I Just Canceled a Dive

[liuk3]

Kudos to you. It takes a bigger person to make the judgement call you did. There's no scuba police out there in the ocean checking certification cards or training history. I see people all the time doing dives they're not trained to do, and you have to be strong enough sometimes to check yourself when that voice in your heads doesn't think it's a great idea. The best person to keep you safe is yourself. You definitely earned my respect.

 

[rongoodman]

They sound like good dives to do after something like IANTD's Advanced Recreational Trimix, with the ability to do some limited deco on 25/25. On Nitrox and single tanks, I'd pass too.

 

[JTinSD]

@JTinSD: OK. I have to ask. You mentioned that people knew you were going to do this dive.
Were these people dive-certified?
If so, what did they think of you signing up for this dive trip?
If they are divers, how much experience do they have?
Did they know that Dive #2 was going to be at Scripps Canyon (another deep dive)?

I ask all of these questions because I'm imagining how I would react if one of my friends, with your level of dive experience (approx. 60 lifetime dives over 1 yr. and one dive in the 100 fsw range), talked about diving the P-38...and then signed up to go dive it.

There is no one responsible for "allowing" me to sign up for this dive other than me. My training places responsibility for my dive planning on me. I signed up for it, I didn’t ask anyone’s advice. I don't have a big network of dive buddies like someone who has been diving for a long time, anyway. I wish I did.

My one regular buddy knew, my wife, and I guess a non diving friend or two. When I asked a past instructor and present mentor about borrowing a bail out bottle and regulator, although he didn’t make a big deal of it, he asked a few questions that raised my concerns. After I canceled, I went to see him, and we are making arrangements to do the deep diver course and plan this dive together at a future date.

I know I need more regular dive buddies, people I can bounce dive plans off of, even when we are not diving together. I really only have one, with similar experience to mine, a few others I have dived with occasionally, and the mentor I mentioned. I have fallen into the habit of showing up at the boat single and picking up a buddy for the day, or tagging along with a buddy pair. According to my log, nearly half my dives were not with someone I knew before that day. For me, it beats not diving at all. I am just realizing, I sign up for dives first, then call around to see if someone wants to go with, not the other way around.

My OP was really hard to write, but I really appreciate the responses. Believe me, I would have preferred to write a dive report about the great time I had, diving on this vintage plane at the limits of rec diving. Thanks to everyone here for making me feel like I made the right decision. You are right, the wreck will still be there when I am truly prepared to dive it.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

@JTinSD: Consider joining one or more local dive clubs. The San Diego diving community is a friendly group. Lots of active divers in the area.

Sign up for the Divebums.com Email List. On several occasions, I have emailed someone and asked to tag along on a local dive. It's a great way to meet new divers and learn where the various dive sites are.

Gaining more experience and training is a good plan for "working up" to doing the P-38. Be careful about building up your expectations too much about the dive, though. It's a fun dive...but honestly there are better dives in San Diego.

If you are looking for a gradual progression of deep dives, I would recommend diving the La Jolla Shores Crab Patch (60-80 fsw), La Jolla Shores North Wall (70-85 fsw), Point Loma Kelpbeds - Train Wheels (60-90 fsw), La Jolla Shores Secret Garden (100-110 fsw), Scripps Canyon (90-120 fsw; deeper dives do exist but you'll see plenty in that range), and the Hogan wreck (125 fsw). Among these, the shore dives in particular are great for polishing your skills. Doing these dives will give you ample time to learn how your body reacts at that depth (narcosis) and build a circle of reliable dive buddies.

Have fun out there.

 

[Jasonmh]

A very smart decision JTinSD, and by posting it the way you did it will hopefully influence others to look at their abilities for a given dive, and possibly avoid an incident. There is always more diving to be had, and I hope that you get the experience and training and go back and do that dive in a way and at a time when you are comfortable.

 

[JTinSD]

There is always more diving to be had, and I hope that you get the experience and training and go back and do that dive in a way and at a time when you are comfortable.

Hi, OP here. I made this dive today as part of the Deep Diver course. I trained with a bailout and stage bottles along with the classroom material prior to the dive. Four of us dove as a team, two instructors and two students. We planned the dive and we dove our plan, debriefed afterward, and had an all around great dive.

Thanks to all who commented positively on my decision to postpone this dive until I was trained and equipped to make it safely.

An added bonus: This was my 100th dive! Totally not planned that way, but it really added to the occasion.

Another bonus: On the way to the site, we encountered a tremendous pod of dolphin, possibly as many as 2000, including hundreds of juveniles.

The video is uploading now to YouTube. Search "Marissa P38 10-23-10 Part 1" in a few hours.

 

[RonzoTheGreat]

hi there ...
id like to start at the beginning (always makes sense)
awesome job calling the dive.

im a bit surprised no one quoted what i was taught ...
anyone at anytime can call the dive for any reason or NO REASON AT ALL .... the no reason at all is what drove it home for me in intro to tech ... as it was the first time i heard it like that ...

question... i apologize for my ignorance on this as i have yet to dive california (do plenty offshore in the atlantic) but is it normal practice for boats out your way to even allow divers without redundant gas? (because they sure dont allow that out here)

you also received some terrific support and advice and most was spot on ...

congrats on dive 100 and on completing the dive you set out to do ...
be well and dive safe

 

[Bogie]

Smart decision. Respecting physics, the ocean and yourself.

 

[Selchie in LB]

Hi, OP here. I made this dive today as part of the Deep Diver course. I trained with a bailout and stage bottles along with the classroom material prior to the dive. Four of us dove as a team, two instructors and two students. We planned the dive and we dove our plan, debriefed afterward, and had an all around great dive.

Thanks to all who commented positively on my decision to postpone this dive until I was trained and equipped to make it safely.

An added bonus: This was my 100th dive! Totally not planned that way, but it really added to the occasion.

Another bonus: On the way to the site, we encountered a tremendous pod of dolphin, possibly as many as 2000, including hundreds of juveniles.

The video is uploading now to YouTube. Search "Marissa P38 10-23-10 Part 1" in a few hours.

Right on! You inspire me! I to will one day make these dives, but for now I get hear yours and others stories about the great deep dives I get to look forward to here in So Cal! Thanks for the follow up.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

Good job. All the way through, you made sound decisions.