Pending changes for certifications required for JDC dives

[Wookie]

1.6 ATA is fine, especially if you aren't working hard.

 

[scubadada]

Seems counter intuitive to me.
If diving deep, then would it not be safer to dive with air, given MOD on 32% is only 111 feet vs 186 for air?

I have just under 250 dives with JDC in the last dozen years. With the exception of Deep Ledge, all the dives have had a max depth of <95 feet and are dived on 36% as per @DavidFL above. Among the deeper dives is Wreck Trek. I have 17 dives on Wreck Trek with max depths of 83-93 feet.

JDC supplies 28-30% for the dives on Deep Ledge. I have 16 dives on Deep Ledge. Only one of my dives were deeper than the MOD for 30% of 121 feet. I briefly went down to 135 feet on 28%, just exceeding the MOD of 132 feet.

One of the problems for diving these deeper dives on air is the NDL. For the routine reef dives, air divers were allowed a bottom time of 25 min on the first dive and could dive their computer on the second. All the nitrox divers have a bottom time of 45 min. The air divers were often less experienced than the nitrox divers. Though the dive guidelines were explicitly and clearly communicated at the briefing, it was not infrequent that air divers would violate their NDLs. Some of these may have completed short deco and may have gone undetected except for dive time. Others came up in violation. I did not see the discussions between the boat staff and these dives as I did not reboard until 50 something minutes. It was not terribly uncommon to see air divers required to sit out the second dive. I can understand how JDC might want to eliminate the risk of air divers overstaying their dive time.

 

[DAJ]

I, too, agree that Nitrox is pretty simple, but that is not the history in the world of scuba.

I completed mine in January 1996 and it was much different than how it is approached today. Several dives and exams. Very few instructors at the time and not many divers using it. I had to drive up to Long Beach from San Diego to find an instructor. The only one I could find close to me was IANTD and they combined nitrox classes with deep air classes. I think technical nitrox went away in the late 90s but here is what my nitrox class looked like back then.

 

[AdivingBel]

I get why there is a nitrox cert. During its early adoption there were questions concerning its risks and efficacy. Change happens…that time has passed. Given its current usage rate in recreational diving the diving community seems to be comfortable that its risks fall within the acceptable boundaries of personal risk analysis. There should be a chapter on basic recreational nitrox use added to the OW curriculum, much like what was done for DCs. Continuing to require a separate cert just fuels the fire for agency bashers and far more importantly, adds a needless impediment to the use of a tool that can make for safer diving. All IMHO, YMMV.

 

[Marie13]

I get why there is a nitrox cert. During its early adoption there were questions concerning its risks and efficacy. Change happens…that time has passed. Given its current usage rate in recreational diving the diving community seems to be comfortable that its risks fall within the acceptable boundaries of personal risk analysis. There should be a chapter on basic recreational nitrox use added to the OW curriculum, much like what was done for DCs. Continuing to require a separate cert just fuels the fire for agency bashers and far more importantly, adds a needless impediment to the use of a tool that can make for safer diving. All IMHO, YMMV.

I keep hearing stories of folks who can’t be bothered to keep track of their MOD, so perhaps the separate cert isn’t such a bad idea.

 

[MrChen]

JDC certainly isn't the only one. Pura Vida recently started to require AOW and nitrox for their deep dives as well.

It's seems like common sense for JDC to require both, as practically none of the sites they visit are shallower than 60 feet, with many deeper than 80 feet.

At the end of the day, these decisions are all made with one primary thing in mind....liability insurance. It only takes one strike of "negligence" to shut down a whole shop for good.

I noticed a few months ago that several charters were calling out an AOW requirement for certain dive trips. I asked about it at Stuart Scuba and they said to expect more of it because of liability and insurance.

 

[AdivingBel]

I keep hearing stories of folks who can’t be bothered to keep track of their MOD, so perhaps the separate cert isn’t such a bad idea.

Meh...I don't follow the logic. You heard stories...others know but can't be bothered...everybody else gets a separate cert...right, got it

 

[Rob9876]

I think it should either be part of OW, or at least a part of AOW. It's no longer new technology, and there are really just a handful of things a recreational diver needs to know (basically: too deep with too much O2 can kill you, PPO, MOD, switch your computer or table, and how to analyze a tank).

 

[tursiops]

I think it should either be part of OW, or at least a part of AOW.

It IS a part of AOW, if you choose Nitrox as one of your five specialties. You do one dive.

 

[Rob9876]

It IS a part of AOW, if you choose Nitrox as one of your five specialties. You do one dive.

Wait what? Are you saying you can now choose Nitrox as one of the five, and then finish AOW with both AOW and Nitrox certs? It was not that way when I took AOW.