Going to 90 ft

[JMaBC]

Hey,

Was told this by somebody and wondering if its true: As an OW certified diver you're allowed to go to 90 ft with a DM present, and you're only allowed to go beyond 90 ft as an AOW certified diver

thx

 

[Rhone Man]

I don't think it is a case of "allowed" so much as recommended.

My Dad doesn't have anything beyond a basic OW cert (although he has been diving for nearly 50 years), but he and I sometimes go as deep as 150'.

 

[Nemrod]

Who is going to stop you?

N

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

No one is really going to stop you. You might have an issue on some boats if they are at deep sites if they realize you are OW and have little experience.

For a "new" OW diver, this is a pretty good recommendation though. Staying shallow compensates for higher air use and gives you more options and time to deal with issues as you gain expereince.

 

[Web Monkey]

Hey,

Was told this by somebody and wondering if its true: As an OW certified diver you're allowed to go to 90 ft with a DM present, and you're only allowed to go beyond 90 ft as an AOW certified diver

thx

Diving has risks and various depths require different training and equipment. Floating on the surface with a mask, snorkel and a wetsuit is very low risk. A 50' dive with a single tank and a good buddy is still reasonably safe. A 100' dive is less forgiving, but can still be safe if you properly plan and execute the dive.

As you go deeper, you run out of air faster, run out of no-deco time faster and have less time to handle emergencies, while at the same time, narcosis is making you dumber.

As an OW diver, the recommended limit is 60'. I'd suggest following the limit until you're actually comfortable and qualified to dive deeper. 60' is still a reasonably forgiving depth. An emergency out-of-air ascent isn't too risky, your tank will probably last about as long as you want it to, and if you make a mistake or two, the surface is always a reasonable option.

As for diving with a DM, a good professional won't ask you to exceed your recommended limits. Also there's really no way to know if any random DM is Superman, or was just fired from McDonalds because be he wasn't qualified to empty the trash. In any case, a good professional won't ask (or want) you to exceed your training or comfort level, so if you have an OW cert and only a few dives, and the DM wants to take you to 90', I'd recommend finding a new DM.

There's always time to go deeper. I'd recommend staying shallow until you have a good number of dives under your belt in different conditions.

Terry

 

[Diver0001]

Hey,

Was told this by somebody and wondering if its true: As an OW certified diver you're allowed to go to 90 ft with a DM present, and you're only allowed to go beyond 90 ft as an AOW certified diver

thx

The PADI recommendations are 60ft max for OW, 100ft max for AOW, 130ft max for sport divers with AOW and the deep specialty.

As for what you're "allowed" to do. As an OW diver you're "allowed" to dive unsupervised with a buddy within the limits of your training and experience. A highly experienced diver who only has an OW will almost certainly have dives in his/her logbook deeper than 60ft.

Perhaps what you're talking about is what a particular operator will "allow" their DM's to do. IN that case, most adhere to the PADI recommendations some push it a bit if they feel it can be done safely and some don't care what you do. Your friend probably encountered one that pushes it a bit.

I see from your profile that you're an experienced diver. I would highly recommend not pushing boundaries too quickly. Deep diving is fun (at least I think it is) but it shouldn't be taken lightly. Issues can develop into problems much more quickly the deeper you go. That's an added element of risk that's best to accept *after* you have really worked on any "kinks" you might still have after the OW course.

R..

 

[Sinbad the Diver]

I think the biggest thing you get out of a deep diver class or an AOW program is the education on the impacts depth has on diving. Web Monkey already mentioned them, use more gas, shorter NDL, Nitrogen Narcosis. Understanding that these things exist, how they impact your dive planning, etc is critical to making safe dives at deeper depths. But education does not always mean understanding. I was on a trip a couple months ago and a fairly experienced (though rusty) diver who had an AOW card went on a dive to 90ft +. Sat and watched the DM do some stuff and realized with about 300psi left he was in trouble. DM did a great job getting him safely to the surface, but he abviously wasn't paying attention to his gas and I suspect it was because at that depth it's a fairly short bottom time compared to the dives we'd done all week.

That said, my first post certification dive was to 75 ft (beyond the recomended 60 ft limit). But, it was with an experienced diver, we discussed the impact that depth would have and our plan included a very short visit to that depth to see a plane, then a gradual ascent to 40 ft or so for the rest of the dive. It was a good practical application where I could see by watching my NDL countdown on my computer the impact that depth has (that whole theory into practice idea). Two weeks later I took the deep class though and I am very glad I did.

 

[Crowley]

I see plenty of divers who have only a basic open water certification but have been diving for 25 years and have thousands of dives, and nobody is going to suggest they should be limited in their depth (within safe limits of course), and also some with advanced certs (from every single major agency) who should not be allowed to go paddling, never mind handle compressed air.

Many centres will adhere to those depth recommendations, regardless of number of dives and experience, and in this litigious age I suspect they are not unwise for doing so.

There's a grey area here. I am a PADI dive instructor, and when I teach I adhere very strictly to the depth limitations - of course - but when I am working the boats I am working as a dive guide for my dive centre (which is affiliated with four different training agencies), which exercises good jugdement as to whom we allow to dive where, and at what depth.

Policy is, to a large extent, dictated by the dive centre, not the agencies to which they affiliate themselves. They are some ridiculously strict rules out there - an Instructor friend of mine with 7000 dives was made to do a scuba review by a dive centre on an island in the maldives (the only dive centre on that island, as it happens) before he could dive with them, standard procedure, even though he'd just finished a 2 week liveaboard trip around the maldives...!

These questions can easily be resolved by talking with the dive centre involved.

Hope that helps

C.

 

[Rhone Man]

They are some ridiculously strict rules out there - an Instructor friend of mine with 7000 dives was made to do a scuba review by a dive centre on an island in the maldives (the only dive centre on that island, as it happens) before he could dive with them, standard procedure, even though he'd just finished a 2 week liveaboard trip around the maldives...!

Same thing happened to a friend of mine who is a Master Instructor when he visited Bonaire - had to demonstrate he could clear his mask and recover his regulator. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? as they say in latin ('who will guard the guardians themselves'?).

 

[tomboyy]

Hey,

Was told this by somebody and wondering if its true: As an OW certified diver you're allowed to go to 90 ft with a DM present, and you're only allowed to go beyond 90 ft as an AOW certified diver

thx

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