Devils Throat In Jan

[fishi]

Dove DT in August. It was very pretty with lots of color. We used a flashlight in the "throat" to check it out. Still prefer Barracuda for an advanced dive.

I remember it as having a lot less color, like it was covered with fine sand. I didn't think it was pretty at all compared to other spots on the reef. It looked like the picture I took.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

Eh, maybe I'm putting too much faith into his credentials.

Again, no offense to the OP but have you seen his credentials? Do you take what everyone says at face value? If you ran a dive business and had the liability that goes along with it, not to mention if you care about the safety of your clients, you might want to know a little more than verbal claims and plastic cards.

Maybe Christi has to be checked out the first day of an away trip?

I'm not sure why you are citing Christi at this point in the thread but I feel confident in saying she would have no issue being checked out, especially if she were diving with an op she had never been diving with before, and certainly if it were an area she had never been.

This may surprise you but many of us have no problem going through a checkout dive or two, regardless of our cert level and experience. I recently went on a tech diving liveaboard where most divers were extremely experienced (Technical CCR Instructors, Tech ITs, Tech Wreck divers from the East Coast, Cave Divers, etc.. etc..) and our first day dives were basically check-out and familiarity dives both on skills (more so for me as I had not dove with anyone on the trip before and I'm still new to mixed gas diving) and the wreck itself. Sure, part of me would have liked to jump right into the dive plan of my choosing but I understand and respect the reasoning why that wasn't prudent. Unfortunately, the rest of the trip was a wash due to seas so I never got to scooter around the entire deck of the Oriskany, or see all I wanted to see in the hanger deck, etc. Do I regret the first dive or two was a conservative "checkout" dives when it could have been something more? Absolutely not..

I bet it he contacts a large number of Ops on Coz tho, a large portion will agree to take him there if it can be scheduled, and a few will build the schedule around his request.

I don't know about a "large portion", but sure, if you call around enough I'm sure someone will take a diver anywhere they want to go on the first outing if the price is right.. That goes for anything in life, right?

 

[DandyDon]

Again, no offense to the OP but have you seen his credentials? Do you take what everyone says at face value? If you ran a dive business and had the liability that goes along with it, not to mention if you care about the safety of your clients, you might want to know a little more than verbal claims and plastic cards.

Well, sure, it'd be contingent on actually seeing the cards. It'd be a mess if he didn't have them with him at the time.

I'm not sure why you are citing Christi at this point in the thread but I feel confident in saying she would have no issue being checked out, especially if she were diving with an op she had never been diving with before, and certainly if it were an area she had never been.

Only because she posted as an Inst/Op who would require checkout dives, so I'm guessing she has to endure them away too?

This may surprise you but many of us have no problem going through a checkout dive or two, regardless of our cert level and experience. I recently went on a tech diving liveaboard where most divers were extremely experienced (Technical CCR Instructors, Tech ITs, Tech Wreck divers from the East Coast, Cave Divers, etc.. etc..) and our first day dives were basically check-out and familiarity dives both on skills (more so for me as I had not dove with anyone on the trip before and I'm new to technical diving) and the wreck itself. Sure, part of me would have liked to jump right into the dive plan of my choosing but I understand and respect the reasoning why that wasn't prudent. Unfortunately, the rest of the trip was a wash due to seas so I never got to scooter around the entire deck of the Oriskany, or see all I wanted to see in the hanger deck, etc. Do I regret the first dive or two was a conservative "checkout" dives when it could have been something more? Absolutely not..

On several North Carolina trips, we never got the benefit of checkout/gear & weight check dives. We were expected to be well prepared. Key Largo wreck dives were scheduled that way last time I went there; got the card, good to try. Prudence has a safer record tho.

In Seattle, I planned on diving with some local DMs/SB friends and my first dive was to be #300 so I wanted it to be special. We did a checkout dive. It was a nice one tho, and a good idea. I did have some gear issues after all.

I don't know about a "large portion", but sure, if you call around enough I'm sure someone will take a diver anywhere they want to go on the first outing if the price is right.. That goes for anything in life, right?

Yep, good idea or not...

thanks!​

 

[charlesml3]

UCI Master Underwater Criminal Investigator, NoX, DM, IANTD Inst.

I don't think many of you really understand what it takes to get an IANTD Instructor rating. This is no joke. This is far more demanding and rigorous than a PADI Instructor. Which this guy doesn't have so I wonder why Texas Torpedo even brought it up.

Sure, I've seen DM's who were completely incompetent. Laughable, even. But an IANTD Instructor.... uhhh... no. And we haven't even begun to talk about his UCI certification....

-Charles

 

[DandyDon]

Well, that was my thinking - but I wondered if I was overly impressed...?

 

[Zman96]

I don't think many of you really understand what it takes to get an IANTD Instructor rating. This is no joke. This is far more demanding and rigorous than a PADI Instructor. Which this guy doesn't have so I wonder why Texas Torpedo even brought it up.


-Charles

Who doesn't have, the OP?
According to his profile:
"Certification History
OW,AOW, Deep Diver, Nite Diver, Dry Suit, UCI Master Underwater Criminal Investigator, NoX, DM, IANTD Inst."

Sufficient to say the prudent thing would be to require a checkout dive with a new op, but as Texas Tornado said money talks.

 

[scubajoe86]

I think something that people aren't considering is that everyone on the boat with this person may not be incredibly advanced divers. I know when I did the DT, I had finished AOW and had 50 or so divescompleted. I'd been out with the Dive Op for a week at a time over 3 years with the same DM even and they assessed my skills and thought I was ready to try it late in the week when the weather was cooperating. It turned out the 2 "advanced" divers who had joined the boat the day before suffered from "buoyancy control" issues, and the dreaded "is this my space??? bumping syndrome". Turns out they were very advanced lake divers, with just a little bit of drift diving experience.

So for the poor Dive Op he had to make an assessment of all the divers and decide how he could safely complete the dive with this new mix of people. So thinking that they can guarantee an advanced dive months in advance without assessing the skills of everyone diving and adjusting for conditions is plain silly. Heck every new diver know one of the steps of dive planning is understanding the dive conditions for that particular site on that particular day. I think all of us would agree that if we only had one day to dive in a new location, we 'd ask the DM to suggest 2 or 3 places they thought would have the best dive conditions and be happy that we were diving.

 

[DandyDon]

Who doesn't have, the OP?
According to his profile:
"Certification History
OW,AOW, Deep Diver, Nite Diver, Dry Suit, UCI Master Underwater Criminal Investigator, NoX, DM, IANTD Inst."

He was saying that the OP is not a Padi Inst of unknown mettle, but rather far more developed - I think.

Sufficient to say the prudent thing would be to require a checkout dive with a new op, but as Texas Tornado said money talks.

Actually, that was me. I suspect the OP has long ago stopped reading this thread, maybe has already booked a charter, but it's an interesting discussion

I think something that people aren't considering is that everyone on the boat with this person may not be incredibly advanced divers. I know when I did the DT, I had finished AOW and had 50 or so divescompleted. I'd been out with the Dive Op for a week at a time over 3 years with the same DM even and they assessed my skills and thought I was ready to try it late in the week when the weather was cooperating. It turned out the 2 "advanced" divers who had joined the boat the day before suffered from "buoyancy control" issues, and the dreaded "is this my space??? bumping syndrome". Turns out they were very advanced lake divers, with just a little bit of drift diving experience.

So for the poor Dive Op he had to make an assessment of all the divers and decide how he could safely complete the dive with this new mix of people. So thinking that they can guarantee an advanced dive months in advance without assessing the skills of everyone diving and adjusting for conditions is plain silly. Heck every new diver know one of the steps of dive planning is understanding the dive conditions for that particular site on that particular day. I think all of us would agree that if we only had one day to dive in a new location, we 'd ask the DM to suggest 2 or 3 places they thought would have the best dive conditions and be happy that we were diving.

Sure it was considered. He will need to find an Op willing to fill a boat around him, and the others need to be actually qualified - which for most means after checked out. I've dived with quarry qualified DMs and mostly I tried to stay away from them, but then I can be a klutz in the water myself.

In thinking back to the two times I've done DT, the second time was without my pony because I'd arrived late the day before and didn't get it to the dive shop for filling in time - then did DT on my first day. I might be wrong in my memory of the situation and the Op who took me there tho; it's possible.

 

[ggunn]

Only because she posted as an Inst/Op who would require checkout dives, so I'm guessing she has to endure them away too?

I don't know that "endure" is the right word (I've never been on a Coz dive that I felt I had to "endure"), and I don't presume to speak for Christi, but I'd be willing to bet a dollar to a donut that she would expect to be checked out by an op who doesn't know her skills before being taken on an advanced dive. Christi walks the walk.

 

[Wydoin]

Actually, that was me. I suspect the OP has long ago stopped reading this thread, maybe has already booked a charter, but it's an interesting discussion .

Haven't stopped reading just a matter of slowing down to reply. Thanks for everyones input, I understand the concern of everyone and the reply's of an unknown diver. I haven't contacted anyone to do the dive yet. I had already planned to do CEDRAL with friends, but I wouldn't mind doing a checkout dive for anyone, but won't have the time obviously being there 1 day. Only reason I wanted to do it was saw info in a dive book and it looked interesting. If it's not that great anymore no big deal. Thanks for the replys again.