Performing technical dives on same boat with recreational divers

[AfterDark]

The problem is that everything is fine, until it isn't. Then there is a first level solution to the immediate problem, which is fine ... until it isn't and then, God only knows ... Sure, that's a small fraction of the time times an even smaller fraction of the time, but it is still there.

Sounds like life in general. GOD?!?!?

 

[ThomasScherrer]

mix tech and rec on same boat is done all the time,
it is actually nice to show the "beginners" what tech is and what it can do,
and what kind of equipment they use and all that, I am a beginner and love to ask arround,
I only see nice and friendly tech divers and they are happy to tell what they do.
the way to plan is tech dudes hop in first, then rec divers a bit after, so the end time is about the same,
it is not that much different in emergency situations if you got several groups down, and some get into trouble,
you always need to wait for the others to show up, cant leave anyone for sure !
rec diving can still be 40-80 minutes on a single tank depending on tank size, depth, and the diver air usage skils, and work load. so people in the same group can show up over a 30 mins span

 

[gsk3]

It seems to be SOP on the Jersey boats. If the conditions are good sometimes people will do one loong dive to 100 feet while the rec divers do two 30 minute dives to 100. Given reasonable surface intervals for the rec divers, the tech divers usually finish first.

 

[waterpirate]

I did it Monday in hatteras. Only I managed two long dives to there two shorts, by gearing up quickly and splashing first. If the capt. is ok with you and the dive it has been my experiance that it is a widely accepted practice on the east coast on six pack boats. I do not think it would play as well on bigger boats.
Eric

 

[Sat Diver]

Next piece of gear would be the nautilus...

I did a dive with ten other divers, where we shared a barge with 6 tech divers from the UK. We were hired to do a salvage job on a ship that had just sunk in the gulf of Aden on it's way from Ipswich to Jakarta. The tech divers were friends of the owner of the shipping company or something like that. They were diving rebreathers and we were doing open circuit 10/90 helium ox until we got our umbilical in place. This was a sort of scout for us. The tech divers had no idea why we were there and i think they thought they were there to evaluate the salvage job. One of the girls on their crew even told me I should not enter the wreck because I was not a tech diver. So I don't think it is a good idea to share a boat with tech divers. It can be a lot of work.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I starting to be a fan of Jim's posts. I like what he says here. Sure, it can be done, mixing technical and recreational divers on a boat, and we all know it is done. The point is, the planning for the technical dive must be every bit as thorough as in any other context, with the added component being that the boat crew is to focused on supporting your technical dive and you need to have very clear dive planning, contingency planning, and emergency planning AND be sure the crew is advised of all of it and agrees to support it. The scary part of the original post, the one that caught my attention was the "Wonder what they meant." Rather than wonder, plan, communicate, revise, come to a final plan and then execute the plan with proper contingency and emergency procedures in place. I call this the "what if" approach: What if x happens? - have a plan; What if Y happens? have a plan. You are done planning when you can't think of any more "what if's", and have a plan for all of them you did identify.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Doppler]

Happens often. At one popular site we drop into the water upon arrival and return as the sport divers are surfacing from their second dive... Oh, the joys of CCR in warm water!

 

[Garth]

DivemasterDennis: the "wonder what they meant" was exactly as it sounds. I didn't get a chance to talk to the shop owner for long and will definitely revisit this before I take myself into deco. This site is a great resource for diving all over the world and that is why I ask such things like this because those on here may have dove with this operation or in this region. It doesn't mean much until I talk to the captain on that specific day but it is always good to think about this stuff ahead of time. Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[James R]

Seems to me that taking the time to dump some air out of your doubles and topping off with 02 to get a 36% (or even 32%) mix would make more sense. More bottom time with less deco obligation, and less risk to you should the boat have to leave early for an emergency.

 

[Garth]

Seems to me that taking the time to dump some air out of your doubles and topping off with 02 to get a 36% (or even 32%) mix would make more sense. More bottom time with less deco obligation, and less risk to you should the boat have to leave early for an emergency.

Sounds good but I have high pressure tanks. It's a bit more complicated but of course I could dump it all and start new.
Update: cape fear divers gave me the nogo on the trip. Apparently they aren't running at all. Aquatic safaris are booked for Sunday so I'm going to gamble on Monday to the city of Houston wreck...