To the OP I dive regularly in a Lake Champlain VT all summer long starting in May and going till Oct.-Nov. In the extreme water temps I was diving a bdl. 7mm. with 5 mm. hood, 5 mm. kevlar gloves (we have zebra muscles), and 3 mm boots (I have hot feet). even with all this and rarely diving past 80' I am far more limited in bottom time then in gas. I dive the majority of the summer in a 5/7 1 piece and occasionally hit temps When I did my NAUI AOW we did not go past 65' although my cert. was to much deeper. I did not feel shortchanged I felt well instructed in procedures and skills with a DM or instructor right there the entire time. No one in the class was stressed, no one was shivering, and no one was left behind.
I am now in the 125 dive range and still consider my self a relative new diver and it took many dives with very skilled mentors till I got to the 100' mark. I have never been all that concerned with cert cards, or max depth. My focus has been on safe fun dives where we plan our dives and dive our plan. If I play my cards right I will have plenty of time to become an old diver. Its just not a race.
I do have a few questions about your first post though if I may.
1) If everyone was to have glow sticks and a light on at all times, where was yours while your hands were stuffed in your arm pits? Your light (especially in dark water) is a much a beacon showing everyone else where you are as it is a way for you to look at the pretty fish. It is going to be way more visible then a green glow stick in the dark. If its not, get a better light.
2) what kind if judgement doe sit show for your instructor to have a 3 mm with liner (just lets more cold water in IMHO) hood and gloves but not make it mandatory for you to do so. That is like a back country ski guide taking clients into avalanche terrain and saying "well I have an avalanche beacon so I will be found no problem. But you dont need one if you dont want one." Your the student what do you know? It is his job as the instructor to know for you plain and simple.
3) Your hands are cold numb and hurting, your head is pounding from the cold you are hyper focused on how much longer you can make it and where are those dam grave markers and Hay whats going on up there. Now add an OOA buddy (very possible for a new diver at 135') can you perform at your peak in the emergency? If you were the diver having an emergency would you want to be helped by someone in your condition at that time? I sure wouldn't? Could you have performed a stuck BC inflator valve and hose disconnect? The conditions being different than you planned is reason enough to call a dive. You can always go back so long as you make it back up! No reason is a bad reason to thumb a dive.
4) what were you going to see at 135' that you would not have seen at 130' or even 125'? The NAUI dive tables give you a MBT of 8 mins. There is no 131' or over because that is now deco diving and in the realm of the dark arts of Tech diving. there is just a lil deeper, or just one more foot. What is so important to see at 130+ feet that 8 mins. is worth it?
5) where were the other instructors/DM's? how were you two the last two left at 135'? How did you not realize that you two were the last two there? Why did you still stop to do a "skill" at 70' when you knew the dive was scrubbed? What was the plan as stated in the pre-dive briefing for an emergency during the dive? Both got lucky that it was not more serous, but it was still an emergency situation.
