Devil's Throat - Cozumel

[Infantry_169]

I love doing this dive. I never tire of it. But I like confined spaces. This dive should be done when you know your sac rate is not stuck on air hog and your bouyancy skills are very good. Nothing like smacking your skull at 90fsw to wake you up. Whenever I do the dive I make sure we go reverse or up the devils' a$$. That way the air lasts longer and therefore more exploring can be done in the dive. But buddy just wait a little, there are a ton of very cool pinnacles with swim throughs to practice on. You'll be going there lots so have patience. Be well, kev.

I hear ya. Going to work on my skills first. But God does it look cool. I too like confined spaces

 

[Infantry_169]

Here's one way to look at it: my wife, 14 year-old, and I all love swim-throughs. All of us have had many dives at Devil's Throat. We won't object the next time others on the boat want to go. If it's up to us, we'll go somewhere else. It's interesting, but the depth makes for a short dive. There are other spots that are, to me, much more spectacular visually - I'm a Columbia Deep guy, personally. There are other spots with many more interesting swim-throughs that are also shallower and thus longer dives. There are other spots with more critters and coral.

If you want a deep swim-through, I'll go for Maracaibo over Garganta del Diablo any time. It's more visually interesting (the famous "arch" is stunning), there's more to see in the way of sea-life (including a splendid toadfish that lives near the opening to the arch, and it's less crowded with other divers. It's still a fairly short dive, though, and there's a real risk of incurring a deco obligation if you're not careful. It's better as a planned-deco dive.

Wow, I will have to remember that. Thanks.

 

[Infantry_169]

You've gotten a lot of good advice and suggestions.

Like you this dive is one that is on my wish list since I first went to Coz, Apr '07 (at the time with 10 logged dives.)

I chose not to do the dive then nor did I do it my second trip 6 months later with 50 more dives.

In both cases I'm glad I waited:
1) AOW does not make you deep qualified... taking the time to do a deep course increased my comfort and improved my personal safety, something the AOW game of tag doesn't truely accomplish. Knowing I should have my own redundant tank and how to use it makes me safer and more comfortable
2) I'd have been so wrapped up in "do I have air" "oh no I'm decending too fast", "now ascending too fast", "oh damn bumped the wall", "gotta keep up", "gotta slow down".... frankly I'd never have enjoyed the dive... remembered it yes, enjoyed no....
3) I didn't know the local operators or dive masters, thus adding stress to the dive.

Other courses, including Cavern, Wreak, Rescue and various types of dives have slowly built my skill to a point where the technical aspects of this dive won't be stressful and allow to to enjoy the actually experience when next I visit Scuba Club Cozumel.

While everyone's advise has been good. You have hit the mark.

 

[macado]

I would say it's more of an adrenaline rush dive if anything. I've done it three times but I would honestly say once is enough. I did enjoy it but I prefer reefs such as Columbia Deep, Yucab, and Santa Rosa Wall since you need to see a lot more.

If you do however have the opportunity to dive the top of the reef (not go inside Devil's Throat) I've heard it has some spectacular coral formations. I've never actually dove the top of the reef but several people mentioned it's great. That's probably what I will try to do next.

 

[vlkr]

i agree with the posters who say it is overrated. every time i go to coz i am hoping i do not get on a boat with someone who wants it. however, that seldom happens.
that said, it is sort of the signature coz dive and when you tell people you went to coz they will ask. i took my friend's daughter there and bought her a nice tee shirt at depicting the dive from aqua safari. she tells me that people stop her to talk about the dive everywhere in the world when she is wearing that tee.

 

[Doc Harry]

This is a cave dive. Do you have overhead training? It is actually a more advanced dive than a cavern dive. The characteristics of the dive are such that a certified cavern diver would not be allowed in Devils Throat without a certified cave diving instructor. Will you have a guide who is a certified cave diving instructor? Is the student to guide ratio within limits? Do you trust everyone else before you and in your group to refrain from silting up the cavern? If the cave is silted out and the visibility drops, do you have a guideline to the exit? Is your hose long enough to share air single file? Does your buddy have a hose that it long enough?

This is one of those dives that is very popular with large groups of OW divers, but it probably shouldn't be. So many people have been doing it for so long that people no longer see it as the cave dive that it is.

Ask yourself the question, "Do you feel lucky?"

 

[scubafanatic]

This is a cave dive. Do you have overhead training? It is actually a more advanced dive than a cavern dive. The characteristics of the dive are such that a certified cavern diver would not be allowed in Devils Throat without a certified cave diving instructor. Will you have a guide who is a certified cave diving instructor? Is the student to guide ratio within limits? Do you trust everyone else before you and in your group to refrain from silting up the cavern? If the cave is silted out and the visibility drops, do you have a guideline to the exit? Is your hose long enough to share air single file? Does your buddy have a hose that it long enough?

This is one of those dives that is very popular with large groups of OW divers, but it probably shouldn't be. So many people have been doing it for so long that people no longer see it as the cave dive that it is.

Ask yourself the question, "Do you feel lucky?"

...I'd have to agree with you here.....remember, lots of divers are running AIR2's, not even recreational octo hoses...and most certainly not 'long hoses'.......plus lots of AL 80's (very limited gas supply)......and bottoming out at 135'......no lights......and at any time someone can freeze up and block the entrance/exit.....high narcosis potential....dark.....siltout potential...more than one 'tunnel' (possible dead ends that appear to be exits but aren't big enough for a diver to escape).

...now I understand the reputable dive ops in Coz won't take you to DT without watching you dive a few dives to see if it looks like you can 'run with the big dogs'...which is probably responsible for there not being a bunch of accidents there......so as long as the ops can be effective diver 'screeners' I'm OK with doing that dive 'recreationally' if at least the follwing are true:

small groups
previous 'observed by the DM' dives to at least 135' with no narcosis 'issues'
good bouyancy control demonstrated
at least a back up light mandatory
reasonable gas consumption rates observed on prior dives, especially 'deep'
trial runs through shallower/training swim-throughs successfully completed
...and as mentioned by Christi prior, no brand-new/newly-serviced/untested gear needs to be used on that dive...do a few 'kiddie' warmup dives to get all that stuff situated prior to doing DT.

....I won't insist on a cave cert for DT....IF the above guidelines are met at a minimum.

 

[pilot fish]

This is an old post by me on the subject. I did this interesting dive two times prior to this problem dive and liked it and had no problems, but, as any experienced diver will tell you, anything can go wrong. Three things, do not do this dive unless you have more experience, use a larger tank than normal, and *if* you do the dive and your dive shop and DM think you are ready for it, do it after you've had about ten dives that trip, towards the end of your dive trip.

Best advice, go to Christi's Dive Op, Blue XT, and do the dive with them. She and her DM's will know if you're ready for it.

Good luck and stay safe.


I fully realize this is all my fault but fault is not what my question is about. Some background.
I was having some trouble with my main puter because it got activated on the plane and set at altitude, I did not know this till I got back home. On my first dive it was giving a different depth than my backup and what other divers had on their puters. Next dive it worked fine, it reset at sea level, and on the next few dives it did also, but it still unnerved me a bit. Two divers I was with wanted to do the Devils Throat because I had told them how great it was, I had done it twice before with no incident. They were insistent on doing the dive but I did not want to do it because of my puter problem a few days earlier. Long story shorter -I went thru first series of tunnels OK, but exited a little wider than the two divers ahead of me and got caught in a bit of current that also brought me a bit shallower than them by about 12/15 ft. At this point I was behind them and above them. I struggled to get down to them and enter next series of tunnels. I must have been breathing rapidly and got a bit of carbon minoxide/dioxide? build up. I was then at 122ft in the next series of swim thrus with a opening about 60 ft in front of me. I suddenly got a full blown case of nitrogen narcosis and got very anxious plus I felt difficulty in breathing fully and evenly. I saw an opening in the reef to my right and BOLTED for the opening and went up to 100 ft rapidly, then stopped. My head cleared and I remained there for several minutes as a SS. I multil leveled for the next 20 minutes or so and finished the dive OK -another SS at 15 ft. Oh, the other divers waited several minutes to find out what my problem was but only when the DM asked where I was.

My question: did I get a build up from over-exertion at depth and that coupled with being narc'd cause/add to my panic? MY dive shop said I did not panic but managed the panic and took action to deal with it. Where they just being kind?

Has anyone done this dive? I am almost done with my AOW, and planning next to do the Deep and Nitrox specialties. If anyone has ever done this dive can you tell me, first how was it and second, how difficult is the dive?
:mooner:

 

[scubafanatic]

This is an old post by me on the subject. I did this interesting dive two times prior to this problem dive and liked it and had no problems, but, as any experienced diver will tell you, anything can go wrong. Three things, do not do this dive unless you have more experience, use a larger tank than normal, and *if* you do the dive and your dive shop and DM think you are ready for it, do it after you've had about ten dives that trip, towards the end of your dive trip.

Best advice, go to Christi's Dive Op, Blue XT, and do the dive with them. She and her DM's will know if you're ready for it.

Good luck and stay safe.


I fully realize this is all my fault but fault is not what my question is about. Some background.
I was having some trouble with my main puter because it got activated on the plane and set at altitude, I did not know this till I got back home. On my first dive it was giving a different depth than my backup and what other divers had on their puters. Next dive it worked fine, it reset at sea level, and on the next few dives it did also, but it still unnerved me a bit. Two divers I was with wanted to do the Devils Throat because I had told them how great it was, I had done it twice before with no incident. They were insistent on doing the dive but I did not want to do it because of my puter problem a few days earlier. Long story shorter -I went thru first series of tunnels OK, but exited a little wider than the two divers ahead of me and got caught in a bit of current that also brought me a bit shallower than them by about 12/15 ft. At this point I was behind them and above them. I struggled to get down to them and enter next series of tunnels. I must have been breathing rapidly and got a bit of carbon minoxide/dioxide? build up. I was then at 122ft in the next series of swim thrus with a opening about 60 ft in front of me. I suddenly got a full blown case of nitrogen narcosis and got very anxious plus I felt difficulty in breathing fully and evenly. I saw an opening in the reef to my right and BOLTED for the opening and went up to 100 ft rapidly, then stopped. My head cleared and I remained there for several minutes as a SS. I multil leveled for the next 20 minutes or so and finished the dive OK -another SS at 15 ft. Oh, the other divers waited several minutes to find out what my problem was but only when the DM asked where I was.

My question: did I get a build up from over-exertion at depth and that coupled with being narc'd cause/add to my panic? MY dive shop said I did not panic but managed the panic and took action to deal with it. Where they just being kind?

....well, the dive op was putting a positive spin on your response....you did panic for a bit, but recovered before it got completely out of control......as to the cause of the panic, there's no way of 'us' to know if it was 100% due to CO2 buildup/N2 narcosis or 60% due to CO2 build up/N@ narcosis + 40% claustrophobia.....etc.

 

[ggunn]

....well, the dive op was putting a positive spin on your response....you did panic for a bit, but recovered before it got completely out of control......as to the cause of the panic, there's no way of 'us' to know if it was 100% due to CO2 buildup/N2 narcosis or 60% due to CO2 build up/N@ narcosis + 40% claustrophobia.....etc.

I was thinking it was mostly CO2; I have had the same thing happen to me when I stupidly kicked against the current chasing divers whom I thought were my dive group (who were actually behind me and going the other way - the problem with tank bangers and shakers is that underwater you can't tell what direction the sound is coming from) until I was out of breath and hyperventilating. My heart was hammering and I felt like I could not get enough air though my regulator; it took a lot of discipline not to kick for the surface so I could rip my reg out of my mouth. It was very scary. A few minutes of slow deep breathing and I was OK, except for the fact that by that time I had no idea where my group was.