"Swim-through" okay for open water divers?

[Jcp2]

Even open water dives can have overhead hazards...

Divers caught in sperm whale's giant underwater poo cloud

Photographer Keri Wilk was in the water when a whale released an unusually large bowel movement.

www.bbc.com

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Even open water dives can have overhead hazards...

Divers caught in sperm whale's giant underwater poo cloud

Photographer Keri Wilk was in the water when a whale released an unusually large bowel movement.

www.bbc.com

That's just a crappy dive day.

 

[rx7diver]

Deleted by rx7diver.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

So yesterday I was doing a reef dive at Playa Coral near Varadero, Cuba. The guide signalled us to go through a swim through, but it wasn't. A big crack in a coral/rock reef with no gap big enough to reach the surface. We swam in maybe 50 meters before we had to turn around which was tight with 4 of us.

While everyone was fairly experienced, this should have been briefed. I could easily see things going bad in there.

 

[jadairiii]

Thanks!

......but the appropriate certification does not exist.

No, it does, but generally, its the agencies and instructors that dont exist.

 

[boulderjohn]

No, it does, but generally, its the agencies and instructors that dont exist.

...and what is the name of the certification that exists without agencies and instructors?

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Swim-through certification?

It's offered by a new agency: Academie Sub-Surface.

The crevice and swim-through cert is called simply "CRACK"; I think their full cave cert is called "HOLE".

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Is the Duane an ok swim though? What about the Okinawa? That airplane in the quarry? The school bus?

I have seen school buses and planes in quarries that looked like swim thrus until someone got hung up on a strut hanging down that was covered in algae and completely camouflaged as a hazard.
And that bus with the seats seems to get more and more narrow trying to get through it in backmount when you get to the windshield.
Those corridors on the Duane and Spiegel also look inviting until the excited AOW diver gets halfway through and sees that they are down to 1000 PSI after fighting the current on the downline.
My students were always taught that no more than a body length and big enough for a buddy team swimming abreast MIGHT be ok. Until someone had a problem. And went to go straight up and cracked their head on the ceiling.
A swim through in Lake Erie at 110 ft that I had been through several times years before didn't look any different. Until I got 3/4 of the way in and was suddenly stuck. 40 degree water, camera rig with strobe arms, LP95 filled to 3500 PSI and a 40 of 32%. Guage is showing I still have 2400 PSI. Stop, breathe, think, take another breath, act. Back up slowly, 2 ft, 6 ft, 10ft. Luckily my non silting kicks going in were exceptional that day. Back up another bodylength. Look to the right. Nope. too close to the center vertical supports. Look to the left. Yep, that'll do. Slowly turn 90 degrees. Ok. Look left. Still clear. Turn another 90 degrees and swim out. Up 5 ft onto the deck. Hover over the deck. Assess. Unscrew the cover on the deco reg. Shake out the mud that was now filling it.
Continue over the deck to the down line and arrive at the ascent line with a minute to spare.
All for a "short" swim thru.
One thing I was most glad of? That I was on a boat with 15 other divers but diving solo. So I did not have to deal with a buddy behind me when that happened.

 

[jadairiii]

...and what is the name of the certification that exists without agencies and instructors?

Really? You know the point I'm making. Agencies could care less about turning out qualified divers and the majority of the scuba instructors out there shouldn't be allowed to use sharp objects.

Disagree? Go diving off a cattle boat in Key Largo or Ft Lauderdale.

 

[mcohen1021]

When I was an AoW student, I went to a scuba park that had a large drainage tube built to simulate a deep dive / swim through. Visibility was about 1 ft. after that Caribbean swim throughs were zero challenge.

That being said, all sites are different and if you're the last diver in your group going through a deep swim through like devils throat, you better know what you're doing bc you can EASILY run out of NDL time.