Weekful of OOA in Coz.

[boulderjohn]

That's what we were told. That we would be going to the cathedral. Shortly afterwards we were at Devil's Throat. I don't know if the DM missed the drop, or what. They weren't very far.

I'm not here to name names. They are a very respected op on this board though. If you really want to know, PM me. I'm not posting it publicly.

The cathedral is not a typical swim through. It is a very large room. If you did not find yourself in a very large room, then you were not in the cathedral.

The Devil's Throat enters at about 95 feet and then drops straight down, like going into a well. You exit through a fairly large opening, so it could be anywhere from 120-130 when you exit, depending upon how close you stay the the ceiling.

The Devil's Throat formation is extremely complex, though. It is honeycombed with swim throughs. Many operators will just do the throat part of it, and divers don't even know the rest of it exists. I have been on a couple of dives there, however, in which we spent all of our bottom time (on steel 120s) weaving our way through the different swim through options there. It is possible that your operator did one of the other swim throughs near Devil's Throat and then took you through the throat.

Either way, it does not sound as if your group was really prepared for this dive.

 

[midwayman]

The cathedral is not a typical swim through. It is a very large room. If you did not find yourself in a very large room, then you were not in the cathedral.

The Devil's Throat enters at about 95 feet and then drops straight down, like going into a well. You exit through a fairly large opening, so it could be anywhere from 120-130 when you exit, depending upon how close you stay the the ceiling.

The Devil's Throat formation is extremely complex, though. It is honeycombed with swim throughs. Many operators will just do the throat part of it, and divers don't even know the rest of it exists. I have been on a couple of dives there, however, in which we spent all of our bottom time (on steel 120s) weaving our way through the different swim through options there. It is possible that your operator did one of the other swim throughs near Devil's Throat and then took you through the throat.

Either way, it does not sound as if your group was really prepared for this dive.

From the videos I looked up online we were at devils throat. 90-120' narrow tube pretty much straight down. I don't think we made it to cathedral. I was expecting the large room like you said, and was sort of disappointed to find what we were shown to be pretty much like all the swim throughs up and down Palancar.

You're right. This group had no business being there. Not enough planning, not enough real self-assessment of skills. We were lucky something worse didn't happen. Even though it was quick up and down it was close on gas on an AL80, and close on the NDL even on a computer. It didn't help that the DM talked the whole thing up as "easy" etc. I'm not happy about being taken to devil's throat despite explicitly being told we didn't want to go there.

 

[boulderjohn]

From the videos I looked up online we were at devils throat. 90-120' narrow tube pretty much straight down. I don't think we made it to cathedral. I was expecting the large room like you said, and was sort of disappointed to find what we were shown to be pretty much like all the swim throughs up and down Palancar.

You're right. This group had no business being there. Not enough planning, not enough real self-assessment of skills. We were lucky something worse didn't happen. Even though it was quick up and down it was close on gas on an AL80, and close on the NDL even on a computer. It didn't help that the DM talked the whole thing up as "easy" etc. I'm not happy about being taken to devil's throat despite explicitly being told we didn't want to go there.

Were you told you did the Cathedral and Devil's Throat?

If so, then I really think the name of the operator is in order.

Some operators don't like to do the Devil's Throat, or they charge extra for it, because it is so much farther south than most of the other dive sites and takes longer to get there. This disrupts their schedule. The Cathedral is even farther south, and it disrupts their schedule even more.

 

[midwayman]

Were you told you did the Cathedral and Devil's Throat?

If so, then I really think the name of the operator is in order.

Some operators don't like to do the Devil's Throat, or they charge extra for it, because it is so much farther south than most of the other dive sites and takes longer to get there. This disrupts their schedule. The Cathedral is even farther south, and it disrupts their schedule even more.

We weren't told we went to both. Just an assumption on my part since we *asked* to goto cathedral and not devil's throat. From what you have been telling me, we just got taken to the wrong spot.

 

[mikeyjoe]

Shortly after that, one of the guys goes OOA and has to buddy breathe with the divemaster on the way to the surface.

Am I understanding correctly that when you say "buddy breathing" you mean they were sharing one reg, passing it back and forth, rather than having the diver breath from the DM's octo? If so, my point would be every diver should have a working octo - for a working DM to lead a group of divers and not have one is sub-standard.

 

[diver 85]

OP, what dive shop were you diving with??.....We made DT's one year(max was 150' that time) as a 1 hr 10 minute dive....

 

[diver 85]

Am I understanding correctly that when you say "buddy breathing" you mean they were sharing one reg, passing it back and forth, rather than having the diver breath from the DM's octo? If so, my point would be every diver should have a working octo - for a working DM to lead a group of divers and not have one is sub-standard.

I'm gunna guess no---was using the 'new' lol BB way...

 

[midwayman]

Am I understanding correctly that when you say "buddy breathing" you mean they were sharing one reg, passing it back and forth, rather than having the diver breath from the DM's octo? If so, my point would be every diver should have a working octo - for a working DM to lead a group of divers and not have one is sub-standard.

Oops. My mistake. He was using the octo.

 

[mikeyjoe]

Oops. My mistake. He was using the octo.

Well that's good.

I dove with just me and a DM once, while my wife was finishing her Open Water Cert dives with her instructor, and mid-dive I looked over at the DM and he had no octo...... - it happens

 

[openmindOW]

. . . several of us were uncomfortable with devil throat. We get in and have to go down super quick, and I'm having trouble clearing that fast. Eventually we get down and through the Cathedral, and our divemaster decides to take us through the devil's throat anyways.

I don't want to judge. I wasn't there.

How many divers uncomfortable with Devil's Throut?

Did they discuss that amongst themselves prior to the dive? If so, did they express that concern tothe DM before theh dive?

... he had a panic attack down there at 120...

120 is deep. Was this a training dive for any of the divers?