Cruise excursion

[Murrhers]

I'm a new diver ( 1st dove in Bermuda last august,45 ft) going in December to Turks & Caicos and signed up for cruise dive excursion. Going to some wall, diving 1st dive to 90 feet, then 2nd dive to 35 feet. I'm a little apprehensive about going to 90 deep. Any suggestions to ease my fears?

 

[rddvet]

90 feet is not that much different than 50 feet honestly. Other people may have a different opinion, but I don't think you should worry too much. Just remember your skills and pay attention. I remember my first deeper dive than what i was used to from training. I was a little freaked out before hand and afterwards realized I made it a bigger deal than it was. If you're on a shore excursion from a cruise ship, then it's likely going to be a DM guided dive, so don't worry. You'll have someone watching you(OK not all DMs watch over you that great, but it should make you less nervous).
The biggest difference is your air will go quicker.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yes, the air is the big thing. You probably should have at least 900 psi if beginning your ascent from 90'.

 

[Codiak]

As a shore excursion you'll be well looked after.

The best thing I can suggest is to do some local diving and get comfortable at deeper depths. Consider taking a deep specialty class

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Educate yourself with the following:

• NWGratefulDiver's Gas Management essay
• Principles of being a good buddy: buddy separation distance, options if you or your buddy run out of air at depth, dangers of dealing with a narc'ed buddy, practicing air-sharing and air-sharing ascents, descending under control with your buddy at the same depth, etc.
• Narcosis: how to recognize and manage effects of narcosis at depth
• Compensating for greater neoprene compression with BCD at depth requires that the diver manage that expansion of the bubble during ascent.
• Buoyancy control: wall diving pretty much demands proper buoyancy control. You have to consider what would happen if you couldn't attain neutral buoyancy and the base of the wall is beyond recreational limits.
• Optional: For wall dives, a back-kick can be very useful. (I realize that the back-kick isn't a propulsion technique that most novice divers know how to do.)

Don't let someone talk you into doing a dive you feel nervous/unprepared for. It's good practice to expand one's limits progressively. For instance, if you've never dived deeper than 60 fsw and you want to do a dive to 90 fsw, it would make sense to do a series of intermediate-depth dives beforehand -- to 70 fsw, 80 fsw, etc. I like the idea mentioned by Codiak to take a deep dive specialty. With a good instructor, it could be a very worthwhile experience.

Consider hiring a private DM to accompany you and your buddy on the deeper dive.

Have fun on your trip!

 

[k ellis]

Youll be fine. Most cruise lines wont allow the excursions to go below 80 feet so there should not be any issue. Also remember that if they say maximum depth for the profile is 80 feet it just means they dont want you to exceed 80 feet. Nothing wrong with going to 60 feet and looking down on the rest of the crew. I have seen people do this in the past but if you actually intend to do this be sure to discuss it with the dive master. Its kind of nice for us to know where to find you should you not be in the group.

Really though the most important thing is WATCH your air consumption. It will go faster the deeper you go. other then that youll almost forget how deep you are unless you look at your gauge. Just relax and hang in there

 

[ItsBruce]

I'd be surprised if the cruise line lets dive operators take guests that deep. If it does, do not count on the dive master to protect you. That would make it a "trust me" dive andy you should never do a "trust me" dive. You are responsible for your own safety.

I disagree with the others about a deeper dive being no big deal. It is "no big deal" only if nothing goes wrong. Progressing to 90 fsw may make you less anxious about finally diving to 90 fsw and may give you some degree of experience with nitrogen narcosis and with how fast you will use air. However, I do not believe it will give you the experience that would be necessary to deal with a problem at 90 fsw. For example, if you overstay your welcome at 90 fsw, do you have the knowledge to do a deco stop?

I do not mean to scare you. However, the "rules" represent the cumulative knowledge and experience of those who dove deep and had "issues."

 

[k ellis]

I'd be surprised if the cruise line lets dive operators take guests that deep. If it does, do not count on the dive master to protect you. That would make it a "trust me" dive andy you should never do a "trust me" dive. You are responsible for your own safety.

Youd be surprised. I have been on many cruises and it seems the normal to do an 80 foot dive at first with a follow up to about 35 feet for the second dive. No one has ever to date asked me for more then an Open Water Cert. I have even "Volunteered" to assist divers who really were not up to the demands of the dive.

While I should rephrase my statement (I admit I was too vague) diving to 80 foot is not a problem so long as things are going right. As most divers know staying with in guide lines will most of the time keep you out of hot water but I would recommend if time allows to take a deep diver course. Nothing really hurts and to me it was one of my funner specialties.

The most important thing though is that if a person decides they want to go deep then remember 2 is always better then 1. Yes the dive masters on these types of dives are guides meaning that they show you the path but ultimately its up to you to make the best choice for your self. If you do a dive that gets close to a no deco time limit call it before you get into that delima. What ever it is you are viewing will be there at a later time when you off gas. In the rule of 2's always take your own time keeping device with you and monitor it up close and personal.

I dont feel its a big issue but as a dive master I can tell you if you were to ask my recommendation I would say take the advanced open water and it will give you the clearance to 100 feet. Plus youll get to dive while you learn. After all is the best part of diving not diving itself?

 

[Murrhers]

Thanks! I thought I was only certified to 60 ft...will have to check my facts. My hubby said don't do the 1st dive if I'm not comfortable, and do the 30 ' dive.
I think my fear is 'what if I get disoriented and panic' .
By the way, I lived in Owasso OK for a time in the 90's. Had some friends in BA. Enjoyed my time there!

 

[k ellis]

Well its a recommendation that you dont exceed 60 feet. People who are open water certified go past 100 feet all the time but again its not recommeded. Remember also the golden rules of Scuba never hold your breathe and if you dont feel comfortable with the dive then there is no shame in calling it off

how long ago did you live in Owasso? So Diid you like Oklahoma when you lived here?