Critique this dive...

[SmacA]

Quick feedback on this dive...
Cave Dive In Sharm - YouTube


Think level of training/cert required, kit to use, pre-dive briefing you'd give, etc. etc...

 

[jcaplins]

Is this you? a friend? or a video you just stumbled across?

 

[victorzamora]

In my opinion, knowing what I know now, that really scares me. There isn't NEARLY enough equipment in terms of safety. That dive breaks AOW+Cavern standards in at least half a dozen ways. No guideline, not enough lights, not enough tanks, no long hoses, minor restrictions (major misnomer), beyond cavern zone, etc. The execution was pretty shoddy as well, as the guide did nothing but muck up vis.

I think the dive should require Intro to Cave at MINIMUM, and that's breaching standards because of the restriction. Technically, that dive requires Apprentice Cave. In terms of gear, they should be running a line. They should both have 3 lights each. There should have been long hoses on both parties. Because of the (seemingly) shallow penetration, I'm not sure I'd REQUIRE redundant tanks....but I could see the argument both ways, and you'd have a hard time convincing me to do it without two tanks.

Pre-dive brief should've included light communication techniques. They both used the "emergency" signal several times. Had I have seen it, I would've sprinted in with my longhose deployed. On top of that, who's running the line, when to turn, what to expect in terms of penetration and navigational decisions.


Having said all of that, it looks like a REALLY advanced swimthrough. I know a lot of Rec divers are sure to see this, and my post, and think I'm being a negative nancy and a buzz-kill (to be polite to myself).....but knowing what I know now, that scares me.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I'm just a lowly Rec diver.... but that video should be the "Poster Child" of what not to do as a Rec diver. That was a cave as far as I could see, not a cavern, not a swim through.

Really scary when you start to consider the "what if's" on that dive.

Best wishes.

 

[tomfcrist]

Critique? They are nucking futs. Neither of them have the skill or common sense to make that dive...and the guy with the camera is breathing like he's running a marathon, so I would venture to say he's also a rookie. I agree with victor, where is the proper gear?

 

[vincent54]

Not worth the risk... Even with buddy, the exit is restricted if a failure occurs inside the tunnel. It would be a free swim to exit and with the low visibility, not sure I would want to do it. Cool dive, but I would think you would have at least a redundant pony. I am with Victor on this one.

 

[DogDiver]

I've seen lots of coral caves like this on Roatan and Utila. Most are just short swim throughs, others are quite extensive and require full cave standards. These guys were lucky to get out alive. List of broken overhead rules it too long to list. "You don't know what you don't know".


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Tony387]

Couldnt agree more. Fatality waiting to happen. They didnt have the skill or the gear for that environment.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Jack Hammer]

Video only shows you certain angles and a limited scope of the entire event. Overall that portion of the dive looked to me like a really bad idea and also looked to me like the guy filming it was wasn't particularly thrilled being in there either. I hope the divers involved consider the potentials for danger and seek/use proper training and procedures before making these types of dives.

 

[Scubadude_LA]

If you have never watched this do so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1iaa04rCf0

In order of the events I saw:
1. Bad finning technique for an overhead.
2. Buddies seemed a little far from each other if diving as true buddies.
3. Entered overhead with NO GUIDELINE, and silted it up on the way in. Very fortunate that this was sandy silt and settled quickly.
4. 1st diver makes light motions once inside that look like what a cave/tech diver would see as an emergency, I guess this was his way to signal come on in.
5. 2nd diver appeared to motion to turn the dive and get out of the overhead on more than one occasion, no response from the lead diver, showing lack of training or knowledge for the type of diving.
6. Definitely a cavern dive, appeared to get into the cave zone too from what I could see.
6. Gear probably missing: Longhose, backup lights, redundant air or H-valve, reels.
7. Way to much touch feely on the corals.

Training level from what I saw needed to be minimum cavern, probably cave.
Pre-dive brief needed to include the plan to go into the cave, 2nd diver was clearly not expecting it and didn't seem comfy with it (smart).
Gear was missing for this type of dive.

This looks to me like one of the classic Rec diver doing the wrong thing that can quickly go south and get you killed scenarios.
You asked so there is my humble critique.

Then again, maybe the video didn't give me the whole picture.