Diving your own profile in Cozumel

[cvchief]

For the record, we at Aldora only share air when one person in the group gets down to 1000 PSI. When another gets to 1000 PSI we end the practice and begin a slow ascent to a safety stop. If choreographed properly that ascent is close to the coral and an enjoyable experience. That is why we routinely provide exceptionally long dives yet ascend together which IMHO is mush safer than others might do.

Furthermore, our Dive Instructors are trained to monitor the air supply of all divers and would never plan on non-emergency air sharing when one diver was very low on air. When the air sharing stops, every diver has at least 1000 PSI which is plenty to finish a safe and long dive with a safety stop and still surface together as a group with our dive boat acting as a foil for oncoming boats. BTW, our capitans are also required to follow the Dive Instructor's SMB and get between it and on coming boats if needed.



Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
Aldora Divers

You know we talk alot about great DMs, but there are some really great Captains out there and maybe deserve more recognition than we tend to give them. I think DD of A makes a good point of that in what he says his capitans are doing while divers are diving.

 

[Mossman]

My recollection of two recent accidents, the woman from Utah reportedly diving with her two brothers, and a lady from a cruise ship possibly at Santa Rosa, would lend some credibility to the notion that if you want to prevent fatalities, you might concentrate your concerns in areas that may be productive rather than go after an air sharing option that is not a problem.

How many divers have been run over by dive boats? Is this a more frequent cause of dive fatalities than having an emergency issue underwater?

 

[cvchief]

How many divers have been run over by dive boats? Is this a more frequent cause of dive fatalities than having an emergency issue underwater?

How would you know? Seems most of the recent 'incidents' tended to be diver went into water and was in the group and then wasn't there on the ascent.

That being said, in fairness, I can't say I ever read of an incident with non-emergency air sharing that something went wrong.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Dear Mossman,

Back in 1992 when I started Aldora Divers, the most common type of serious accident was people being hit by boats. That is a fact you can possibly research. At that time, no dive shop had their DMs float SMBs and frankly I was concerned about myself and family, not to mention the liability of getting someone hurt. I also knew that divers wanted to have long dives rather than the norm of 80 ft for 20 minutes. By using dive computers and high capacity tanks I was able to achieve that without sending unprepared people (heavy brothers) up to the surface by themselves.

Now of course everyone uses SMBs which is good, but divers at the surface without a DM is a problem just waiting to happen. Of course some of our clients bitch about having 1200 psi left in their tanks...after finishing a deep 1 hour and 30 minute dive. I know they paid for the air but they also paid for a long safe dive and that is what we want to do. Those that want to "dive the air they paid for, with small tanks, and come up all over the place should use another dive shop. I won't go into the obvious marketing aspects of this but it is sure that in Cozumel there is a dive shop for everyone.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

 

[Mossman]

+

That being said, in fairness, I can't say I ever read of an incident with non-emergency air sharing that something went wrong.

Could that be because it's a very uncommon practice?

It's a simple fact of attention overload. The DM starts out by having to make sure the other divers stick with the group, monitor the other divers' air consumption, modify the dive where necessary based on current, look for interesting critters, and be alert for any problems. That's a hard job in itself. Combining that with having to excessively monitor one's own air pressure (because that air hog will be sucking down the DM's tank as fast as he did his or her own, if not even faster now because of the extra stress of sharing air) and remain tethered to a low-on-air diver could easily make the difference between a successful or an unsuccessful outcome to an emergency at depth.

One could ask, if it's so safe, why don't all dive shops practice this?

 

[Ron Lee]

How many divers have been run over by dive boats? Is this a more frequent cause of dive fatalities than having an emergency issue underwater?

I do not have that information. The last person hit and killed by a boat that I know of was a woman entertainer a few years ago. Perhaps the last name was something like McNickol. I do not recall.

If in fact the use of SMBs has gone from rare twenty years ago to very common today, I would not be surprised if deaths by boat strikes have dropped.

Certainly issues underwater may be the leading cause of death while diving (just a guess). The last two that I read about may have been yet the info is at best sketchy/incomplete. Problems from sharing air a short period....none that I know about.

On a recent trip a female diver decided to ascend a bit early (10-15 minutes). I do not recall all the events involved since it was not a serious matter. I did notify the divemaster that I would ascend with that person and I helped her with her gear and boarding of the boat. I do not even recall if a SMB (the DMs or mine) was used in that case. But I do know how to listen for boats before surfacing and quickly make a 360 degree scan even when I use one or in the vicinity of a DM using a SMB.

 

[Mossman]

I prefer ascending next to my DM's SMB when I'm ascending alone from depth in order that I can stay near the group and make it easier on the boat captain. Like you, I listen carefully and do a 360 on ascent, BC hose in hand ready to descend immediately if necessary. But I've found that Cozumel dive boat drivers tend to know that divers might be underwater (go figure). I'd imagine the risk is greater getting hit by a tourist-driven jet ski. We had one almost hit our boat last trip.

Even if extra air were offered to me, I'd decline. There's no way I'd want to be tethered as that would mess with my photography and the general sense of underwater freedom that I enjoy. Besides, why stick another man's hose in your mouth if you don't have to?

 

[Ron Lee]

Your point just above is one reason why I like to be weighted slightly negative at the safety stop. Just in case you have to get down quickly.

Now if someone can find a video of a diver trying to descend who is at the surface...with his legs flailing as he tries in vain to descend...you will understand my point. Not that I have EVER been in that situation.

 

[cvchief]

I prefer ascending next to my DM's SMB when I'm ascending alone from depth in order that I can stay near the group and make it easier on the boat captain.

Well if you want to talk about safe, besides air sharing, could it not be considered a safety issue to separate a dive group by allowing individuals to surface on their own? First person low on air, bring the whole group up. Having a diver on the surface and divers below divides the DMs attention and so on. If the diver surfacing has a problem the DM has to abandon the group. If a group member has a problem, what does the DM do about keeping the SMB in position for the surfacing diver while running for the group?

That being said, with my op we dive the tank. We send up divers as they run low. I find that decrease in safety acceptable in trade for diving a tank.

I imagine Aldora divers accept the increased degree of risk from a diver on the DM's octo in trade for a long dive and a group accent. I would certainly accept it. (I mean as long as it wasn't me on the DM big yellow mouth leash.....)

 

[MMM]

It was QUITE a few years ago...13 to be exact: In 2000, singer Kirsty MacColl - famous for her Christmas duet Fairytale Of New York - was killed by a speedboat aged 41, while scuba diving in Mexico with her two sons.

Read more: Eight years after Kirsty MacColl was killed by a playboy's speedboat, the singer's mother vows never to give up the fight to bring her killer to justice | Mail Online
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Not sure if that was the last death due to being hit by a boat and, not to say that there haven't been others since, but I don't recall hearing of them.

I do not have that information. The last person hit and killed by a boat that I know of was a woman entertainer a few years ago. Perhaps the last name was something like McNickol.