Cozumel Incident

[DandyDon]

The DMs in Cozumel probably get bent more than the tourtists because they dive more. They have an incentive to carry O2 on the boats. To ensure your safety and a good experience, do some research. I've only witnessed one case of the bends and that was in Cozumel.

We were diving with a once-a-year diver who had been diving for 20 years with a total of about 200 dives. He had made 2 dives on the "beginner" boat and I think he deepest was 73 feet at Santa Rosa. He then made a night dive at Paradise (40 feet if I recall) and surfaced complaining of being dizzy and disoriented. Of course, they had 02 for him. Not only that, they called the shop manager who met us at the dock and drove him straight to Dr. Piccolo and the chamber. They manager stayed with him for all of his 3 chamber rides and he continued to stay at the villa associated with this shop for free until he was well enough to travel home.

Sounds like a good Op & Resort. Would appreciate the name.

The thing I noticed about this diver on the one dive was that after he completed his safety stop at 15 feet, he just zoomed to the surface. He was an OW diver and never continued his training. I think if he had stayed abreast of the current practices, he would have been reinforced on the dangers of a rapid ascent from 15 feet to the surface.

The most critical 15 ft, isn't it?

 

[PerroneFord]

Maybe he was low on gas...

 

[TheRedHead]

Maybe he was low on gas...

No, he wasn't. He was diving a 120 cu ft. tank. We stayed at the same villa and talked to him daily after our dives. We were taking a tech class on the veranda and he would sit on his balcony next to it and listen in. We talked about the way he surfaced and thought he was home free, so to speak, and didn't realize his rapid ascent may have contributed to his DCS.

Don, the dive shop was Aldora Divers and Villa Aldora. www.aldora.com

 

[smokey braden]

i dove with aldora all last week.
the manager, memo, visited all his boats during the si everyday.
he would question his guests to see if there was anything more he could do.
very professional.

 

[TheRedHead]

i dove with aldora all last week.
the manager, memo, visited all his boats during the si everyday.

Yep, it was Memo who went to the chamber with our bent friend.

 

[driftin' by]

I'm too just recently back from Coz where I found a lot of things a bit on the risky side.

1. I have a Cobra which was spotted by the DM and told that my computer was too conservative and not to worry about the warnings.

2. Diving with people that didn't have computers and their only constraint was air. I ascended because I had exhausted my NDL and they stayed down 5-10 minutes longer on a regular basis! Never saw a dive table or hear them speak about time, depth, NDL, Residual Nitrogen or SI time. Instead they were more interesting in telling me how much or little air they had left!

3. A guy holding his hockey puck computer throughout the dive in his hand because he didn't have a console to put it in!

4. Last minute equipment changes instigated by the DM. I'm not talking different masks or fins, I'm talking about frantically taking hoses out of the first stage and adding/subtracting pony bottles, consoles and changing computers from one dive to the next!

5. My wife's Cobra malfunctioned after the first dive of a day and the DM suggested she stay close to me on the second dive. Then offered her a rental reg, console and octo. When we said that wouldn't work because the power inflator hose wouldn't fit because my wife has an Atomic SS1, he suggested she orally inflate her BC as needed! Not having to ever do that throughout an entire dive and for nothing more then OW checkout dives, that was totally out of the question for her. She's certainly no rookie but neither is she some old salty diver who started out with horse collars and double hose regs. My understanding was that when you computer dies, you're done no matter what. As appealing each offer was to get her back in the water, luckily common sense prevailed and she decide to sit it out.

6. Other DM's seen at depth carrying chum and 2-foot long, custom made, prodding sticks made out of metal with a pointed end and a lanyard at the other!

7. On a night dive, A kid that I ascended with because his buddy (father) ran out of air 10 minutes into the dive, tells me he lost his mouthpiece midway through but continued the dive anyway holding onto the reg with his teeth!

The DM's and Op's there are so eager to please there and are willing to do what ever it takes to make you happy because a happy diver and more likely to tip. The one thing I've learned is that you and only you are responsible for yourself and ain't nobody going to talk me into doing something I'm uncomfortable with, unsafe or nonsensical. It's a shame because if someone in your group gets bent, it can really bring the mood way down and spoil the fun. It's not like NASCAR where the only excitement comes at the risk of someone getting seriously hurt.

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks Red - if we just speak of unnamed Coz Ops, then some will get the idea that all are bad or good - or be confused at best.

Driftin' by - would you lke to name that poor exucse for a dive Op...?

 

[meekal]

I don't understand. If I am concerned about there being adequate oxygen on board, I am more than happy to try to bring my own. I'm not interested in "everybody", I am interested in me.

Perhaps that wasn't clear.

i guess you're right. i'm trying to write this down, but.....

would you get on a boat with no radio? no lifejackets? no throw ring? if these items WEREN'T on the boat would go on it and bring your OWN radio? bring your OWN lifejacket? etc etc etc.

here in the US, the availability of certain base safety items are 'expected' on a dive boat that you pay to ride on. i'm not the USCG; but we expect a box of bandages, a throw ring, life jackets, etc etc..... including O2. what do you think the captain would say when you and 11 others show up at the dock with your dozen CARRY-ON luggage size DAN O2 kits? give up one of the 2 dives so you stow your O2 kit in the place where the 2nd tank of the dive trip would have been?

if we can't expect these base items i'm 'guessing' most people wouldn't go on the boat. since only you and a small handful of other individuals who meet the criteria below would actually dive:

"this would require every diver to not only be rescue certified but DAN (or equiv) O2 trained as well... "

 

[TheRedHead]

driftin' by, spearing fishing and chum in the Marine Park is illegal. Who did you dive with and why did you chose them?

 

[miketsp]

beyond the "NOT FAIR" post, this would require every diver to not only be rescue certified but DAN (or equiv) O2 trained as well...
..snip..

If I was in a place doing a lot of deep diving and the boat had no O2, I'd try to arrange some, O2 trained or not.

I started a thread a year or so ago and the subject was "would you accept O2 from someone not trained to administer it?".
The overwhelming response was, yes. Even more so from those that were qualified and/or trained in the process and were aware of the advantages.
The few medical conditions where O2 is counter-indicated are not expected to be found among divers.
After a diving incident, if in doubt administer O2.

I think the problem isn't if a guide is provided or not. Its when a guide is provided and then is not diving safely. Newbies and or resort divers might be following blindly or at least not paying as much attention as they would say in the Keys on their own. Some people think they are paying a guide to watch the gauges, be safe, etc.

That being said regardless of there being a guide present a certified diver is responsible for themselves. I would leave a reckless guide and make my own decisions in a heartbeat but before i was certified (resort) I might not have in fact I didn't. My first dive was a blind resort dive in Coz on a cruise. It peaked my interest and now I am a safe certified diver.

I'd rather be left alone to guide myself with my buddy anyday. Most complaints on here are about on the fly buddies and guides. My perma-buddy and i do well together.

Miranda

Very true and as for individual responsibility among many resort divers - forget it.
I remember one dive just a couple of months ago where we did a 43m dive to the NDL and then after a SIT of 1hr 1min we started the second dive with bottom at 20m+, with a different DM.

Anyway after only 15 mins into the dive I was running into deco and so I started a gradual ascent with my wife and since vis was good we followed the main group while still enjoying the scenery at a depth of about 10m. I saw a few other divers doing the same on the other side of the group and keeping an eye on their computers. After about 20 minutes we had the situation with about 1/3 of the group mid water and the rest of the group with the DM well below 20m.

When we eventually finished the dive and got back on the boat I asked a couple of divers from the main group if they hadn't gone well into deco. The answer was a categorical "no".
Then I asked, what brand of computer they were using that was so aggressive.
"Oh no", they replied, "we weren't using any computers...." :shakehead

When I took the subject up with the DMs, I got a couple of very red faces. The 1st DM opted out of the second dive because of the profile of the 1st and the 2nd wasn't aware we had done such an aggressive 1st dive.
A simple failure to communicate put a group of trusting divers well into deco. :light: