No O2 on boat

[stevenl]

Nowhere it says a PADI DC is required to have O2 on a boat. I don't think that would work, since plenty of DC's don't have a boat. Agree that I would not dive if there were no O2, unless in special circumstances, and only diving from small boats with just a boat handler, etc, like stated by Scuby Dooby.

As I read the mails, in several cases the staff at the DC said there was no O2 on the boat, now the management says there is. I don't know who to believe, but if the staff does not know there is O2, they probably won't administer it in case of an emergency, so why bother taking it?

Agree that seeing the situation for yourself would be best, and I don't know slandering all over the web is a good idea, but paddyp made some good points, and nowhere in the discussion the DC involved reacts to the mails produced by paddyp, which really makes me wonder.

 

[gazzahawkes]

Hello,

Normally keep quiet in such matters haveing to be neutral as i conduct a lot of dive safety matters for Gulf of thailand.

It would seem the whole email thing is plain human error cant really comment as i dont know who sent the email.

As for aquademia all the staff on tao and Samui are active in improving dive safety with ongoing training etc.

Your right to question about o2 its critical.
Aquad do have oxygen we have providede the units over one year ago for them as part of the sponsorship they undertake with our organisation.

Oxygen is also a Tourism authority of Thailand (tat) regulation again this school is one of the schools that has this license.and follows its guidelines stringently.

To date there safety record is exempalry.

However your right and well versed to ask these questions regarding safety and i would encourage any one to do the same.

But please give these guys a chance one email was INCORRECTLY answeared and there is the soul point of this matter.

Kind regards
Gary

 

[meisburger]

Wow! I'm trying to remember if I have ever been on a boat that had oxygen. I learned to dive in Cambodia and have done most of my diving since in Indonesia. Had I insisted on oxygen, I would have missed a lot of great diving.

Just moderate your risk. Its very easy to avoid the bends, don't dive deep. its extremely easy in the tropics, as the best life and most vivid color are normally in less than 20 meters (thats 60-odd feet for US divers...).

 

[paddyp]

To pick up on Stevenl's points.
I have noticed that on both occasions when Aquademia have commented, that they have never refuted the emails.

The emails were exchanged with one of their instructors on Koh Tao. I'll hold my hands up and say that I never physically went to the DC. I didn't see the point. Why would I check if they had O2 when one of their instructors had told me they didn't carry it?

If it is true that they do carry it, then it is plain that one of their instructors is unaware of this.

I have never said anything derogatory about the dive centre in all these postings. I have stated things as I found them. I have never questioned their safety record or their affiliation to the SSS Recompression Chamber Network. In fact I have openly said that I had heard good reports from people who dived with them.

If Aquademia want to clear this up, them the obvious thing would be a response explaining the information in the email exchange. Why was I told there ws no O2? Why was the person in question unaware of the existence of O2, if as the DC states, it is carried on all boats?

 

[DORSETBOY]

hey paddyp, I agree with a lot of what you say but I think we have to be careful about what people put on an open forum such as this as if we get things wrong we can have a damaging effect on their business and jeopardize people's livelehoods. Like I said before, my experience with most operators worldwide inc koh tao is that they carry 02. I have never dived with the centre in question when i was on koh tao and I think we should all be careful to give them the oppurtunity to reply.

 

[Batfish]

I think we should all be careful to give them the oppurtunity to reply.

Yes, paddy you've gone and plastered them on the lonely planet and here, but you never went to check with your own eyes...

What we need is a photo of their boat, with an instructor standing holding an O2 set

 

[paddyp]

Yes, paddy you've gone and plastered them on the lonely planet and here, but you never went to check with your own eyes...

What we need is a photo of their boat, with an instructor standing holding an O2 set

I hope they do reply to clear this up. I would be more than happy if it turned out I was wrong and that they did have O2. When I posted on the lonely planet forum, they did not respond after I posted the emails - this is one of the reasons I posted again. If by not replying they thought the issue would disappear they were mistaken.

As far as the other two dive centres I mentioned in my first post, these I did see with my own eyes.

The point about affecting their livelihood I don't agree with. I really don't think that DC's should be taking divers out if they do not carry O2 on the boats. I will actively attempt to stop this happening if I believe it to be occurring.

Forums are here for people to voice their opinions and to share information. I have simply posted information and waited for a response from the DCs.

Take Care
paddyp

 

[Kim]

I thought there had already been two replies in this thread! One from Aquademia Dive saying that you are incorrect - and the other from gazzahawks saying that as someone to do with these kind of safety issues he believes that an incorrect email was sent. It sounds very much like they are a responsible outfit to me - and that somehow someone gave you false information. Of course I haven't been there so I'm just saying this based on what I've read - which isn't exactly proof of anything - you however are also basing everything on what you were told and also not first hand knowledge. Kinda shakey ground to make accusations with - no?

 

[miketsp]

Wow! I'm trying to remember if I have ever been on a boat that had oxygen. I learned to dive in Cambodia and have done most of my diving since in Indonesia. Had I insisted on oxygen, I would have missed a lot of great diving.

Just moderate your risk. Its very easy to avoid the bends, don't dive deep. its extremely easy in the tropics, as the best life and most vivid color are normally in less than 20 meters (thats 60-odd feet for US divers...).

It's not that easy. There are such things as undeserved hits and if you read through the accident reports or deco chamber logs you will see a surprising number below 20m.

 

[DORSETBOY]

yep, the majority of lung over expansion injuries are incurred in water of a depth of 10m or less.