Dive time on a charter

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Mikevet

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Location
Louisiana
# of dives
100 - 199
I was certified 32 years ago when was 10 and just recently back in the hobby full force. I have a dive boat question. So now that everyone makes there own dive time on charter trips with their computer. how are people figuring dive times? For ex: if its a 40 foot dive and someone on the boat is diving nitrox or only hang between 25-32 feet, they could stay under greater than 2 hours probably. Is there an unwritten rule on how long people stay under as a courtesy? Or how close you get to max bottom time on your computer? On this trip, I was the last one down since I was with my 10 year old who had a little problem with going down due to clearing ears. We went down about 7 minutes after everyone else. However, when I looked at my computer (diving regular air), I still had 25 minutes left and most divers were doing their safety stop. noticed some were diving nitrox on this 60 foot dive but also came up with regular air divers?!?
 
Typically the boat crew will tell you when to expect you back, but in reality, nature sets the limit. Yes, there are those who don't get cold and are really good on air, but they are freaks. An hour to an hour and 15 minutes are what most folks can stand on salt water ocean dives.
 
The boat will often have guideline for dive duration, 60 minutes is pretty common to keep the boats on schedule. If in doubt, ask.
 
On most of the boats I've taken in the US it has been maybe two 45 min dives with an hour SI in between, and return with 500 PSI. Of course, this has varied somewhat depending on the dive depths.
 
I have found that 45-60 min per dive with a 45-60 min is pretty normal.
 
Did a couple dives today. Pretty square profiles to 50 ft. Most of divers on the boat were in a class so they were doing say 30 minutes dives. As a courtesy my buddy and I held our dives to 60 minutes each and also cut our SI to 30 minutes. This op generally does not set a time limit but most of the time the dives are deeper and NDL limited so they run less than an hour even with Nitrox.
 
The charters I dive with in Florida all set time limits by whether you are on air or nitrox. Usually with nitrox it is 45 minutes of bottom time, at the surface by 50 minutes.
 
. . . . We went down about 7 minutes after everyone else. However, when I looked at my computer (diving regular air), I still had 25 minutes left and most divers were doing their safety stop. noticed some were diving nitrox on this 60 foot dive but also came up with regular air divers?!?

In my experience, most dive ops state a time limit--generally somewhere between 45 and 70 minutes--based on the time each diver splashes. Unless they state otherwise, that's how I interpret it. So, for example, if two divers each do a 50-minute dive in compliance with the boat's request to "be back on the boat within 50 minutes," the diver who splashes 7 minutes later than the other diver would be in his right to be back on the boat 7 minutes after the other diver.

Occasionally, a dive op will allow you to '"dive to your own limits." In that case, I think there is an unwritten rule of etiquette that you should shorten your dive if diving to your limits would hold up all of the other divers by more than a few minutes. There's generally a more or less continuous stream of divers exiting, with the diver who hit his gas supply or no-deco time limit first exiting first, etc. If you're going to be the last to exit, then as a courtesy to the others don't exit TOO long after the person before you. In my opinion, 25 minutes would be too long. Five or 10 minutes, fine.
 
Most of the boats I dive will announce the "pool is open" for moored dives (different for drift dives). They will note a recommended max depth and commensurate dive time in the briefing. Usually a deeper, shorter dive first with a shallower, longer dive second on a two tank trip. They don't check for depth unless someone comes up with a "screaming" computer and they don't niggle about time as long as you don't abuse their schedule. If you dally around on the boat after they announce the start of the dive then it comes off your dive time. I like to be ready and be the first in and last out if possible. :)
 
Most of the boat dives I do are 2 tanks in the 85-110' range, with a 1.5-2 hour surface interval. Capt just request that you don't go into deco, so most dives with safety stop are around 30-45 minutes, depending on the profile you dive
 
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