Minimum depth for PADI AOW deep checkout dive?

[Tigerman]

IMO, it doesn't really matter how deep you go. Diving at 100' is really no different than diving at 50' (except maybe available light in some areas). The main focus of the course should be procedures, maintaining a given depth, learning about decompression (ie, how the body off-gasses nitrogen), safe ascents, safety stops, how to plan a dive, and how to calculate gas requirements. You can do all this without actually diving to 100+ feet. I don't think the focus of the course should be to push the students deeper, it should be to educate them how to do deeper dives so they can expand their depths themselves progressively.




I've never seen any information published by the major training agencies that even addresses gas planning. This is, however a good rule of thumb. Just because places often pull off dives like this on small tanks, doesn't mean it will be a relaxing, enjoyable dive with sufficient reserves for an emergency. I know a lot of places in the keys do this to limit your bottom time and get more charters in per day. AL80's are also a lot cheaper than steels.

Tom

Id say nitrogen narcosis vs no nitrogen narcosis is a huge difference due to the effects it has on your perfomance, but thats just me...
You may not be narced at the average 90 feet caribbean dive, but that can change very quickly if you for some reason end up having to work harder, the water you dive is cold and so on..

As far as diving to 100 feet on an AL80.. My gas consumption is not the lowest but my NDL comes before I have a gas issue anyways, unless I have to start working harder and sucking down the air even faster that is. Then again I NORMALLY dive a bigger tank..

 

[icestac]

lake in Tenn. called Loch-Low-Minn....close by(about 3 hours from Atlanta, saving some gas $$$$

Dive haven is 1hr north of Atlanta just above Cartersville and can go down to 150ft. There is also a line already setup off one of the docks for a 100ft AOW dive. Makes it really easy and save more gas and time.

Dive Haven Georgia Atlanta Area Quarry Scuba Diving Certification and Instruction White Georgia www.divehavenga.com

No matter where you go, have fun. I do agree with many others. A deep dive is not deep enough if you don't get a little narced.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

When I did my AOW (in 1987) the instructor told us we had to go deeper than 100' for the checkout on the deep dive. Either he may have been mistaken, or standards may have changed (I suspect the latter).

When I did my deep diver speciality (in 2008) we didn't dive once deeper than 85'. Which I have to say, I did think rather defeated the point.

I agree that does not sound like much of a deep class, unless it was really cold and dark!

Not sure about the Standards in '87, but do know that in '01 written permission from PADI was required to take students below 100' in AOW.

In my Specialty Manual, the recommended depths for the Deep Specialty are; dive #1 - 80' to 100' (max 100'), dive #2 - 60' to 80', dive #3 - 100' to 130', dive #4 - 60' to 100', no dive to exceed 130'.

I have to admit that I was certified as a Deep Specialty Instructor with only the one deeper than 108' training dive from my Deep Specialty. Before I actually trained a Deep Specialty Diver I did many deep dives and read many deep threads here on SB, as well as emailing Bob (NWGratefulDiver) for his Gas Management paper.

 

[Dive-aholic]

IMO, it doesn't really matter how deep you go. Diving at 100' is really no different than diving at 50' (except maybe available light in some areas). The main focus of the course should be procedures, maintaining a given depth, learning about decompression (ie, how the body off-gasses nitrogen), safe ascents, safety stops, how to plan a dive, and how to calculate gas requirements. You can do all this without actually diving to 100+ feet. I don't think the focus of the course should be to push the students deeper, it should be to educate them how to do deeper dives so they can expand their depths themselves progressively.

I agree that the bulk of the course should be on procedures and gas management. However, there's a big difference between 100' and 50'. Most people won't notice narcosis at 50'. Many people notice it at 100'.

Walter, is there a further "allowance" for cold water? As I recall, you can do the deep part of AOW at Martha's quarry near Nashville at 55'. I was told this was OK since it is cold.

That's something I've wanted to clarify with PADI for a couple of months now. I've heard of another place where this is being done, only it's not as deep and not as cold. I don't agree with it. The purpose of the dive is to allow the students to experience narcosis under the supervision of an instructor. It doesn't matter how cold it is, the pressure doesn't get any greater in cold water, so the narcosis won't be the same.

 

[b1gcountry]

My opinion may be a little skewed since I don't typically feel any narcosis until I am around 120'. I felt it once at around 105' on a cold, dark dive right after I got off the plane, but that was pretty isolated.

My wife on the other hand, gets pretty narc'd by about 90', and by the time we get down to 105', she is calling the dive (which I encourage her to do, BTW).

I guess I can see the point in letting students experience a little bit of narcosis; my concern is that however deep you take the students, that's their new benchmark, and they will try to best it.

Tom
PS, I dive cold water mostly in drysuit/drygloves. I naturally use more air than in the carribean. For my kind of diving, the "no deeper than the cf of your tank" rule works pretty well. There is probably a little more leeway on less gear intensive dives.

 

[jviehe]

I want to go ahead and get my PADI AOW this summer and there is lake in Tenn. called Loch-Low-Minn. I've heard it has max. depth of 75 ft. I've heard it's clear(40-50ft vis) and close by(about 3 hours from Atlanta, saving some gas $$$$). Would this qualify as enough depth for PADI AOW deep checkout dive?

Thanks.

It doesnt look like anyone actually answered your question. Yes, 75ft qualifies as enough depth for the PADI Deep Adventure Dive. Minimum depth is 60, maximum is 100.

Edit: nm, looks like someone did.

 

[BORG]

Thanks, guys. I'll probably go to Alabama Blue Water in Pelham, Alabama just south of Birmingham. There is a limestone quarry that they claim can have 25-75ft vis. on most days with depths exceeding 100ft. I can take some depth, it's just I would like to see as well. I'll probably get my PADI AOW done there by Fall. It's about 3 hours west of the Atlanta area.

 

[cje20171]

padi's current standards are 60 to 100 feet, if your lucky you will never get narced. it's not always wonderful like having a martini. the pressure difference between 3 ata and 4 ata in not as much as the upper ata's. it is more about going below 60 feet and doing the skills. padi deep diver cert goes beyond 100' only on dive 3 of the 4 dives required

 

[njmorrell]

Which is more dangerous?

1) Pumping up 3000psi AL tanks to 3200

or

2) Taking students to 100ft

1 is certainly a violation of tank standards.

So those of you that like to take your students to 100', do you set them up in larger tanks?

I ask this because, personally, I follow and recommend that no one dive deeper than the number of cubic feet of air they have on their backs. So when diving an AL80, we keep our max depth at 80' (yes, I know an 80 is only 77.4cf, but I get mine pumped to 3200, so we actually do have 80cf in them...).

If you do take your students beyond 80' in an AL80, what's your gas management plan?


BTW, to answer the OP's question, yes, 75' is deep enough to satisfy the PADI AOW deep dive standards.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Which is more dangerous?

1) Pumping up 3000psi AL tanks to 3200

or

2) Taking students to 100ft

1 is certainly a violation of tank standards.

Depends on the tank (or the age of the tank); 3200 psi in an AL 80 is not always a violation.