Was I completely insane? (Blue Hole as first dive)

[Sue Sue]

Ukalliq,
The Dive op..should have said NO. The DM's...should have said NO. And your fellow divers....should have said NO for you and your friend to go on this particular dive for your first time. BUT..., ultimately it is YOU who should have said NO, all easier said than done in some cases.

OK..overall, it is understood that your dive in the Blue Hole should really not have been your first....fortunately and thankfully, all is well. However, I commend you for posting your question and wanting to learn from an error in judgment. We have all had them and recognizing the fact and learning from it is something very positive. One of the best things from all of this is,one, you and your friend are OK. Also, that you, your friend and everyone reading this can learn and/or review the fact that in diving, we need to try to think things through as they apply to us and then make the best decision we can .

You asked, "What can be done to prevent ignorant newbies like me from doing things like this?" Of course, the only way we gain diving experience is by diving and also perhaps taking more in depth classes. Overall however, I would say before future dives, give logic the upper-hand while determining if what you are about to do is a risk or a challenge. If your logic tells you the dive plan is risky then the best bet is to stop and choose a path that will challenge your skills safely. Try not to rush things. The number one cause of diving accidents is poor judgment.

The best words of advice I have ever had in diving come from my Cozumel divemaster, Pedro Pablo from Blue XT Sea Diving. "Take it very very slow".... I have heard him say that over and over for the past nine years and it is something I tell myself before getting into the water before every dive. I respect Pedro immensely. Not only for his awesome skills as a divemaster, but for the fact that even after 10,000 +++ dives, diving practically every day, he still takes things slow and gives each and every dive the upmost consideration with safety as the main goal.

I thank you for posting and sharing your experience. Your input and the opinions and positive recommendations from others is wisdom gained. Wishing you best ! Happy Diving !

Sue

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

This wasn't a PADI course then?

....

130ft is the absolute limit for recreational diving. I don't think anyone would say that going to that absolute limit on your first non-training dive would be a good idea. It certainly doesn't represent any form of progressive development or conservative mindset.

Not saying 130' on 1st dive after certification is acceptable but...

Does every recreational training agency state that 130' (or 40m which is ~131.2') is "the absolute limit for recreational diving"

 

[Tortuga68]

Is that 'don't know' smiley part of your signature?

 

[Karibelle]

Never take advice from those who seek to profit from your potentially bad or incorrect decision.

Great point.

 

[DevonDiver]

Not saying 130' on 1st dive after certification is acceptable but...

Does every recreational training agency state that 130' (or 40m which is ~131.2') is "the absolute limit for recreational diving"

No... just those agencies that define recreational diving as 'no-stop/no-deco'.

The BSAC 88 tables go to 50m, allowing a very short amount of (non-accelerated) deco. However, the only divers recommended to dive to that limit of the tables are trained to a level (BSAC Adv and 1st Class divers) that exceeds any recreational training level offered by the majority of rec scuba agencies.

To do equivalent dives with PADI or SSI, you would have to complete a tech diving program.

 

[dive brat]

I too did a "stupid" dive as a very inexperienced diver (as part of my AOW cert!). I too was lucky that we arrived back on land safely.

I think it is an important lesson that as a certified diver, you and only you and your buddy, are responsible for your safety. As the others have pointed out, there are a wide range of DMs and instructors out there and you cannot just have blind faith.

Lessons learned and you are safe...

Don't know the best way to ensure future divers understand this without having a dangerous experience to teach them this lesson?!?

d.b.

 

[fjpatrum]

Never take advice from those who seek to profit from your potentially bad or incorrect decision.

Shortly after my OW class/pool, I went on trip, finished my cert 1st day, and was put on a boat with other divers. Same divers, same captain and same DM all week. Towards the end of the week my boat did a wreck dive at 100'. My DM knew my cert level since I finished my cert at the resort. I told him that I was going to sit out the first dive and make the second dive on the way back to the resort. He told me that even though I was a beginner, I was better than several others on the boat with my BC, didn’t run out of air early like a lot of newbies, and that he thought I was fine to go on this dive as I seemed really natural in the water….which is true. All my education and dives went great and all my instructors made comments to that point until I was actually tired of hearing the praise. My DM told me as long as I was comfortable diving to such depth that he was fine with me making the dive and my buddy and I could stay close to him. He also pointed out that my buddy that I was paired with at the resort was by far the strongest diver on the boat. I made the dive flawlessly but in hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made.

This is one of those instances where I think it probably was a good decision. You didn't do a "trust me" dive, you considered the dive carefully and chose to do it. You based your decision on the information you had at the time and knowledge of your own skills and of the skills of those you'd be with during the dive. It's exactly how it should be done. Perhaps it might have been "early" for you, but from your description it was done properly.

 

[NoDiver]

EDIT: I know this forum discourages inflammatory posts but I just feel that this needs to be said...feel free to delete it, Mods.


I think what you did was extremely irresponsible.

You placed yourself in harm's way (given that you had neither the training or the experience at that depth), believing that because there were DMs with, you would be OK. What if an extraordinary situation had presented itself i.e. another diver had a serious medical problem and the DMs had to occupy themselves with that diver.

You had neither the skills or training to be left to your own devices at that depth.

Extremely irresponsible and selfish IMHO.

I sincerely hope you never try this sort of stunt again. For everybody's sake.

 

[Puffer Fish]

This weekend we had an newly certified open water diver with a resting SAC rate of 1.4 cfm, I have no idea what it would be when excited...taking some time to get to 130 ft, and that person would only have minutes before they ran out and if they go to any other diver to get air, we now will have two people out of air shortly.

Besides the obvious training issues, I would suggest that anyone who is trained, would not make that dive with an AL80, rental gear and complete strangers.

I've seen people so narced at 100 ft that they scared me, and while rare, would also not like to find that issue out on my first few dives.

Today, I would hope that any trained and competent diver, who was offered that dive, would turn it down, not because of the training, but because of the gear and the others involved.

Note: I don't make 130 ft dives with total strangers in rental gear, but that may be just me.

 

[SoccerJeni]

As an instructor it is difficult to "turn off" your eyes and stop watching all of the new divers who are, at that site, an accident waiting to happen....

And after that, how does one relax? How does one enjoy the dive knowing that now there are 2 DMs left with the group, and eight other divers who could turn into a gong show at any moment?

I've experienced a dive like that even as a newby and it's not very much fun at all. It probably didn't help that I don't have training on how to help someone in trouble. But, I can completely understand how that was no fun.

OP, I have only 15 dives right now. I went to 90 feet on my 9th dive, and had a DM as my buddy. I was a little intimidated at that depth and it may have been beyond my level too. I think 130 is pretty far for a new diver on their first dive. I'm glad everything ended up okay for you guys.