OW Maximum Dive Depth?

[SkimFisher]

The depth of your dives should be related to your experience and comfort level in the water. I think this point has been echoed many times over. You also want the proper gear - though that should go without saying.

 

[TMHeimer]

I would imagine the rationale behind some dive ops not allowing below 60' without the AOW card would be that if you have the card they at least know you were down there with an instructor.

 

[k ellis]

The depth of your dives should be related to your experience and comfort level in the water. I think this point has been echoed many times over. You also want the proper gear - though that should go without saying.

This leads me to another important step now that you mentioned it. I see alot of people come on the threads and ask what types of gear they should use. While its good to get reviews from people about gear I think it should be left at what it is and thats peoples opinions and good sound advice.

I mean dont ask what kind of BCD should I use and someone recommends Brand X. Well based on that recommendation the new diver goes out and buys brand X without ever giving thought to the other good quality gear out there and by doing so misses out on an opportunity to purchase gear better suited to the type of diving they will be doing.

in short I strongly recommend just like buying a car you look at EVERY type of gear available and if possible test dive the gear and if possible on multiple dives. I think this is important since comfort and fit is key to having the best dive possible.

 

[explorer08]

I mean dont ask what kind of BCD should I use and someone recommends Brand X. Well based on that recommendation the new diver goes out and buys brand X without ever giving thought to the other good quality gear out there and by doing so misses out on an opportunity to purchase gear better suited to the type of diving they will be doing.

in short I strongly recommend just like buying a car you look at EVERY type of gear available and if possible test dive the gear and if possible on multiple dives. I think this is important since comfort and fit is key to having the best dive possible.

I absolutely agree with you. What may be the best solution for diver A is not necessarily the best solution for diver B as well, because they may dive on completely different levels and under completely different conditions.

 

[TSandM]

I would suggest contacting the dive operator you intend to use and asking about their policies.

None of the dive operators I've ever dived with have wanted anything more than my OW cert #, except for the folks in Indonesia, who actually limited me to 80 fsw because I didn't bring my "Deep" card with me. I didn't care; the wall was the same at 80 as it was at 100.

 

[AndyNZ]

That is very true in the US also. But it is also true that too many people fail to worry about just being decent and responsible citizens, which is why the laws and lawyers are there in the first place. The enemy is us.

Man, I thought I was a cynic!!!

From a diving perspective, or at least an instructional perspective.... too much emphasis is placed on forms, process and procedures. For me, the best way of avoiding risk of litigation is just train 'em right in the first place so nothing comes back to bite you in the backside.

In a more general perspective, all those damn lawyers are just taking the fun out of life. Where has the adventure gone???

 

[DCBC]

Do the different certification agency's impose a maximum depth limit on the OW students they certify?

It's difficult for anyone to speak for all diving certifications everywhere. I think that the certification agencies make recommendations rather than rules to reflect the level of training a person has at any particular level. Once the diver is certified however, another factor comes into play and that's experience.

There are many ways to learn and not all of these are formal classes run by one of the certification agencies. People learn through doing, reading, communicating on SB and other forums and later applying what they have learned.

There are divers who I've known who's diving knowledge and experience far outweighed my own. Some of these people had 1/10 of the certifications that I have held. Certainly in these cases certifications would be an unreliable indicator of knowledge and ability.

In practical terms, it sometimes comes down to the dive operator. Having been one for a period of time, I've generally required AOW with a deep specialty for some dives, however having seen certain people in the water, I've prohibited them from diving certain sites, even though they have had these qualifications.

It has been not what the card says you should be able to do, but what in-fact you can. On the other hand, I've spoken to people who haven't had the cards and allowed them on the dive.

Trace mentioned a story a few months back where he was prohibited from diving air (I think it was 60') in-front of his hotel in Bermuda without a DM (Trace is an accomplished technical instructor and cave diver). So it's difficult to say what you can expect from the dive operator. The rules clearly don't apply universally; some don't apply at all.

Have a great trip!

 

[Tortuga68]

While I do the majority of my diving from my own my boat, we are planning our honeymoon to Turks and Caicos and was wondering if dive operators take these limits into account?

Not logging your dives isn't going to help you either - a lot of operators will want to see recent dive history as well as certification

 

[wadedeeper]

Lots of information but the specifics are that PADI "recommends" certain maximum depths to keep divers to dive within their training limits.

PADI OW recommends a max depth of 60'
PADI AOW recommends a max depth of 100'
PADI Deep Diver Specialty recommends a max depth of 130'

The main thing to understand is that PADI knows that beyond OW, the diver is responsible to stay within their own limits and KNOW their own limits. Too often divers go deeper because they "follow" their guide down or in areas they aren't trained for. It is really up to each of us to identify what we feel comfortable with and dive within our means. Remember, its our life in our hands...not the DM or guides.

Basically, PADI AOW teaches you to familiarize yourself with Nitrogen Narcosis so that you know what it feels like...and for some...the nitrogen narcosis happenes about 100' give or take a few ft depending on person.

 

[Squirm88]

Not logging your dives isn't going to help you either - a lot of operators will want to see recent dive history as well as certification

I don't log my dives since the majority are from my own boat and they are usually are dives for lobster or spear fishing. These are usually pretty shallow dives that are short and to the point. So I don't bother logging them. When you are diving for lobster a couple times a week for a couple months a year, you lose interest in logging the same thing over and over again. Not to mention most of the the time there's no one but me to sign the log. I did do a couple of drift dives in West Palm two weekends ago, with a dive operator, and my fiance did log them. She on the other hand likes to keep good records.

If a dive operator wants to see a recent dive history then I can easily write my last couple dives into a log from my computers memory.

In any case I am not worried about me since I have a AOW and have been diving for years. My fiance on the other hand only has an OW certification and I was concerned about her being excluded from some dives. After speaking to the dive operator in Turks and Caicos, they assured me it would not be a problem, and that all dives would be accessible to OW divers.