Diving beyond cert?

[Bestjetsfan]

Go with someone that is truly experienced in that depth and stick with them. Follow their plan and learn. You need to remember had consumption will go up since you're deeper. It takes longer to go to the surface. It is often darker at that depth so plan on taking 2 lights (1 primary, 1 backup). Enjoy what they have to show you and learn from it.

This is my thought, except so long as you have good viz, I'm not sure that you need two lights. I do not dive often because no one in my family dives, but I was certified almost 40 years ago. In those days, the NAUI OW standard was no more than 100 feet and once, when a dive master made a boo boo, we were 120 feet down off the south wall in Grand Cayman. No adverse effects but I would not recommend it. If you really understand the physics - Charles Law, Boyles Law, pv=K and all that, and you had a good instructor and you are VERY comfortable, I would go to about 80. If you have ever panicked or are not 1000% sure of yourself, DO not take a chance. Remember the saying - their are old divers and bold divers but no old bold divers.

 

[tursiops]

One thing is inadvertently going beyond cert, the other is intentionally doing so. Some countries it is forbidden by law, others it is just the training agencies standards. In some countries it can be a nightmare if something happens and needs to be solved in court or with insurance companies...

Now, I am neither a lawyer nor have I read all agencies' standards, but I am pretty confident none will tell you it is ok or encourage you to do so.

Sure, you dive beyond cert nothing may happen to you: no lightning strike as punishment from Poseidon or anything of the such.

On the other hand, what is the rush? Do your AOW, dive a few dozen dives and if you like diving- then expand your horizons, maybe master diver or beyond.

No dive is worth risking your life (or your buddy's, by the way), and the main problem with your question is that as a novice diver you may think that you already know everything you need to know but most likely it isn't so.

Dive according to your cert, get experienced, learn, live to dive many years.

This post -- along with most of the others in this thread and on ScubaBoard in general -- does not understand that the OW cert is to 130 feet. It confuses a certification depth with a recommended maximum depth that depends on your training and experience.

 

[Brett Hatch]

It'll be wetsuit diving. Honestly I expect my cold threshold to be the most limiting factor as far as comfort goes. I've experienced about 50F and was OK but wouldn't want to sit there for too long. I'm also getting my drysuit cert when I get my AOW as well, cause I'd rather be warmer.

OK. Well if you are learning to dive with a drysuit and taking your AOW course in a month or so anyway, it might be best to wait a little while. Because going deeper in a wetsuit in that cold of water is not going to be a great experience, and because your first few dives with a drysuit are gonna be pretty clunky.

Drysuits completely solve the wetsuit compression problem I was talking about, but they bring along their own problems that you need to get a handle on. Specifically, in a drysuit you will have 2 air bladders to manage: the one in your BCD, and the one in your drysuit. It's not rocket surgery, but it'll take you a few dives to get the hang of it. And, it's generally not advisable to be doing "apex dives" while learning how to operate new critical equipment such as a drysuit.

So, take your AOW, learn to dive dry. Along the way you will be doing what most of the advice in this thread is suggesting: incremental progress, rather than leaps and bounds.

By the way, that 60-100 foot range is the range where nitrox gives you the most value. So you can tack that on to the list of tools to learn how to use properly over the next few months. Cheers.

 

[34109411]

I got OW certified (PADI) in May and have only been on a few dives since. I'd like to go diving again soon, but where I've been invited is generally 60-100' where all the interesting stuff is. I seem pretty comfortable, and am not terribly worried about the depth. I am signed up for AOW next month already. I'm wondering if there's any critical reason I shouldn't do these dives? Dive buddy is really experienced and reassuring, and I'm not above aborting at the first sign of problems or me being uncomfortable. Thoughts please?

So less than 10 dive. Let make it to dive 11 at 100 feet where you never been...

So you are at 100 feet and suddenly a free flow begin on your second stage...

So you are at 100 feet and your mask start to take a little bit of water so trying to clear it you make thing worst and it's completely flood you don't see a thing....

So you are at 100 feet and suddenly you lost contact with your buddy., trying to reach out for the surface you are low on air and you notice some boat traffic, did you know how too shoot and use a dsmb ?

Not paying attention to your dive computer you notice that you deco time is at 0 but you could not understand what your computer is showing...

Before going at 100 feet or so you should put more dive and gain experience. Don't thing your buddy will be always there for you. Rely on yourself first to manage certain situation.

Iam sure you are a great diver dont take for granted that nothing will happen prepare for the worst and train for it. In one of these situation breathing rate will increase your state of mind will change drastically.

Be safe

 

[DogDiver]

The upcoming dives are “Trust Me Dives”
Look up the definition in threads in the advanced and technical sections. There are no scuba police so the decision and responsibility rest solely with you.

 

[Ukmc]

I agree with tursiops. Recreational depth is a limit. Dive within your comfort and experience.
I did a few over 100ft dives by the time I did my deep class. The first 100 ft dive was my 8th or 10th dive. I was in a 82 F water with no current and 100 ft viz with a buddy who I could rely on… It was a great experience. The only surprise I had, my old computer at that time called for an intermediate stop at 40 or 45 ft. I was surprised, but followed my computer. At that time, I didn’t differentiate between mandatory and optional stops. Pushed me towards learning more about science of diving, various stops, gradient factors etc…
Just saying… they don’t have to be “trust me dives”, if someone has comfort and training.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I got OW certified (PADI) in May and have only been on a few dives since. I'd like to go diving again soon, but where I've been invited is generally 60-100' where all the interesting stuff is. I seem pretty comfortable, and am not terribly worried about the depth. I am signed up for AOW next month already. I'm wondering if there's any critical reason I shouldn't do these dives? Dive buddy is really experienced and reassuring, and I'm not above aborting at the first sign of problems or me being uncomfortable. Thoughts please?

The most important thing is knowing you have sufficient gas for you and your buddy to ascend to the surface in the case that one of you suffers catastrophic gas loss and you have to share gas to the surface.

I wrote a dive planning doc for my area:
(),
but the concepts are universal. If you know the site, have a map, go through the process and see how comfortable you are once going through this excessive exercise. The point of the document isn't memorization, but to develop a plan for new places and being comofortable throughout the dive as you monitor your gas consumption and compare to expected cylinder pressures at different points of the dive and always abiding by min gas.

 

[lamont]

Kind of my thought. This particular site is great vis, fresh water, no current. Cold as F though

Inexperience + Depth + Cold is a pretty good way to get a CO2 narc.

 

[tursiops]

The most important thing is knowing you have sufficient gas for you and your buddy to ascend to the surface in the case that one of you suffers catastrophic gas loss and you have to share gas to the surface.

I wrote a dive planning doc for my area:
(),
but the concepts are universal. If you know the site, have a map, go through the process and see how comfortable you are once going through this excessive exercise. The point of the document isn't memorization, but to develop a plan for new places and being comofortable throughout the dive as you monitor your gas consumption and compare to expected cylinder pressures at different points of the dive and always abiding by min gas.

I have no issues with your document. It is very impressive, it was clearly a lot of work, it is well-written.....

But it is 59 pages. No new diver can absorb that much material and that many options and alternatives.

How do you distill all that into some very simple, easy-to remember-under-stress rules? The beauty of "be back on the boat with 500 psi" is how simple it is; but it does not tell you how to do that. "Leave the bottom at 700 psi" tells you how to do that, but does not allow for a buddy.

What are some simple rules you can distill from your planning document?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I have no issues with your document. It is very impressive, it was clearly a lot of work, it is well-written.....

So you like it better than the appearance of my blog?

But it is 59 pages. No new diver can absorb that much material and that many options and alternatives.

How do you distill all that into some very simple, easy-to remember-under-stress rules? The beauty of "be back on the boat with 500 psi" is how simple it is; but it does not tell you how to do that. "Leave the bottom at 700 psi" tells you how to do that, but does not allow for a buddy.

What are some simple rules you can distill from your planning document?

I have stated repeatedly that this is not meant to be absorbed. It is way too much. It is simply a guide to work through to create a dive plan and build confidence.

But ultimately, it is know your gas consumption rate, your swim rate, and create a route to follow based on a map, which expected cylinder pressure at various points.

"Leave the bottom at 700 psi" is stupid. Is 700 psi sufficient min gas for all depths? Not at all. If you oversimplify it because you think students are dumb, you just get them into trouble. I haven't had an issue with students getting basic concepts that unfortunately are missing from most open water courses. There are some amazing instructors who do far more than me and don't overwhelm their students. I have a few open invitations to observe their classes which I will do when I am in their area.