Question Bigger tanks, dive times and SI’s in Coz

[Kimela]

We go out with Stef at Jungle Divers and average 90 minute dives on AL80s. We stay shallow (usually 60ft max), which is why we get such long dive times. But I think he dives a bigger tank - so I know you can get them. If you dive the deeper sites you may not get as long a dive time, of course. We go out on a Dive with Charro boat, that leaves the marina around 9:30. It's a slower boat with a head, so it takes a while to get to the sites that are further south. We do our dive, and lunch is waiting when we surface. We do an hour SI and dive again. We generally get back to the marina around 3 or 3:30. Sometimes the boat is packed (10 divers) and sometimes not, but usually there are no more than 3 or 4 divers in our group with Stef, and often it's just us three.

Not everybody likes that kind of diving. Many folks want to be at the dock at 7:30 and on a dive site by 8 - and back to their hotel/apt for lunch by noon. We're fine spending the day this way. For me, the best thing is not having anyone looking at their dive computer or watch to say "dive time is up". It's pretty much dependent on our no deco obligations, and we really, really love that.

 

[brsnow]

We go out with Stef at Jungle Divers and average 90 minute dives on AL80s. We stay shallow (usually 60ft max), which is why we get such long dive times. But I think he dives a bigger tank - so I know you can get them. If you dive the deeper sites you may not get as long a dive time, of course. We go out on a Dive with Charro boat, that leaves the marina around 9:30. It's a slower boat with a head, so it takes a while to get to the sites that are further south. We do our dive, and lunch is waiting when we surface. We do an hour SI and dive again. We generally get back to the marina around 3 or 3:30. Sometimes the boat is packed (10 divers) and sometimes not, but usually there are no more than 3 or 4 divers in our group with Stef, and often it's just us three.

Not everybody likes that kind of diving. Many folks want to be at the dock at 7:30 and on a dive site by 8 - and back to their hotel/apt for lunch by noon. We're fine spending the day this way. For me, the best thing is not having anyone looking at their dive computer or watch to say "dive time is up". It's pretty much dependent on our no deco obligations, and we really, really love that.

I have a lot history with Charro and Carlos and his family. They are legendary, the boat is far more standard these days. Great times with them over the years!

 

[sharky60]

Hi all. In looking at dive ops, many offer larger tanks and/or advertise long dive times. All of my tropical diving has been on TCI or GC with use of 80 cf tanks, and usually 1 hr or less dive times. Some ops I found liked to really push to get back for the afternoon dives and hastened the SI - which of course affected the second dive. Or they seemed in a hurry to get back to the marina and clean the boat. The ”surface with 500 psi“ parameter seemed to mean 500 or 60 minutes. Occasionally you could sense the annoyance in the crew if you pushed the dive time being last to surface.

Do these dive ops really let you dive as long as you want within gas and NDL limits - even with larger tanks? Thanks

Many DOs offer larger tanks and let you “dive your air”. I think 100’s are available with most DOs upon request.
Aldora
Tres Pelicanos
Blue Angel