What should be expected when purchasing a guided dive trip?

[Tournesol2000]

You're most welcome. Somewhat related and important....Having a rushed surface interval, and overall rushed experience can lead to disaster. Divers hurrying in and out of the water means things can be forgotten that affect safety (life and death!) and will result in liability and legal issues, even if forms are signed. Think of all the things that can go wrong if novice divers aren't doing their checks or haven't gotten in the groove of diving, or if someone who is susceptible to DCS does get bent because of such short intervals. It sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen so if you can point that out to your employers, that should already make them re-think the program. Something like this can pave the way for disaster to happen because people are rushed or get the sense that they are being rushed. Diving should be a methodical, un-rushed process...the actual dive itself, getting ready, breaking down, reflecting on what the group did that worked well and what could be improved upon to prevent diver issues from arising underwater, separation, etc. The list is very long here!

I agree %1,000!

 

[Marie13]

$110-$130 is what I pay locally for a 2 tank dive on Lake Michigan, cost dependent on how far the wrecks are off shore. Usually no DM in the water. Captain/crew willing to help with whatever needed. Depths to about 90ft or so for the $130 charter. Otherwise, briefing on wreck, you go down the line, do your thing, etc. Don't remember ever being told anything about a time limit. Divers with single tanks and maybe a pony on the charters I've done.

Being kept to a depth limit and being led around by the nose for the same price? Heck, no!

 

[drl]

Forty minute shallow guided dives would be just the ticket for new divers, many of whom go through air pretty quickly. But a 15 minute surface interval is dangerously brief (and those same new divers might not realize it). A lot of dive computers would give you very little bottom time for the second dive even given the shallow depth.
And the price quoted seems excessive for the service provided. I can’t see it flying unless there is no competition in the market.
Just my 2psi.

 

[Edward3c]

I was in Cozumel earlier this year and if the operator had tried to limit me dives I would have found another operator. Still Thailand, Ko Lipe last month was half the price with all dives greater than 60 minutes.

 

[boulderjohn]

Forty minute shallow guided dives would be just the ticket for new divers, many of whom go through air pretty quickly. But a 15 minute surface interval is dangerously brief (and those same new divers might not realize it). A lot of dive computers would give you very little bottom time for the second dive even given the shallow depth.

If a diver uses the PADI tables, after a 40 minute dive to 40 feet and a 15 minute surface interval, he or she would be allowed 105 minutes for the second dive to 40 feet. Different dive computers have different algorithms, but I am pretty sure all of them would allow at least 40 minutes on that dive, especially since the dives will not be square profiles to exactly 40 feet, as the dive tables do it.

 

[boulderjohn]

If a diver uses the PADI tables, after a 40 minute dive to 40 feet and a 15 minute surface interval, he or she would be allowed 105 minutes for the second dive to 40 feet. Different dive computers have different algorithms, but I am pretty sure all of them would allow at least 40 minutes on that dive, especially since the dives will not be square profiles to exactly 40 feet, as the dive tables do it.

Let's say a diver finished a 40 foot dive for 40 minutes, reached the surface with plenty of air and then said, "Screw it! I'm going back down!" In that case, the diver would be limited to 100 minutes using the PADI tables.

 

[dmaziuk]

It's a 30-40 minute boat ride.

Well, an hour to get there and splash, an hour in the water, an hour SI, another hour in the water, and an hour to get back: if you leave at 8 you should be back at the dock for lunch. One hour for lunch and you'll have time for only a single-tank trip before dark, do they run two-tank trips in the afternoon too?

If a diver uses the PADI tables, after a 40 minute dive to 40 feet and a 15 minute surface interval, he or she would be allowed 105 minutes for the second dive to 40 feet. Different dive computers have different algorithms, but I am pretty sure all of them would allow at least 40 minutes on that dive, especially since the dives will not be square profiles to exactly 40 feet, as the dive tables do it.

Your reasoning works for a single day of diving. For a full week of diving I would go where they do 40 min+ SIs.

(Anecdotally, at least) "RGBM" ones are programmed for that and will penalize you for short SIs. Not sure how much, after a 40' dive, but still: computers are dumb, if they're programmed to do somehting they will do it.

 

[boulderjohn]

Your reasoning works for a single day of diving. For a full week of diving I would go where they do 40 min+ SIs.

What's the difference?

 

[dmaziuk]

What's the difference?

Like I said, anecdotally: I haven't tried pushing mine and nobody's seen the code -- they get progressively more conservative after the first couple of days. It's a subject of perpetual wailing, about suuntos in particular, on the computers forum. Apparently short SIs is one of the known ways to make their computed NDLs radically shorter than ZHL (and of course DSAT) as early as day 3.

Edit: this is about computers. As for me the diver, we don't normally do 40' 40 minutes dives, and the usual schedule is 3 a day, so I do want to give my tissues a longer SI. Just to be on the safe side.

If I were going for a single day with only 2 40-40 dives, I wouldn't see a problem with short SI either.

 

[Steve_C]

On the reef dives I have done in the Keys: They run two trips a day. Each trip is a two tank trip. For each dive the request is that you are back in an hour with at least 500 psi. They provide air and weights and price is around 80-90 dollars per two tank trip. They have no problem getting in two two tank trips. Perhaps your run to the reef is longer? On a reef I find an hour is fine. 40 minutes is short.