PADI open water max depth

[garyfotodiver]

The reason there are no "peer reviewed, statistically valid study on pressure damage to casual adolescent divers using a sufficient number of subjects" is because it is the type of research that is deemed to be ethically unsound. Look at the research on diving and pregnancy, same scenario.

Rachel

Thank you; that is my point. All the information is anectdotal, if that, and completely unorganized.

That makes the determination whether to make a dive up to the divers. You may think the risk to do a particular dive is too great for your comfort; another may not.

No one is going to break your limb if you refuse to do a dive or to dive with a particular person.

 

[MoonWrasse]

Rachel,

Why have a limit then? If 60 is the "limit", then 60 is the "limit". If 61 is safe, how about 62, 63? 65? 70? Is 70 your definate cut off? I think this is what the thread is asking.

A 10% increase of depth would get you 66 feet, or 20 meters (roughly). Probably not much change in risk IMO.
A 20% increase makes that 72 feet, or roughly 22 meters. You're encroaching on the depth where some can get narc'd, and other safety issues not so prevalent at shallower depths.

Why 60 feet? It's a round number, and likely choosen considering people would violate it by 10% but start thinking about risks as they went deeper.

Experience and ability should dictate your depth. My wife has at least 3 100 foot dives and she only holds a basic OW cert. She probably has 10 night dives without AOW or a night diving specialty. How about the 20-30 boat dives she has without a boat card?She also has 10 drift dives without a card.

I am just saying that the card thing gets WAY out of hand. If have a deck of them myself. They do not make me a better diver. According to my cards I can jump off a boat at night and go to 100 feet on EAN32 while demonstrating bouyancy control. Why would I do that?

Ah, but since you have been (hopefully) informed of the risks, you are in a different category than a basic OW diver.

Plan your dive. If it makes sense and is safe, go ahead and dive your plan. Keep in mind that some divers are not safe at ANY depth!

 

[Darnold9999]

Ok, here's your scenario.... you're a brand spankin' new diver, the ink has not even dried on your OW card from Agency WhoCares. You're on vacation and the divemaster says you're gonna go to 145' and cruise around for about 5 minutes then come up and sit in the sand for 20 minutes.

My first dive after certification was to 120' - with the assistant instructor as my buddy. I felt quite comfortable and qualified to do the dive and I still feel that I was qualified to do the dive. I knew what the depth was, I kept track of my air consumption and knew we would be well within limits in terms of bottom time and air. (this was on a steel 72 as I recall) The training I did prepared me for such a dive. The training of today simply does not. Why not? Again you can get into just as much trouble at 60 feet and experience simply diving does not really prepare you for emergencies or what to do when they happen. How does 20 dives or 30 dives prepare you for a deep dive? The advice is to go down 10 feet at a time? Why, what are you learning at 70 feet that you didn't know at 60?

 

[TeddyDiver]

Diving deeper than certicfied is upon yourself.
However I wouldn't take a buddy without deepdiving experience and rescue training to any dive below 80' 24m if there's not atleast 1 accompanying diver meeting these reqs.
That's nobody but me setting my limit's and I like to be conservative what comes to my health..
I'm NAUI Master Scuba Diver, PADI IDC done IE to come... Having now my EFR Instructor training and DAN Oxygen provider Instructor courses and like to keep it safe.

 

[RadRob]

I find it odd that everyone is concerned with how many certifications they have these days. You can do this, you can't do that. Only in the past 10 or so years was this even a concern. Before that most people got certified and left it alone. Now everyone wants you to have a card to certify you know how to use a crapper.

Certifications for:
Fish ID
u/w hunter
u/w naturalist
u/w photographer
u/w videographer
etc...

Other than tips and techniques what do these get you, other than enough to get your advanced card? Classes that actually teach you safety skills such as deep diver, deco diver, nitrox, wreck, cave, rescue, night, boat, etc... have merit and purpose. Personally, I think to get a "true" advanced diver cert, you should have to do something that actually advances your experience in diving.

I know I will probably be beaten to death over this, but in my opinion, these other certs are just a way for stores to make money off people. Join a photography/videography dive club to learn tricks. Try looking at books to learn how to ID fish. Spend your money on classes that teach you how to dive safely. If you have money to blow, by all means, have at it!

This should probably be in the whine and cheez section, but this discussion prompted the thought.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I agree with you Rob. Most cards are just money making deals for the agency. Nothing wrong with that but for example the pro photographers I know are not certified to be one.

 

[skippy77]

i no that these were only guides that i wrote but if an ow diver goes deeper than he or she has been before with out training they have a lot to over come /narcosis /air consumption at depth ascending so on so forth i no they are only guides but i think for ppl that do not have the training or the experince should go out side they dive guides .if this happens to much i am sure the diving family will get a bit smaller (deaths not being qualified is what i am saying)

 

[captain]

Some of this discussion seems to remind me of the saying "Those that can, do. those that can't, teach. Or maybe the teach should be changed to preach.

 

[RadRob]

Some of this discussion seems to remind me of the saying "Those that can, do. those that can't, teach. Or maybe the teach should be changed to preach.

I agree. Those who are "preaching" can't honestly say they have never broken any of the "rules" set forth by the agencies. Look at all the photos of divers with no reg's in their mouth. Isn't that a no-no? We were taught that the reg stays in your mouth at all times. If you have to hurl, blow chunks through your reg, they will come out.

I don't advocate total disregard for guidelines, but I know I have looked the other way on many of them. It's called an informed decision. I know the consequences for certain actions and I take precautions when doing something the "scuba police" would lock me up for and throw away the key! I even hit 61' once and that was before I was certified to do so. Should I put that in writing? Statute of limitations is 2 years right?

 

[Nemrod]

"Look at all the photos of divers with no reg's in their mouth. Isn't that a no-no? We were taught that the reg stays in your mouth at all times. If you have to hurl, blow chunks through your reg, they will come out."

Who teaches this, how would you buddy breath(an octapus can fail) or manually inflate your BC should the power inflator fail or swap regs with a buddy (assuming a DIR/Hog set up) or clear a double hose if so diving or swap to a snorkel, or wet your mouth etc?? I have never heard of this rule.

One other thing, I would not vomit into a regulator myself. I would not count on it clearing and you would most likely aspirate some of the stuff and I personally prefer seawater to vomit but maybe that is just me. N