In Coz: You, Your Buddy, Your Group and Your DM. Who should do what?

[gypsyjim]

Just a suggestion, but by inflating the SMB at depth, as you first begin your ascent the boats in the area will avoid that spot, and your boat knows you have begun your ascent long before you arrive on the surface, if they know your SMB.

Easy enough to deploy the SMB at depth, and control your buoyancy.

At 40-50ft, or deeper, a small amount of air in you SMB is all that is required , as the SMB slowly begins it's ascent the decreasing pressure will fully inflate it. You are not dragged along, but simply allow it to make it's own ascent off your reel. You follow the line as you ascend, retrieving the excess line as you do. I like "locking off" the reel at my safety stop, as a visual reference.

 

[flots am]

Why do you have to inflate a safety sausage below the surface? I can do my safety stop and listen for boats. No motor sound..ok to ascend.

That's more-or-less useful, except in Cozumel if you wait for all the motor sound to go away you'll be under until the next time a hurricane comes through and they close the port.

Sending up a marker while still underwater tells your boat where you are and tells other boats "please don't run me over".

flots.

 

[Ron Lee]

That's more-or-less useful, except in Cozumel if you wait for all the motor sound to go away you'll be under until the next time a hurricane comes through and they close the port.

That has not been my experience. Plus, expecting a novice diver to deploy it at 30-50' is unrealistic. This whole thread originated as the result of the apparent death of a female diver with ten or less dives. I doubt that a safety sausage would have saved her.

 

[flots am]

That has not been my experience. Plus, expecting a novice diver to deploy it at 30-50' is unrealistic. This whole thread originated as the result of the apparent death of a female diver with ten or less dives. I doubt that a safety sausage would have saved her.

No, but my suggestion of choosing a dive site appropriate for new divers would have.

flots

 

[boulderjohn]

I haven't dove in Coz, but on drift dives in Key Largo the practice was you go to the dive master, give the safety stop sign, make the okay sign around the dive flag rope and go up do your safety stop while staying with the group then go up signal the boat, swim away from the flag when they acknowledge your signal to be picked up. This seems like a safe practice to me.

Not having dived in Cozumel, you may not realize that there is no dive flag there. Unlike Key Largo, the coral structures tower above the divers on most dives and would be damaged if they were used.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

Not having dived in Cozumel, you may not realize that there is no dive flag there. Unlike Key Largo, the coral structures tower above the divers on most dives and would be damaged if they were used.

Okay, guess it's wouldn't work there, so I guess the nautilis radio would be a good investment?

 

[Ron Lee]

Okay, guess it's wouldn't work there, so I guess the nautilus radio would be a good investment?

It depends on how you expect to use it. One dive op reportedly carries that on dives where a problem could lead to less than desirable outcome. While it seems to have utility in some cases, a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) offers a different option for rescue.

 

[falcon125]

I guess a lot of people dont read the liability release that they sign.
You are responsible for you own safety. Diving is dangerous, You may die doing it. Even if you follow all the rules you may still die.

Why does anyone think that more rules, regulations or laws will save someone when we dont even know how they died? Seriously, all we know is one second she was there and the next she was gone. And somehow somebody thinks they could have saved her with more rules?

The problem is we are taught to not take responsibilty for our ACTIONS. We are told that we can insure against any problems by giving our money to an insuance company. When the reality of it is that insurance is simply gambling and the odds are better at the casino. Allstate will not protect your dreams and state farm is not a good neighbor. When you file a claim they will employ their lawyers to prevent you from getting your money. Then you will hire your own lawyer and pay 40% of said money to them. what other business collects 40%. Not mine.

So there we are all believing that when something bad happens we just need to sue someone. NOT take responsibilty for our actions.
Rant Over

When I go to Cozumel I expect the dive master to give a safety briefing, set the dive plan, take us to interesting places and show us interesting things. IF something bad happens I expect the DM will do their best to help out. But my safety is in my hands. As a novice diver I take more risk and I know that, I am comfortable with that. The more dives I do the less risk there will be. I dont want to do 50 dives at 40 feet or less. I would have never taken my OW if that were the case.

 

[Ron Lee]

falcon, how many novice deaths a year are you willing to accept as normal in Cozumel? What if SIMPLE policies that may not even impact you can reduce these deaths by 50% or >80%?

I find it odd that among this group so many are vocal about fixing a CO problem that may not be a problem...yet clearly deaths are occurring for some reason that may be easily preventable.

 

[flots am]

When I go to Cozumel I expect the dive master to give a safety briefing, set the dive plan, take us to interesting places and show us interesting things. IF something bad happens I expect the DM will do their best to help out. But my safety is in my hands.

As a novice diver I take more risk and I know that, I am comfortable with that.

A novice diver should not need to take the additional risk of a drift dive on a wall. There's simply no reason for it.

The best accidents are the accidents that don't happen. Taking new divers to an appropriate dive site would have "eliminated a failure point" (to steal and partially mangle a DIR phrase). It's not possible to have buoyancy or current issues over a hard, current-less bottom, and keeping it shallow makes it much more difficult to run out of air or no-deco time.

A shallow, hard bottom and a moored boat could have made all the difference in the world. If Cozumel doesn't have the geography to support this, or the dive ops are unwilling to take new divers to appropriate locations, then maybe Cozumel isn't a good location for new divers.

flots.