"Guided" 200' dive with a single AL80?
- Thread starter xiSkiGuy
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The concern I have with this dive, is that I don't believe that everyone DID know the risks.
Each day I guide divers and at least once a week I have experienced divers asking me to take them on a CAVE dive, beyond the limits of a cavern. I have to explain why I won't take them and the problems that we might encounter that could take their life. How many times in life do people say " Geez, I didn't know that. Boy am I lucky." Not fully understanding the risks and diving beyond your training, leads to problems and fatalities.
Also, keep this in mind: a good percentage of divers will follow me to the ends of the earth because I am an instructor! There is a huge level of trust that these divers put in me (here is another topic on awareness) and it is MY responsibility that I ensure that we stay within thier limits of training and ability.
Dennis
That's it in a nutshell isn't it? Swimming around back in a cave or at 200 ft isn't any different than swimming in a pool...until something goes wrong, then getting back can get a little different.
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The OP didn't do this dive ... he just cross-posted the dive report on ScubaBoard so everyone could publicly pillory the guy who did ... everyone enjoys a good train wreck, after all.
The dive was ill-advised, to be sure ... it was wrong on so many levels that could have and should have been discussed in a more constructive manner. But is publicly beating the guy really going to change anything? Somehow I doubt it. Respect is a two-way street, and if y'all aren't willing to show any, don't expect any in return. This guy probably tuned out the conversation long ago.
With a couple of exceptions, all y'all are demonstrating is that there are, indeed, scuba police ... and they live on the Internet. Sooner or later there'll be enough ToS violations that even the ScubaBoard mods can't ignore them any longer ... then they'll make this thread go bye-bye and y'all can start a new one to complain about censorship.
My guess is that with all the friendly advice everyone's been dispensing, about the only thing that's gonna change is that next time the guy does this dive he won't post about it. That's sure gonna make a difference ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
That is the point. This skill as well as others such as maintaining a deco stop plus or minus nothing, are par for the course for a properly trained technical diver.
The fact that you mention it as being remarkable that they pulled it off illustrates that this type of diving is outisde the normal recreational diving experience regardless of whether you are a padi instructor or not.
As for knowing the risks, when you look at the lack of planning, the poor equipment configuration and the incorrect management of independent doubles, both the lack of knowledge and either a lack of good judgement regarding the risks or a lack of knowledge of the risks are apparent.
From a technical standpoint, a 200 ft non penetration dive in good viz with a run time under 30 minutes is, by technical diving standards, a cake walk compared to a more demanding dive in more demanding conditons and the fact that they had to share air on the dive is as pretty compelling argument for their deep diving incompetence.
- Messages
- 99,293
- Reaction score
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- Location
- On the Fun Side of Trump's Wall
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- 2500 - 4999
At last ... someone who can discuss the dive, rather than the diver ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
JeffG
Contributor
My guess is that with all the friendly advice everyone's been dispensing, about the only thing that's gonna change is that next time the guy does this dive he won't post about it. That's sure gonna make a difference ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Plus scare off countless posters that will not post due to the peanut gallery.
Skull
Contributor
OP
xiSkiGuy
Contributor
Like NWGratefulDiver pointed out, I didn't do this dive, I just cross posted something that was on The Deco Stop. And no, I don't have any bounce dive certs
, but I do have Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures certs. While they certainly don't qualify me to do a 200' dives, the classes certainly teach you why you don't plan deco dives with no redundancy. I think it is a pretty common experience for divers who take an intro tech course (like Cavern/Basic Cave or Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures) to look back at dives they have done in the past and realize that not everything they have done has been the smartest or the safest. It can be very sobering.
Jason, if you are still reading this, skip the Deep Diver class and sign up for an Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures class (and later a Trimix class). They will give you some new knowledge and tools to evaluate what gas reserves and equipment are necessary to safely plan deco dives. There appear to be a number of places in the Playa del Carmen and Cozumel area that offer these classes. Good luck to you!
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