Dives and dive time

[BoltSnap]

From what I hear about diving in Aruba is that they cater primarily to cruise ship divers and "resort/discover scuba" divers. They play the "choo-choo" train deal to get everyone in and out and goodbye. Aruba doesn't seem to be a "real" diver destination because of how the diver operators are down there in contrast with Bonaire and Curacao.

Reading boulderjohn post, it reemphasizes the impression I had of the dive operations. They are in a rush to get back to the dock at any price just to stick with schedule and the hell with divers' enjoyment or proper protocol.

The DM said we would descend to the planned depth and slowly ascend along the reef so we would not need to make a stop, 40 minute dive time.

I can't believe that the DM would tell his divers this nonsense and still keep a straight face.

 

[boulderjohn]

Originally Posted by boulderjohn View Post
I found out that a lot of them run a very tight schedule. .....If the boat and DM were one of those operators, that is probably why there was so much pressure to get divers out of the water. Getting back a few minutes late would get that boat crew in trouble for screwing up the schedule.

That's a dive shop issue... not a customer issue. If my safety was put second to the convenience of the shop's scheduling, then I wouldn't be diving with them again.

If I got shouted at, because I delayed the boat by 5-10 minutes, then I'd be having a very frank and firm discussion with the dive centre manager upon my return.

Quite simply... I would not pay my hard earned money to dive with a monkey outfit that acted like that.

I did not say I approved of it. Shops like that should be avoided as much as possible. Just to make it clear in case this was the issue, it happened to me the day I dived with Pelican, and I steered clear of the Red Sail outfits because they have that reputation as well. Shops should not put their schedule ahead of your safety.

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

I can't believe that the DM would tell his divers this nonsense and still keep a straight face.

I have not dived in Aruba, but have heard this one as well in the Netherlands Antillies. Used where the reef ascends to a depth of 20 ft. Basically you spend the last few minutes of the dive at 20 ft looking at the top of the reef. With a group of resort / cruise ship divers, I can believe they don't even notice they are doing a safety stop.

With respect to the shop, I still maintain that the OP should have asked what the schedule was. A 2 tank dive in 2 hours should have been enough to warn of tight schedules and short surface interval. The rest just builds on from an impossibly tight schedule from the dive shop and a DM under pressure to keep to the schedule. Once the OP decides (foolishly IMHO) to pay his money to sign up to the schedule, he is bound by the boat rules. Once he is in a deco situation (maybe?) he must complete the deco, but a talking to from the DM is probably acceptable. Tone of the DM's comments is questionable.

 

[dmcutter]

I think it's an oversimplification to say that the dive shops cater only to the cruise ship/resort divers. Turns out I dove with the same shop as the OP. On the 3 days I dove we had a few people from a cruise ship one day, a Brit with about the same number of dives as me and his son with 5 dives. We also had a Navy rescue diver with over 2k dives and his brand new wife with 14. Very broad cross section of divers. They did not tailor the dives to the newbs. First dive was to 95 ft, ascending the reef as we went. The next day the first dive was to 90 ft and included a couple airplane fuselages to swim through depending upon the diver's comfort level.

We went to Aruba because other members of the family don't dive and wanted more to do than there would be in Bonaire or someplace else focused mostly on scuba. Not much shore diving to be done in Aruba so the outfitters get you out to some nice sites, probably for less than the cost of chartering your own boat. If you wanted to do more epic diving, I would venture a guess that you wouldn't be in Aruba.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

PADI Nitrox specialty course recommends at least one hour of surface interval between two dives (because of oxygen toxicity ; according to PADI Enriched Air Diver Specialty Course Instructor Outline).

Generally speaking, short surface intervals (i.e. only one hour or even less) significantly increase the risk of DCS (either with air or Nitrox). That's partly why I think that two-tanks dives suck.

Spinal DCS is far from uncommon, and usually hits after the second or third dive of the day (but of course the previous dives are often triggering it). Especially if these dives get close to the DCS. All the more if the divers are dehydrated, aged 40 or more, etc ...

PADI also recommends divers with only OW cert not diving deeper than 60 feet and how many new divers agree to let an operator take them below that recommendation?

PADI also recommends 130 feet as the limit for "recreational diving" but will my Suunto Viper calculate my NDL and SS times for a dive to 150'?

I am interested in reading the analysis of data by an accredited scientific group that concludes...

Spinal DCS is far from uncommon, and usually hits after the second or third dive of the day (but of course the previous dives are often triggering it). Especially if these dives get close to the DCS. All the more if the divers are dehydrated, aged 40 or more, etc ...

 

[BoltSnap]

Turns out I dove with the same shop as the OP.

Did the OP specify the dive operation? I must have missed it.

 

[SCUBA482]

not mentioned...wondering if dmcutter PM'd the OP or was "the buddy"...i'd like to know, and hear the dive ops response too

 

[dmcutter]

PMed the OP. Since it is his thread it is his option to name the shop.

 

[SCUBA482]

PMed the OP. Since it is his thread it is his option to name the shop.

that's fair...

 

[hg frogman]

Halemano,

Thanks to you, I found a brain fart of mine in my previous post and I corrected it.

Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks again.