Question on Form - How many logged dives since certified?

[mediumone]

I've found myself impressed with young teens on their first OW dives with whom I'd be happy to buddy up.

The last two trips we've been joined by brand new divers. We too were impressed. One couple were on their 5th dive, and while we didn't do any complex swim throughs, they had no trouble maintaining trim, and were down for 45 minutes at 65' - 80'.

 

[mstevens]

I forgot that this is in the Coz section! As has almost everyone else.

Yeah, but you know as well as anyone that that's the norm. I don't think it's veered off into food yet, though, so in 3... 2... 1...

 

[SlugLife]

The only correct answer is "about tree fiddy"

 

[BRT]

No issues getting fills down here in FL. I've never been asked for a c-card. Now the shops I use all know me now, but when they didn't, I was still never asked. I see divers dropping off tanks for fills every time I'm in the shops. No one is ever asked for a c-card.

I once got asked what the mods were for 32 and 36% when I wanted nitrox.

 

[MR12111]

I used to take my aunt and uncle's tanks to Frank's dive shop near Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach and was never asked for a c-card, which was good because I didn't have one yet!

I worked at Frank's in the mid and late 80's ..He had 1 heck of a fill tank 10-12 whips that were quick release type ..The Fill tank had refrigerated water so when you took the tank out it was so cold it GAINED pressure just sitting around.... We used to chill our beer in there when filling tons of tanks at the end of the day .. Frank was always freaking that we had the "Banks" (submarine air tanks) at to high a pressure ..Just lucky the whole block never blew up ...

 

[Bigbella]

If you have dived around 500 dives, but not "logged" any of them, and less than 50 of them have been after your certification, how would you answer the question?

Ballpark it -- it's all but meaningless and completely unenforceable. It's not like those "unlogged" dives never existed. I dove for years without so much as a Post-it note of paperwork -- and no one ever bothered to ask for a "club" card to obtain fills. Who really gives a rat's ass?

It never ceases to amaze me, how one of the most genuinely “freeing” sports activities out there, is now so full of steroidal egos, micromanagement, and big fishes in little ponds.

Just remember that all of this byzantine scuba scheiß is simply club-based and not some official licensing -- nothing is ever going to find its way to your "permanent record" and the Scuba Stasi will not be at your door -- just yet . . .

 

[Pressurehead]

One couple were on their 5th dive, and while we didn't do any complex swim throughs, they had no trouble maintaining trim, and were down for 45 minutes at 65' - 80'.

Anyone else see a problem with this ?
I know it happens. But.....

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Who are these people these so called scuba police?

SCUBA Police are real…

Here’s one putting up a no diving flag, due to approaching storm.

 

[mediumone]

Anyone else see a problem with this ?
I know it happens. But.....

If you know that it happens then what is your problem?

 

[boulderjohn]

Anyone else see a problem with this ?
I know it happens. But.....

Not much.

Time at Depth
First of all, we don't know exactly how long they were at what depth. If diving the PADI air tables, the maximum time for 70 feet is 40 minutes, and it is 55 minutes for 60 feet. I assume they were doing a multi-level dive with a computer, and I would guess that would be close to NDLs. Of course, we don't know how precise the original estimates of time and depth were. It is very possible there are no issues there.

Experience and Depth
We don't know if 5th dive includes the OW dives, but that isn't a big deal. Divers at all levels are told to extend their limits through experience and training. They should do so with a degree of caution. New divers have a training level of 60 feet. These divers decided it was OK to extend their dive experience to a range of 65-80 feet while with a professional divemaster. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

You said, "it happens." How often? If you asked me to make an estimate of how many brand new divers go to Cozumel each year and do that kind of a dive right off the bat, my wild guess would be about 5,000. So, yes, it happens. A lot.

About 20 years ago while diving in Cozumel, a few of us talked our dive operator into doing the Devil's Throat (about 125 feet) the next day. When we got in the boat, we were surprised when a young couple joined us. Yes, they knew we were going to Devil's throat--they were on the right boat. We had a great dive, and that young couple was fantastic. They descended quickly and showed great buoyancy control in the swim through. Back on the boat during the surface interval, we learned that they had just gotten certified, and that was their first dive after certification. Now, I do not in any way recommend that, but the fact is that they were just fine on the dive. Not every new diver is a floundering fool.