My Deep Diver course today

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Today was by far the most fun class i have ever taken along with the dives.

We got on the boat at 7:30 and i help prepare it with my instructor and his friend who owns the boat. (not an actual charter yet). So we loaded up and headed out and i hop in the water and my instructor hands me a stage bottle! (al 30). My day was complete being able to dive with this bottle on my side. My buoyancy was perfect the entire dive. (being somewhat of a new diver this is big for me We didn't need to use it though this dive. He just wanted me to get used to it.

Second dive, we penetrated into the Yukon about halfway through the ship 3 decks down or so. I loved it. This dive was where we were prepared to do my "planned staged decompression dive" for 2nd part of deep diver. We had my deco bottle on the side and another one hanging from the boat at 15 feet. Plus both my buddies had doubles on. Before the end of the dive my computer went into deco, but we were prepared. I only had to stop at 10ft for like a minute or so. Did my safety stop then headed up and i got to breathe off an 80 for 12 minutes I loved every second of it . I got the worst leg cramp of my life on the way up ..but after i took a hot shower it was all good.

I was a little nervous about going into the yukon and didn't want to at first, but once we started i felt fine. What a great 2 dives today.

Why am i posting this?
I want to share my experience with others, being 16 and being able to go inside a shipwreck and dive with a deco bottle is like the coolest thing ever for me. Also to know that pushing the limits into deco is not a very smart idea if your not prepared. Being i had 3 awesome buddies who had doubles, we had more than ample air provided anything go wrong.

Anyways, now im just waiting to sign off master diver and rack up experience for the next two years till im 18 and eligible for divemaster and tech diver.

 

[Katamuki]

Sounds like you had a good time. Were you wearing doubles? Also, what gas was in the AL30? How deep is the Yukon?

 

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I was not wearing doubles, my breathing is more than sufficient with my tank. there was 50% in the al30, breathe no deeper than 70 feet.

Avg depth on yukon today was 80feet, max is like 105 if u crawl under it lol.
But ive never had so much fun, i felt like a tech diver today, which what i want to work towards.

 

[DevonDiver]

Glad you enjoyed it.... but it sounds a little worrying to me.

What course was this? It sounds like it would be seriously breaching the standards for a PADI or SSI Deep Diver course....

If this wasn't a technical diving course, then I am very surprised that your instructor would allow you to slip into a deco obligation. How deep was the wreck that you penetrated? I'm not aware that any recreational deep course allows overhead environment. Even the wreck courses place strict limitations on the combined vertical/horizontal distance you can go from the surface....

What was the purpose of using a 'stage'? Simulated (actual!) deco or just a redundant air source? Was this because of the depth (you calculated SAC and defined a required contingency volume) or because of the penetration into overhead environment??

As an aside point....Is it legal in the US to run diving courses from an unlicensed boat (not commercially rated for 'paid' scuba diving)?

 

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Devon don't worry it was a day for fun dives and they were very safe.

Im already wreck certified, the deep diver was not apart of being inside the wreck, it was more for fun. Ive done several penetration dives before.

Why was i wearing the stage? It was for saftey, if anything went wrong i had the air, more of a thing between my instructor and I. I had more than a 1000psi when i surfaced in my main air source.

The wreck was a 100ft at the very bottom. I averaged 80ft. you have to understand the people i were with i dive with like every weekend. I feel very safe around them, the deco just happened to be apart of the dive.

For the boat, he is a charter hes just not big yet he has all the paperwork to be a dive boat. Hes been running dives for months now.

 

[Gatorshark]

I agree that the scenario posted seems a bit irresponsible from my humble, non expert perspective. ( I have taken AOW and Deep Diver Courses with SSI and PADI).

I dont see what the issue would be diviving from a private vessel. Isn't it just a platform? How is it different than instruction undertaken from any beach or shore?

 

[DevonDiver]

So it wasn't a certification course?

 

[gcs118]

My buoyancy was perfect the entire dive. (being somewhat of a new diver this is big for me

I'm not sure perfect is a word that goes with buoyancy. There's always room to improve, so don't settle!

 

[DevonDiver]

I dont see what the issue would be diviving from a private vessel. Isn't it just a platform? How is it different than instruction undertaken from any beach or shore?

In the UK, boats that run commercial (paid) diving operations have to be licensed. This ensures that they are properly equipped and the captain is properly trained. It also means that they hold the required insurance.

It isn't clear whether the OP's course (?) was run from a vessel like that...

 

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Devon he is properly trained, ex military diver, has all the necessary stuff in case of an emergency, including insurance.

GCS- your right, my buoyancy was better than last time, but could use improvement.

This was 2 fun dives, with the simulated deco at the end for part of my deep diver. We did the 130ft stuff in doubles weekend before.