Wall dive advice - low experience diver

[tlehman]

Hi folks,

I've been certified for nearly five years, but only have managed to get in real water once in that time, a 2 tank morning in Puerto Rico in 2009. I'm going to be in Nassau in a week and plan to do a full day of diving on Saturday. I did a PADI refresher before the dives in 2009 and did a buoyancy / refresher session last week to get back in the groove. I'm comfortable heading into the water.

The first dives in the morning and afternoon in Nassau are wall dives - Stuart Cove. I have read that others here have done these dives. Is there anything in particular that I should be thinking about / keeping in mind for a wall dive? To tell you the truth I keep hearing the term, but I'm not 100% sure exactly what it means. I do know that unlike my other dives, the bottom will be far, far away.

I'm also traveling alone so I'll have to buddy up with someone when I get there. In PR I was paired with the DM since it was my first real dive. There were also only 5 or 6 of us, so it was a pretty manageable group. Any words of wisdom about the process of getting a buddy? If most people are there with another person, there won't be much choice. I've been told that the DM leads the first dive, but does not lead the second one in shallower water (~ 40') around a ship or airplane. In PR the DM led both dives, but perhaps that was because I was along.

BTW, I found in the pool session that without a wetsuit and in pool water, I only needed about 6 pounds of weight. I've read about DMs over weighting divers. Any thoughts on what I'd need with a wet suit in salt water? I can't remember what I used in PR.

Sorry for all the questions! Anyway, suggestions, considerations, general advice would be most appreciated. I'll post back on the experience when i get back.

Cheers

Tom

 

[seaducer]

Walls are pretty aptly named, it is a more or less vertical section of coral or rock, and you drift or swim along it. Some have "hard bottoms" that you can see, others maybe be 1000's of feet below you. Some have bad currents and others not so much. I haven't dove there so I don't know the specifics of where you are going.

Buddy picking, yeah, be honest about yourself and your abilities and don't "trust" someone you don't know. If you think the dive is too much for you, sit it out, you can always come back some other time. In fact you might consider contacting the dive op and seeing if you can hire a DM, you will see more stuff and be in good hands the entire dive.

Most of all have fun and try to avoid those 3 year surface intervals...

 

[WB2GLP]

First off, relax.

I'm not sure if you will be able to do a check-out dive before you go out on a boat, but getting in the water on an easy beach/shore dive with all your gear will put you at ease. Check everything out before you jump on the boat. That's the best way to figure out your weight requirements. Hopefully, there's someone else to buddy up with on a check-out.

Let your crew know ahead of time that you are new and may require a watchful eye and buddy you up with an appripriate diver. There's no shame in being safe.

 

[warmwaterturner]

Don't know the depth that you are talking about - I have never dove there. But, considering the level of concern I am reading from your post. I would strongly suggest a couple of practice sessions first. Then, if I were you I would not chance an insta buddy - I would hire my own DM. They know the location. They have the experience. But - it is up to you to keep you safe.

 

[diver 85]

You're a certified diver-----git wit it.....only a couple bad things can happen....

 

[Sea Lioness]

The most important part of doing a wall dive where "the bottom will be far, far away" is to maintain your buoyancy control. I commend you for taking the buoyancy/refresher session before going diving again after being out of the water for so long.

When you're doing a wall dive, you can use the wall to give you a visual reference regarding ascents and descents, which is nice. Wall dives are often easy sites for navigation, as you can just swim along the wall keeping it on one side of your body for the first part of the dive, and then follow it back keeping it on the other side of your body to return to where you started. (If you're being followed by a dive boat, then you'll likely head in one direction for the whole dive and be picked up where you surface at the end, rather than heading back to your entry point.)

Definitely don't hesitate to tell the DM on the trip that you have limited experience, and let him/her know about any concerns you have. Also, ask the DM if she/he can help you do a weight check before the first dive, rather than just guessing. Then you'll know that you have the right amount of weight before you descend. If you do have the opportunity to do a shore dive first, that would be the best time to do a weight check, but if not, there's no reason you can't do one from the boat.

Have fun!

 

[tlehman]

Thanks for the notes so far. My level of concern is probably sounding like more than it is. I really have no concerns for my own diving abilities. I have a healthy regard for safety issues and would rather learn of a trick or something to watch before the dive rather than after. Hiring a DM is $175 for the morning. I guess the only thing that gives me pause is not knowing who I'll be matched up with. I suppose one option would be to hire a DM for the morning dives. Hadn't considered that. I was planning to stop by the shop the day before anyway. Perhaps they'll have a better idea of the group makeup etc. Anyway, thanks for the input. I'll keep checking for new posts.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

My advice. Don't do it. Too many things can go wrong. As an OW diver your recommended depth limit is 60 ft. When was the last time you were there? I don't know Stewart Cove's at all other than by reputation but I would not dive with any op that would take a new diver with your level of experience on a wall dive. Too many things can go wrong. If you want to know what they are read this thread:http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ering-diving/283566-who-responsible-what.html

I wrote it. It was inspired by an incident in Grand Cayman where a newly certed diver was supposed to under the supervision of a guide.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/283416-diver-death-cayman.html

Find some dives with a hard bottom at less than your recommended limit and hire an instructor or guide. I do not want to ruin your fun. I want to see you enjoy the time in the water and have fun. Your refresher was a good idea but I can probably guarantee you based on you not knowing what weight you will need in salt water did not prep you for a dive where there are likely to be currents, may be upwellings, and downwellings. It would not be fair to put anyone less than a DM or instructor you paid for, in a position as your buddy on a dive like this. Operators have no business taking OW divers to sites where a mistake could result in them dropping below the recommended OW limits unless it;s for a class or with an instructor who is FULLY aware of the diver's skills and ablilities. This hits too close to home for everything that I researched and resulted in the Who is Responsbile thread, my presentation on The Failure of the Buddy System, and my new book. It all came out of events like this. A 58 yr old newly certed OW diver that hit 342 feet before making a 302 ft ascent in less than two minutes changed my outlook and philosophy on diving and dive training forever. He was following a guide and diving in a herd with no real buddy.

 

[tlehman]

My advice. Don't do it. Too many things can go wrong. As an OW diver your recommended depth limit is 60 ft. When was the last time you were there? I don't know Stewart Cove's at all other than by reputation but I would not dive with any op that would take a new diver with your level of experience on a wall dive. Too many things can go wrong. If you want to know what they are read this threadsee previous post for the URL)

I wrote it. It was inspired by an incident in Grand Cayman where a newly certed diver was supposed to under the supervision of a guide.

(see previous post for the URL)

Find some dives with a hard bottom at less than your recommended limit and hire an instructor or guide. I do not want to ruin your fun. I want to see you enjoy the time in the water and have fun. Your refresher was a good idea but I can probably guarantee you based on you not knowing what weight you will need in salt water did not prep you for a dive where there are likely to be currents, may be upwellings, and downwellings. It would not be fair to put anyone less than a DM or instructor you paid for, in a position as your buddy on a dive like this. Operators have no business taking OW divers to sites where a mistake could result in them dropping below the recommended OW limits unless it;s for a class or with an instructor who is FULLY aware of the diver's skills and ablilities. This hits too close to home for everything that I researched and resulted in the Who is Responsbile thread, my presentation on The Failure of the Buddy System, and my new book. It all came out of events like this. A 58 yr old newly certed OW diver that hit 342 feet before making a 302 ft ascent in less than two minutes changed my outlook and philosophy on diving and dive training forever. He was following a guide and diving in a herd with no real buddy.

Wow, that's enough to give anyone pause. Thanks for sharing it. I've got a week to think about it. Here's how they describe this dive.

"Your first dive is always a beautiful wall. On average our walls begin at 40 feet, although some are deeper. Each dive site along the wall is different and unique in its own way. The wall is wonderful for both new and advanced divers. Your divemaster leads the dives to 80 feet for 30 minutes, however we are flexible around this as you and your buddies may prefer to stay up on the shallower ledge while others may plan their dive a bit deeper."​

Anything there change (or reinforce) your thinking?

Thanks again.

Tom

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Nope. Still a bottom below your recommended limits. Unless a dedicated Dm or Instructor is assigned to you it is not a good idea. Lots of "we do this all the time" or "trust me" dives have scared the crap out of people or at worst killed them. It says nothing about needing an AOW or documented dives below OW limits to do this. Just follow our DM. WOuld you even have enough air to do 80 ft for 30 minutes? You'd need to know your SAC rate to determine that. What if you burn through your air and are at 750 psi 20 minutes into the dive? Is the DM going to bring the whole group up or just send you and your buddy up? What if your buddy does not want to go up? You ok with surfacing alone? Again a few shallow dives with a hard bottom less than 60 ft is what I'd require you to do if I was leading the dives. In fact I'd make you do a skills eval in shallow water, make sure you knew how to set your weights, and then checked out your buddy skills. I would not consider taking a new diver I did not know on any wall or frankly any dive without checking them out first. Especially with so little actual experience.