dumpsterDiver
Banned
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slane, I disagree. The divers we certify for open water COULD execute a (very brief!) dive to 130 feet, and come back up okay, if all went well. But they simply don't have enough time in the water at the end of four dives to know that they could maintain their equanimity (not to mention their buoyancy control) if they had to handle an emergency at 130 feet. And most of them have gas consumption rates that would make a dive to that depth a risky endeavor.
A year later, with 75 to 100 dives under their belts, and the opportunity to deal with a variety of minor issues in the water, they are very different divers.
I have no problem at all telling people that they really ought to stay shallow until they build experience. New skiers stay on green hills; new riders ride quiet, older horses. New divers should dive relatively shallow, benign sites, and gain confidence and competence there before proceeding deeper.
I think 80 or 100 ft is a reasonable depth limit for most new divers (say 40 or 50 dives). I'm not so worried about air consumption or buoyancy control on a 120 ft dive, but the narcosis level and general stress (mental more than anything) makes me very hesitant to take people much past 100 feet unless they have dove the area many times. - and this is for warm clear water. Cold, dark and dirty make things much different.
A quick dive to 130 feet is no big deal for me and if I keep it no-deco, gas supply is not an issue, but the dive is not trivial. Divers DO need to respect depth and the only way to gain this respect is by a slow and measured progression, not some weekend course that takes you to 108 ft while the instructor holds your hand.
I've recently started taking my 15 yr old son on 130 ft drift dives (on nitrox). He has just a junior padi certification. It has taken a long time to get to the point where I am comfortable doing this (and allowing him to carry a speargun on the dive). He recognizes that he feels "different" at 120 ft. I don't really feel narced, but the "stress level" goes up for me at that depth, especially if I am not alone.
Certifications don't mean a whole lot to me. Practice, progressive experience, having scuba gear that provides a reasonable level of redundancy and a good amount of self knowledge are what is important... Unless you want to dive from a commercial charter.. then those cards become essential..