Serious concerns in Belize

[themagni]

The dive won't be to 150ft. That's the depth of the shelf, and you'll only pass that if you're going down further... You can perfectly respectably stop at 130ft.

Except you said earlier that "every dive shop goes below 130".

Unless you're accustomed to diving a heavy steel tank I wouldn't use one for this dive (even supposing you could find one). It's MUCH heaver than an Al80 and that would probably give you buoyancy issues at depth. Use equipment you're familiar with.

I've used them before without problems. I generally dive with 30 pounds of lead + a SS (-5) backplate so gear weight and buoyancy aren't serious concerns. It'll take me a few dives in tropical gear before I can get it sorted out though, so I'll be doing some closer diving first.

Although an He mix might be appropriate (and mandatory for some divers) Nitrox ("enriched air") most certainly is not. I take it you're not nitrox certified? I strongly recommend you rectify that. Then you'll find that nitrox is a gas for prolonging shallow (ish) dives, not for going deeper. Speaking for myself (I know TS disagrees with this) I feel no need to use He at that depth, nor indeed for some way deeper.

No, I haven't taken that course, it's one of the things I've put off so that I can go to Belize and dive. Given the choice between a new dive computer + Rescue + Nitrox, I went with the dive trip. If it's stormy and I can't dive, I guess I'll get that sorted out while I'm down there.

You said you have a Deep specialty "for what it's worth". Do you feel that gave you very little? As written by PADI I think it has very limited value as it only contains one dive to maximum depth (and even that can be to only just over 100ft), but I do it over a week with four dives to the maximum allowed depth (plus whatever warm up dives are necessary) and I feel that gives a much better introduction to this sort of diving.

I generally stick to 60' or less, depending on vis taking that up to 80-100 feet, although it's been a while since I've gone below 80.

 

[peterbj7]

You are nonetheless unlikely to find a steel 120 avalable here.

I'd say you certainly should have some warm-up dives before going really deep.

If you recall, I said that pretty well every dive shop goes below 130ft but that the individual diver can still stop at 130ft.

Most of the diving off Ambergris Caye takes place in the AOW region, between 60ft and 100ft. That's certainly where most of the interest is. And that is the region where nitrox gives the most benefit, greatly extending available bottom time. Nitrox is a classroom course that you could do near home, so you could do it before you come here.

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On my first dive trip to SP I witnessed a diver being carried from the pier by Sun Breeze Hotel. They loaded her on a gurney on a golf cart then off to the chamber. They had been to the BH. They had one bottle of oxygen, lasted one hour on a two hour trip back. She was medivac'd out that night by helicopter and later died. I hope that I never see someone in the bends like that again.

I don't know that case, but from what you say either she had a serious pre-existing medical condition or (more likely) she made a rapid ascent holding her breath and suffered a lung over-expansion injury. It's unlikely to have been anything to do with decompression sickness (the bends), though not of course impossible. Ascending holding your breath is the most dangerous thing you can do when scuba diving.

 

[themagni]

You are nonetheless unlikely to find a steel 120 avalable here.

Heh, more of a cold-water thing, eh? We're already piling on 30+ pounds of ballast; swapping out a heavier tank in exchange for less lead doesn't change much.

I'd say you certainly should have some warm-up dives before going really deep.

If you recall, I said that pretty well every dive shop goes below 130ft but that the individual diver can still stop at 130ft.

Yeah, I can always stop when I'd like, it's just my worry with the dive plan leaves no safety margin, that's really what I'm concerned about more than anything else. I'm letting the OP know that he's not the only one who thinks there's a potential problem.

Most of the diving off Ambergris Caye takes place in the AOW region, between 60ft and 100ft. That's certainly where most of the interest is. And that is the region where nitrox gives the most benefit, greatly extending available bottom time. Nitrox is a classroom course that you could do near home, so you could do it before you come here.

Nitrox runs $400 in town. That's the equivalent of a two-tank dive, a night dive, and a BH trip in Belize. It's on the list of courses I want to take, but instead of upgrading my gear and courses, I'm taking the dive trip.

 

[peterbj7]

I'm letting the OP know that he's not the only one who thinks there's a potential problem

Then you must improve your own diving so you're empowered to make your own diving decisions. Don't rely on DMs or others to make those for you. As I've said several times, you're alone down there, even when there are other people around you.

 

[themagni]

Then you must improve your own diving so you're empowered to make your own diving decisions. Don't rely on DMs or others to make those for you. As I've said several times, you're alone down there, even when there are other people around you.

That's my entire point as well. There's no assistance or equipment there to fix any problems. This dive is significantly deeper than the recreational limits, that's the plan. We're doing that without equipment (or training) designed for that depth, so it's a trust-me / follow-me / you'll-probably-be-fine dive.

I'm asking, "why is this dive safe? It doesn't seem safe to me." My understanding of your response is, "fatalities are rare, it's up to you." I'm clearly missing something here because it looks to me like we're relying on luck and stats to stay safe.

 

[lthomas132]

You are nonetheless unlikely to find a steel 120 avalable here.

I'd say you certainly should have some warm-up dives before going really deep.

If you recall, I said that pretty well every dive shop goes below 130ft but that the individual diver can still stop at 130ft.

Most of the diving off Ambergris Caye takes place in the AOW region, between 60ft and 100ft. That's certainly where most of the interest is. And that is the region where nitrox gives the most benefit, greatly extending available bottom time. Nitrox is a classroom course that you could do near home, so you could do it before you come here.

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I don't know that case, but from what you say either she had a serious pre-existing medical condition or (more likely) she made a rapid ascent holding her breath and suffered a lung over-expansion injury. It's unlikely to have been anything to do with decompression sickness (the bends), though not of course impossible. Ascending holding your breath is the most dangerous thing you can do when scuba diving.

Most of the DM's wouldn't talk about it, but one that seemed to know the situation said that the DM in charge of the group took his attention away from her and next thing he realized she was at 160' and not moving. The DM retrieved her but apparantly too late, too deep. She was not ascending. She was "bent"

 

[Doc]

Most of the DM's wouldn't talk about it, but one that seemed to know the situation said that the DM in charge of the group took his attention away from her and next thing he realized she was at 160' and not moving. The DM retrieved her but apparantly too late, too deep. She was not ascending. She was "bent"

:doctor: Hmm, you bent the rules.

 

[peterbj7]

Most of the DM's wouldn't talk about it, but one that seemed to know the situation said that the DM in charge of the group took his attention away from her and next thing he realized she was at 160' and not moving. The DM retrieved her but apparantly too late, too deep. She was not ascending. She was "bent"

I don't like talking about an actual incident and a real person, especially when it ended in tragedy, but she would not at that stage have been bent. You need to read up on decompression sickness.

 

[lthomas132]

I don't like talking about an actual incident and a real person, especially when it ended in tragedy, but she would not at that stage have been bent. You need to read up on decompression sickness.

I know what I witnessed. If anyone wants the details, PM me. I have been advised not to speak of such things here. Hmmm.........

 

[OCDiver59]

Having dived the BH in July 2011, I would agree that itis not difficult to make this dive safely. A safe dive profile gets you down to130' for a few minutes and then back up with appropriate deco stops (there isno exploring or hanging around at that depth). It is worth noting that there isno current or surge in the BH so it is like floating in space without anysensation as to the actual depth you are at. Obviously, you need to go with agroup and a DM experienced with this dive.

I do not know how many diving fatalities the BH has claimed. Divers AlertNetwork reports that in 2006 15 deaths per 100,000 dives occurred worldwide andI would suspect that deaths at the BH are less than this average.