Scary dives in Coz last week

[PhotoTJ]

Copper, in my opinion, you had very good responses to some tough situations. Nice job.

 

[BomberoDiver]

I strongly agree with Cancun Mark. I am a novice to say, and our PADi course for OW clearly stated if I remember right was that 60' depth is the maximum. By accepting the dive for that buddy who had an OW course only was the mistake. I know its challenging when a dive ops is willing to take you more than you are trained to because everyone wants to see more big and beautiful things, but the reality is that if you are not trained for that kind of depth don't go. Until you are and feel experienced, then think about it. Well that's my opinion.

Even though I'm still curious about the the DM' name...

 

[DandyDon]

Even though I'm still curious about the the DM' name...

There's Dive Guides like that all over the Caribbean - outside of the overview of the US Coast Guard, other US entities, courts, insurnace companies, etc. Doesn't matter which one this was; learn that you must hold your own reins, regardless...

 

[Pugsly55]

There's Dive Guides like that all over the Caribbean - outside of the overview of the US Coast Guard, other US entities, courts, insurnace companies, etc. Doesn't matter which one this was; learn that you must hold your own reins, regardless...

I totally agree with you Don. But it is hard to know when to say when if you are a newbie.

My first trip to Coz with my wife 4 years ago, we were fresh off of OW certification in Iowa. We go through the hotel to hook up a dive outfit, and repeatedly tell the guy setting things up that we are brand new dives with no ocean dives under our belts. He hooks us up with a shop and I talk to the DM personally telling him that we are begginers and want a begginers dive, paying for a private DM if need be. After many Ok, ok, ok's, we meet on the dock a day later. We are in a boat with 3 other divers, one is alone, lives in CA. near the shore and has been diving at least 2x/week for approx 10 years. Another couple is a little older, lives on the ocean in Turkey and has been diving regularly since I was in grade school. First dive, my wife gets narced out at like 90 feet and is sinking like a stone over Santa Rosa Wall. She is trying to get away from the wall to "not hurt the coral" (sounds really stupid, but she basically described a feeling that had to be nitrogen narcosis big-time, especially after only having been down to 30' previously), but at the same time is sinking fast. I grab her along with the DM and the guy from CA and help get her neutral again. I looked at my gauge later and it bottomed out at almost 120'. Same dive, I get too bouyant on the way up and miss the safety stop, after being down to 120'.

On the bright side, the three other divers were 3 of the nicest people I have ever dove with in a group of strangers. The bad thing is that dive had some very dangerous aspects for new divers. We should never have been in that group, that deep, etc. We swiched outfits and have been with the other every year since with very few problems (except for having a somewhat heated discussion about why I didn't immediately go to 15' when I reached my turn pressure; he was fine when he found out that I was doing a deep stop). The bad thing is my wife is now reluctant to change ops to go with one that is less of a "cattle boat".

I am glad everything turned out well for the starter of this thread and her friend. Problem solving is the key.

 

[DandyDon]

That's another rough story. Glad y'all both survived unharmed...

It's a shame that such can happen, even after you did your best establishing the dive plan and all. The operator was hungry for the business, I think - and you were put on the wrong boat. More evidence to support my general stands - Cozumel is not idea for greehorns, and - when the dive guide is not compatible with your training, follow your training.

thanks for sharing that one with us... don

 

[Frank Kohler]

Several things come to mind.

1. Neither of you were ready for a dive to that depth. It's been over 3 years since you were in the ocean and he only has 20 dives total. You should have passed this one by. Do it when you are ready.

2. The DM should never have allowed you to go on the deep checkout dive, as you were obviously not ready.

3. The DM should have noticed as he went deeper that his depth gauge wasn't working. An excellent example of narcosis.

4. Your buddy should have stayed with you. More narcosis.

5. Never blindly follow anyone.

6. Start up with more air. Your buddy is an air hog, start up when he reaches 1200 PSI, 2000 on a dive to those depths.

7. Your buddy failed the deep check out dive.

8. The DM failed the deep check out dive.

9. You buddy needed his rear end kicked for following the DM on the second (shallower) dive.

10. Most divers aren't skilled enough to not kick up clouds of silt. Expect it.

11. Carry a safety sausage when diving the ocean, especially when live boating.

12. When live boating, deploy the sausage from your safety stop.

13. Were there 2 tunnels or 3? You said, "come out of tunnel and go into the other tunnel. Several of us say, What? Another tunnel? He says yes, there are two tunnels, see you at 130' and flips over the edge.

We all go in, and my buddy and I end up the last two." then you said, "thanks be to the gods that the group ditched us after the first tunnel."

14. It's good that you are thinking about what went wrong and why. Evaluation makes you a better diver.

Very well written post and I agree with every thing that you say in there. Lol I think I even learned something from that post and I was not even on the dive.

 

[crispos]

I thought this thread was pretty much exhausted. But it has continued on.

My evaluation is this: the Cozumel DM's are mostly "Dive Mamas", they lead the group, check for air consumption and depth, NDL, and float an SMB. But I had a Dive Mama throw out that "the buddy system was mandatory" in Cozumel. When I ran the dive as a buddy team, he got upset.

Well, if the true buddy system was mandatory, then the pre-dive briefing should be something like this:

"Folks, there is only one way on this dive, down current, and it is approximately a speed of 2 knots. The reef ends around 120 feet and then goes into the abysss. Calculate your dive plan accordingly. Shoot your bags when the dive is over, and the boat will pick you up".

A Dive Mama briefing is like this:

"Make sure to turn your tank valve on (in fact, I will do it for you). I will make sure you are properly weighted. I will ask you for the OK sign, every five minutes. I will check your air when I think you may be getting low. If I think you are going too deep, I will give you the "up" signal. Minimum pressure before ascending is 700 psi. Stay close to my float to avoid getting a propeller haircut. Try to stay close to me, as we are going through numerous swimthroughs. OK, let's get in the water."

 

[CuriousMe]

<snip> I think you will find that as number 2 of the safe diving priactices that you would have signed as a PADI Open water diver.

I believe that for recreational divers, if there is rock over your head, you are in a cave, whether you are 1000' back, or in the middle of a tunnel or even swim through. You just cant swim through rock so you shouldn't be there.

Mause, great thread, great lesson, if you learn lessons like this from other people, you will make a great DM.

I haven't heard this definition of cave before....I know the distinction between cavern and cave is that you can see sunlight in a cavern....but I thought that swim throughs were approved for open water divers based on the thought that swim throughs shouldn't be wider than a boat on the surface....since I could be diving open water and still need to make sure I don't surface under a boat, the reasoning is that is was a comprable situation.

Peace,
Cathie

 

[Michael Schlink]

Cave, cavern or swimthrough-They are all overhead's and if not trained you shouldn't be there. I know a lot of divers feel a swimthrough is OK but they are dangerous. The poster of this thread REALLY had her *#@T together as she seemed to spot where all the problems could have been. Good job CopperM. You KEPT a potential problem from going right down the crapper.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I Think there are some things that have not been covered on this thread.

One: All divers diving in the national park in Cozumel must dive with a Guide. It is the law

Don't sound like much fun to me. If I get down that way I think I'll hang around Akumal.

I think this what our modern tourist dive training has done to the industry. "Must dive with a guid"...Sounds like they don't think the average diver is very good.