 60', or not allowed to participate in a particular dive I wanted to do, including dives in French Polynesia such as the northern pass in Fakarava, which is usually restricted to AOW divers. I am not saying that I could not be denied a dive on my next trip, but so far every dive op I have used talked to me prior to and at check-in, evaluated my paperwork, looked at my gear, watched me setup my gear and for the first 5 minutes of diving, and then pressed on with whatever the dive profile was scheduled to be. So far, my max dive depth has been 107' and have often been at 80'+ within a group of AOW and more advanced divers. Even if I had not been an avid Scubaboard member for the past 15 years, my experiences with numerous dive ops throughout the world indicates the consensus of highly experienced SB members is correct.
SB consensus has nothing to do with it. There is a textbook that every certified diver was supposed to read, comprehend, and pass an exam on. PADI OW one has this to say:
... and I wonder i the ambiguity is deliberate ("Put Another Dollar In") or if we shouldn't attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by the author not thinking clearly. (It's the latter I'm sure.)
... and I wonder i the ambiguity is deliberate ("Put Another Dollar In") or if we shouldn't attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by the author not thinking clearly. (It's the latter I'm sure.)
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Ask Copilot:
What are the depth limits for recreational scuba diving?
"For most recreational scuba divers, the maximum depth limit is 40 meters (130 feet). This is the standard set by major diving organizations like PADI, NAUI, and SSI. However, some organizations, like BSAC, allow divers to go as deep as 50 meters (164 feet).
The 130-foot limit originates from the U.S. Navy, which established it in the 1950s. It was chosen because it allowed divers about 10 minutes of no-decompression time on compressed air. Beyond this depth, the risk of nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness increases significantly, requiring specialized training and equipment.
If you're certified as an Open Water Diver, your depth limit is typically 18 meters (60 feet). Advanced Open Water Divers can go up to 30 meters (100 feet), and deeper dives require additional certifications."
The training level "limits" are generally considered to be recommendations. Some operators impose their own restrictions and may require AOW for some more difficult and/or deeper dives. If doing your dives with a guide from shore or a boat, these restrictions may variably be enforced. The highest certification I have been asked for to make a recreational dive is AOW. I have had Deep Diver since 2005 and have never been asked for it.
I was recertified after a 17 year layoff in 1997 by PADI. Nineteen of my 79 dives before getting AOW in 2004 were to >100 feet.
What are the depth limits for recreational scuba diving?
"For most recreational scuba divers, the maximum depth limit is 40 meters (130 feet). This is the standard set by major diving organizations like PADI, NAUI, and SSI. However, some organizations, like BSAC, allow divers to go as deep as 50 meters (164 feet).
The 130-foot limit originates from the U.S. Navy, which established it in the 1950s. It was chosen because it allowed divers about 10 minutes of no-decompression time on compressed air. Beyond this depth, the risk of nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness increases significantly, requiring specialized training and equipment.
If you're certified as an Open Water Diver, your depth limit is typically 18 meters (60 feet). Advanced Open Water Divers can go up to 30 meters (100 feet), and deeper dives require additional certifications."
The training level "limits" are generally considered to be recommendations. Some operators impose their own restrictions and may require AOW for some more difficult and/or deeper dives. If doing your dives with a guide from shore or a boat, these restrictions may variably be enforced. The highest certification I have been asked for to make a recreational dive is AOW. I have had Deep Diver since 2005 and have never been asked for it.
I was recertified after a 17 year layoff in 1997 by PADI. Nineteen of my 79 dives before getting AOW in 2004 were to >100 feet.
Ah, but it isn't "the rule", you see: PADI book then goes on to say, much later and in smaller print, that the limit is merely "recommended" for new divers:
So if a PADI DM tells you that OW divers are limited to 60 feet, they're either failed to comprehend the book they were supposed to learn from, or they're trying to sell you an AOW course.
It's perfectly OK for you to not go deeper than whatever depth you're comfortable with. I do not believe it's OK for me as a professional to tell you things that aren't true.
I don't get why you folks are trying very hard to make a big deal out of her being prudent and doing what she is taught to do (and she is right).
Her story clearly demonstrates that entry-level divers without proper and relevant training and experience have no business diving deeper than the powerful recommendations made by the training agencies and respective instructors.
Her story clearly demonstrates that entry-level divers without proper and relevant training and experience have no business diving deeper than the powerful recommendations made by the training agencies and respective instructors.
This:
If there's scuba police on the island now, inquiring minds would very much like to know which op to avoid like plague.
On a more serious note, I've been less impressed with GoWest crews the last couple of visits than before. I'll ride on Tuki's boat anytime, but the rest of them... have their own priorities that may or may not coincide with mine. It's just as well you only need them to get to Watamula and maybe Blue Room.
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