Tech Friendly Keys Dive Ops...

[Johnoly]

...... I will also let you back in if your trip leader agrees that they will be responsible for your life if you choose not to learn gas management skills.....

Very nice dive release addendum,,signed of course. I'd guess I see about a dozen times a year, divers coming up with an empty tank. Their number one question is if they will have to pay for a VIP.
{sorry for the hijack Pete}

 

[WarrenZ]

A appreciate a dive op that has a plan for emergencies and have no problem giving you a max depth and time after a dive especially since that is part of your emergency preplanning. I also agree on the running out of air sit down/out of dives in fact after my one "rescue" of an ooa diver my first reaction was after the are you OK was you are not diving with me again and it is up to the captain to find you another buddy to be responsible for you. So I don't see any unreasonable requirements at all.

 

[BohicaJones]

I'm a little late to this party but since when did Rainbow Reef do tech charters? Jim Wyatt's great and all but a tech shop is more than one person.

The Spree is a live aboard...The most awesome liveaboard in all the Florida Keys but none the less that's not gonna help me on my day trip to Vandy.

Silent World & Horizon Divers are the only two "Tech Shops" on that list. They blend mix, do double dips on the wrecks allowing for mixed (tech & rec) boats, most of their staff are experienced tech divers. Their captains & crew have experience hot dropping divers and following long drift decos. They have plates, wings, doubles, deco bottles, and DIN regulators on hand to rent.

I've dove with the guys & gals from RR. If you want a trip to Molasses Reef on the cheap head right over. But a tech diver's shop they are not! Ocean Divers was the same way six months ago when Jim was working with them. I love diving Key Largo wrecks but I don't think you'll see me taking a hot drop and drift deco onto the Northern Light with Rainbow anytime soon.

 

[The Chairman]

I'll be on the Rainbow Reef trip out to the Northern Lights tomorrow... just as a bubble watcher. Shooting some top side video of the trip.

 

[BohicaJones]

I'll be on the Rainbow Reef trip out to the Northern Lights tomorrow... just as a bubble watcher. Shooting some top side video of the trip.

So do you tech dive with Rainbow Reef?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I think common sense has to apply john. For instance, Frank doesn't allow doubles on his tec trips...I know of very few people that do planned deco in that setup. However if on one of his rec trips there is a diver that was hanging beneath the boat for 20minutes, I'm sure an eyebrow may be raised. The point is that the rules are there for a reason. If crew were to get in the water with that diver to see what is going on would they find a diver just checking out the fish but not in deco? If so...cool. But if they find a guy that has been there for 20 minutes and still hasn't cleared the computer...that's a problem. The diver is either cavalier and oblivious to safety, or deliberately planned 30 minutes of backgas deco on a recreational trip that clearly states that all divers shall stay within no deco limitations. Either way I'm sure Frank would be less than happy about it.

Say what?

 

[Wookie]

Say what?

We don't allow doubles on rec trips. We prefer rebreathers on trimix trips, but as I still don't have one, we do cater to doubles divers.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

We don't allow doubles on rec trips. We prefer rebreathers on trimix trips, but as I still don't have one, we do cater to doubles divers.

Ahhhh ... so it was a typo. Is the "no doubles on rec trips" a safety or space issue? I'm asking because I'm one of those dinosaurs who prefers doubles for just about all of my diving, but I am occasionally seen in a single.

On the tech charters up here in the Great Lakes, we're also obviously seeing more and more rebreathers, but there are still a good percentage of us in doubles with deco bottles. On some trips the doubles divers are still the majority. That probably won't be the case in another 2-3 years even up here.

 

[Wookie]

Space issue, not a gas issue. No reason you can't dive a 120 and a 40 sidebar. The 120 in the tank rack, and the 40 is small enough to fit under your bench.

 

[pickens_46929]

Ok, my turn to go "say what?!?"

You're saying you're seeing more rebreathers around here Jim?

Ok, I've obviously not been out in a while