Peer Pressure in Chuuk

[RJP]

Do you have the option of diving doubles and/or access to EAN50 or EAN100 for deco?

As Kev mentions the Odyssey has doubles and will blend up whatever back gas and deco gas you like. I tended to use 60% for most of my deco dives in Truk, due to the benefit of hopping on your deco gas sooner/deeper. Cost of 02 wasn't terribly high, but if you run V-Planner for a typical dive you'll see that total dive time and deco time is essentially the same with 60% or 100%, so why pay for the extra CF if they don't do you any good. Just a matter of how shallow you are when you make your switch. (Actually, with a 20min bottom time on 24% back gas the dive is 1min shorter on 60% than if on 100%.)

Also need to look at required gas volumes to ensure you can carry enough of the leaner 50-60% mix (between bottom time and reserves you could get caught short) which would be the only reason I'd go with 100%. Though, if you ran short on 60% and had to deco on back gas or the reg hanging off the boat it wouldn't be terrible.

 

[grandizer52]

If it dosen't feel right...and who are you diving for? you...or them?

 

[Herk_Man]

Simple...Just say "No"

Amen. Anyone that doesn't immediately accept that is someone you definitely don't want to be underwater with, at any depth.

 

[sacharv]

You're in Micronesia, and I don't have any idea where you would find a tech instructor to work with. You can take Fundies in Singapore, I know; I believe there are two GUE instructors there. I also believe Gideon periodically teaches in Hong Kong. There are also technical instructors (and GUE instructors) in Australia. There may be some closer to you, but I don't know who they are.

There is also 1 UTD (up to Tech 2) instructor in Singapore.

 

[tregrrr]

after reading through the thread, my 2psi:

the most dangerous type of dive anyone can do anywhere is a "trust me" dive.

Anytime you rely on someone else for anything to get you through a dive-- if you do not have the knowledge, confidence, equipment, supplies or _____(insert any other commodity) requisite for the safe completion of any dive WITHOUT the person inviting/encouraging you to undertake said dive, then you are on a "trust me" dive.

without any doubt, I applaud the OP for posting, and choosing not to do a blatant "trust me" dive.

The only person you can ever truly trust implicitly is yourself; anyone around you may drop dead and, innocently enough, leave you in the lurch. You are the only person you can rely on until the day you die.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Good for you! It's hard to say no, especially when you WANT to do the dive. But there is always another day to dive, if you don't get yourself killed today

Lots of people have talked about your decision not to go (which was the right one). But you also asked how to get started, if you want to learn how to go do that dive right. To do a 170 foot dive safely, you need redundancy, and you need to be able to do staged decompression (and preferably accelerated decompression, if you don't want to spend all day in the water). A great place to begin is with an Intro to Tech class, or GUE Fundamentals. A class like that will introduce you to the level of skill that's necessary to do those sorts of dives competently -- it's very different from what's expected from recreational divers. The equipment is different, as well.

You're in Micronesia, and I don't have any idea where you would find a tech instructor to work with. You can take Fundies in Singapore, I know; I believe there are two GUE instructors there. I also believe Gideon periodically teaches in Hong Kong. There are also technical instructors (and GUE instructors) in Australia. There may be some closer to you, but I don't know who they are.

Good luck with this! Getting more training, in addition to allowing you to do dives you can't already do, also improves the quality of all the diving you ALREADY do.

There is also 1 UTD (up to Tech 2) instructor in Singapore.

The most qualfied tech and wreck instructor right there in Chuuk Micronesia is Kelvin Davidson, manager in residence at tbe Truk Lagoon Dive Center for nearly two years now, diving the wrecks every single day. It makes no sense economically to fly out to Singapore or Australia from Pohnpei Micronesia for training, or to fly in a GUE or UTD Instructor to Chuuk while covering their airfare & lodging expenses for at least two weeks. . .

The better solution is an instructor such as Kelvin, who uses and applies the best practices, and has local knowledge of the dive/wreck sites in situ which you are interested in and will be exposed to. No one from UTD or GUE has the equivalent experience on these wrecks in Truk Lagoon (and GUE doesn't even have a wreck course as yet either). . .

 

[cpe111]

So here is the unfortunate punch line that we have all been half expecting...

They did the SF Maru. They had 10 minutes on the ship and a 30 min deco stop according to the DM.

After this, they insisted on doing the 130ft Nippo Maru even though the DM urged them not to do two deep dives in a row. They pressed the issue. They sorted it out this way: The DM who was on the SF dive did a shallower (yet still totally awesome) wreck with me for the second dive. A different DM who had not been diving yet that day did the Nippo with the SF group.

Apparently all types of things went wrong on their Nippo dive including: not finding the ship, losing the DM and a run away ascent.

My friend who so wanted me to dive the San Fran with him is currently on oxygen.

I can only hope that he will be okay.

The proof is in the pudding - you demonstrated far greater maturity than the rest of the group you were with. Your friend is lucky, the results could have been far worse for him. Diving isn't a competition to rack up the deepest macho dives you can - that stuff gets people killed. Keep listening to that little voice in your head

If something doesn't seem right then oftentimes it isn't.

 

[sunkmail]

Having just recently been to Chuuk, and diving the SF Maru (I have the appropriate equipment, training and experience), I can attest that it is not a simple dive.

It can appear deceptively easy to dive the waters of Chuuk - Clear, mild currents (if any), warm, and the relaxed atmosphere typical on tropical islands. With that said, you should still be mature enough to resist temptation and stay within your training.

Congratulations for being smart, mature, and responsible. You've pass the Darwin test!

Safe diving

 

[sdiver68]

I've seen too many immature responses to peer pressure kill, paralyze or otherwise maim friends. Congratulations for knowing this dive was beyond your training.

My advice: when peer pressure can lead to potential catastrophe of life and limb, I consider it a sign of strength to just firmly say no thanks and pat myself on the back for being intelligent and mature. I would consider it a personal failure to succumb. Using that mental strategy, you feel much better about yourself for having said 'No' then you ever could by saying 'Yes'.

 

[Staredge]

Hmmm......first thing I thought of when I read the OP was this:

Not that I think he was out to hurt you.....just that it seemed a good way to end up with way more bottom time than you want. Good call on not going. I'd love to dive wrecks some day, but dying ain't much of a living. Your 'friend' will probably spin the story into a truly epic one, filled with danger and excitement and survival under incredible odds. :nailbiter::dropmouth::errrr:


Schmuck.