New cert OW diver, should he exceed 60 ft?

[fisherdvm]

I am going to bring my nephew on a cruise with us. The description of the cruise sponsored dive is a 2 tank, with the first between 80 and 100 ft.

My question is, as he is newly certified with SSI, and nitrox, with only 4 OW dives under his belt, by taking him on the dive - eventhough if we could do it safely, might not be a good idea.

Certainly, it could be done safely, with preplanning, etc... But I am concern that it might give him false confidence later. Other concerns are poor buoyancy control, panic, etc. He said his deepest dive was 45 ft. And he said that technically he is allowed to go to "88 ft" - I think he might be implying his nitrox limit.

I think once we get on the ship, I'll have them email the dive boat, and see if they can limit the dive to more or less 60 ft. If not, maybe we should pass it.

 

[fisherdvm]

Oops, I misread, it was 60 to 80 ft. My gut feeling is, if I told them we had a beginning diver, they would not go much pass 60 ft. The other dive was 80 to 100 ft on the next stop, but we will be using a different dive shop.... No worry, thanks for the input anyway.

 

[The Chad]

Dunno thats a tough one. I'd say if you have advanced training and can take care of things, and he's comforable doing it....it might be a poss. Most OW are supposed to stay around 60 but we know there are no scuba police. If the floors at 80 and there is good vis just stay above everyone till he becomes more acustomed to it. Who knows maybe the dive op would make you pass on it

just my 2cents

 

[spectrum]

There may already be a false sense of confidence. Let the fellow walk before he runs.

You know that recent thread about "listening to the voice"? I think it has something to say if I read between your lines.

Pete

Update per post 2, 60-80 with a floor starts to be shades of gray and I'd be more likely to feel good if you got to dive with him in advance and know that things like weight were dialed in.

 

[drbill]

I wouldn't take my niece or nephew down below their 60 ft certification depth... nor did they want me to... when they were newly certified. My nephew is like a fish underwater and he now has enough experience that I'd dive with him to 100 ft even though he isn't AOW certified.

 

[Web Monkey]

I am going to bring my nephew on a cruise with us. The description of the cruise sponsored dive is a 2 tank, with the first between 80 and 100 ft.

I'd suggest that you two book your own dive (and your own dive boat if you can swing it) on whatever island you're going to. You'll have a great time and can pick the kind of dive you want.

The only potential "gotcha!" is the ship's schedule. If you're stopping in Coz, Christie@ Blue XTSea has been very nice about working around the ship's schedule. On other islands, you might have to do some research, but I think you'll find it well worth it.

The cruise ship dives pretty much all suck. This is actually a qualified answer, not just a whine, since I've gone on at least a few every year for the past 8 or 10 years. The only exception was Hugh Parkey in Belize, who did a fantastic job.

You guys should have a great time, just avoid the cruise dives. They're hugely overcrowded (the last one I was on actually sank the dive boat) and the dive sites they use have been pretty much completely destroyed by heavy use.


Terry

PS. I wasn't clear about the answer, although I implied it above. I wouldn't take the deep dive with the ship. It will be deep and short with very little to see. I also wouldn't give him Nitrox after only a few dives unless you're over a hard bottom

 

[DennisS]

You know them, what do you think. I don't know them

 

[diver 85]

The short answer to your question is yes IF he had proper training & understands the rules of diving.........I've said it before & I'll say it again, 9 out of our(me, my wife's, & 13 Y.O. daughter's) 13 dives after OW cert. were to 90 to 120', in Belize(one AM deep dive then one PM deep dive) & then to G. Cayman (North Wall)........Of course this was in '85 & I'm thinking, from reading this board, there was more to OW cert. then than now.....Seems like in todays classes(again from everyone's worry about depth, twin tanks, 19 CF pony's), they are trying to sniff you by diving instructions where you can 'now take the Advance Class that will open up next week'....More students = more moo-la for your LDS........Go ahead & fire away, but you oldtimers know what I'm talking about......

 

[do it easy]

It sounds like you resolved your issue, but here's my free advice .

It's certainly not black and white and I think you need to give him the tools to find the correct shade of gray.

Let him know that you are concerned that the depth might not be appropriate for his experience level, and that you want to evaluate the dive conditions and sites before you jump in the water. If the dives are 60', no current, hard bottom, lots of vis, etc, then let him know that you would be comfortable, provided you are. If the dives are 40' and ripping current, demonstrate to him that you can use judgement to skip the dive. Lastly, you might have to commit to the dive before you can evaluate the conditions, so again, your time together might be better spent doing other activities- like snorkeling.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Having gotten a couple kids certified and then having taken them diving, I wouldn't exceed 60' for the first couple days at least. While they learn fast, kids are prone to all sorts of situations and they can tend to bail out rather unexpectedly. Obviously it depends on the kid, but I live by the credo that the very best way to deal with an emergency is to not set one up to happen in the first place.

With only 4 dives under this kid's belt, he will find plenty of sights to experience in shallow water, and you lose nothing by erring on the side of safety with a brand new younger diver.

FWIW. YMMV.

Doc