Scuba police
- Thread starter MMM
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I recently noticed one of the more expensive ops in Cozumel has added a new "rule" requiring 500 psi in the tank when a diver returns to the surface. That silly rule made me go find another op for my trip last month.
Gilldiver
Contributor
I think it all comes down to economics at some stage. The resorts want to run 3 trips per day for 5 to 6 days a week. Anything that might interfere with that schedule will be fought.
Back in the late 80s and early 90s NITROX was the Voodoo gas in the Caribbean and the Cayman operators actively tried to get it banned throughout the Caribbean because at the time its biggest marketing point was for extending bottom times, which the resorts could not afford if they were to do 3 runs per day. After a while the resorts figured out that an aluminum 80s only had the same volume of gas in it be it NITROX or air. So even with NITROX, a diver would go through that 80s in the same amount of time, but now they could get you to pay some extra $$s for the same tank.
The 24 hour rule was a good rule at the time but if we are seeing a drop to 18 or less hours prior to flight, now a Friday morning dive might be required by the customers. That means running the boats an extra half day per week for no additional income. It would also be a lost shopping day, or day to market other types of excursions etc. This would result in loss of non-diving income to the resort. On a live aboard boat, it might start inter-fearing with port schedules and add additional steaming times and fuel use.
Requiring 500 psi in a tank at the end of a dive under the guise of safety just gets the diver back on the boat faster. I they did it to protect the tanks, I could almost go along with it. One question, if you come back with 300 psi, what do they do, keep you from diving or levy some type of fine?
sabbath999
Contributor
Which is true unless somebody quotes that person...
Sas
Contributor
Well, you're right but I don't see that often with the people on my ignore list, and even when I do it is a small percentage of what they say
Blame it on the lawyers. No kidding, the lawyers are to blame for all of the problems such as this. People used to be more mellow because they didn't have to worry about some sleaze-bag lawyer suing them for $1M every time someone stubbed their toe or slipped on a wet deck.
You can try to blame it on people who are quick to sue, but it is the lawyer who moves the lawsuit forward. Any lawyer with any kind of ethics or morals would decline to take ridiculous cases, but when was the last time you ever met a lawyer with ethics or morals? As long as these sleaze-bag lawyers can continue to suck money from the economy like a bunch of leeches, the "scuba police" will continue to become more and more restrictive.
You can try to blame it on people who are quick to sue, but it is the lawyer who moves the lawsuit forward. Any lawyer with any kind of ethics or morals would decline to take ridiculous cases, but when was the last time you ever met a lawyer with ethics or morals? As long as these sleaze-bag lawyers can continue to suck money from the economy like a bunch of leeches, the "scuba police" will continue to become more and more restrictive.
Sas
Contributor
Umm, what is their justification for this?
If you breathe the tanks to zero, water will enter the cylinder if your press the purge button. Then the valve and cylinder have to be cleaned and inspected.
The shop probably wants to dissuade people from breathing the tanks down to zero by charging them if they get too close to zero. The shop probably set the lower limit at 500 PSI to ensure a good buffer.
Cleaning and inspecting a valve/cylinder is very time-consuming and a pain in the ass. It is much easier to keep water out of the cylinders so that you only have to do a quick VIP every year. Pop the valve, take a peak inside, re-install the valve, done.
Sas
Contributor
35bar is a looong way off zero though. A pretty large buffer! I frequently suck my tanks down to 10bar on shallow shore dives, zero issues...
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