What size Tanks? Bottom Time Control?

[RoadWarrior]

First trip to Cozumel. Looking at dive centers on-line I see references to "most bottom time," "largest tanks on the island" and etc.

Do dive ops use 80cf or 100cf tanks? How do they control bottom time? For example, "everyone comes up when the first diver reaches 700psi or when 35 minutes elaspes?

Is it correct to assume that when drift diving it's more important for everyone to surface at ther same time?

As an aside - does anyone carry a safety sausage when diving Cozumel?

My air consumption is a bit better than average I would say while my wife could stay down about 5 hours.

 

[alcina]

I have only dived Coz once.

I ALWAYS carry a safety sausage - it's a non-negotiable part of my kit.

Our dive leaders had a dive plan for the group and also had a plan for those who were better on air. Discuss it with your crew each day. Our divers didn't all come up together on some sites and this was planned and outlined before we dropped in.

I think most operators use the same size tanks - one of the problems I ran into was that I couldn't get a small tank...I hate those big ones!

 

[ggunn]

First trip to Cozumel. Looking at dive centers on-line I see references to "most bottom time," "largest tanks on the island" and etc.

Do dive ops use 80cf or 100cf tanks? How do they control bottom time? For example, "everyone comes up when the first diver reaches 700psi or when 35 minutes elaspes?

Is it correct to assume that when drift diving it's more important for everyone to surface at ther same time?

As an aside - does anyone carry a safety sausage when diving Cozumel?

My air consumption is a bit better than average I would say while my wife could stay down about 5 hours.

Most ops use Al 80's. Some use steel 100's or 120's, but they charge a lot for them. It's not worth it for me, but YMMV.

The smaller boats usually have a policy of sending up buddy pairs as they run low on air and letting the rest keep diving. The larger boats (cattle boats as they are sometimes referred to) will be more conservative and may bring the whole group up when someone gets LOA.

It's not a big deal if folks surface separately. The viz is so good there that you can usually see the boats from depth, and each other, too, even if some have surfaced, some are at the safety stop, and some are still diving. The current pulls everybody along at nearly the same rate.

The DM's generally carry sausages and hang at the safety stop until all their charges have surfaced, and as divers ascend to the safety stop they congregate around him/her. Boat traffic can be heavy at some sites; I do a corkscrew ascent from the safety stop with several 360 degree surveys before I break the surface. Listen for engines.

If you shore dive there, I would definitely recommend carrying a safety sausage.

 

[alcina]

The DM's generally carry sausages and hang at the safety stop until all their charges have surfaced, and as divers ascend to the safety stop they congregate around him/her. Boat traffic can be heavy at some sites; I do a corkscrew ascent from the safety stop with several 360 degree surveys before I break the surface. Listen for engines.
If you shore dive there, I would definitely recommend carrying a safety sausage.

Good advice on the ascent & I would add in big bold letters:
Do not rely on someone else to take care of you.

Invest in your own safety sausage and other important gear. You may not always ascend with the DM for whatever reason.

 

[5615mike]

Good advice on the ascent & I would add in big bold letters:
Do not rely on someone else to take care of you.

Invest in your own safety sausage and other important gear. You may not always ascend with the DM for whatever reason.

Here here. DM are not baby sitters. They are guides. IMO you never rely on anyone other than yourself and your dive buddy. There are way too many stories about DM doing stupid things with divers and the divers blindly following. Always remember, you are the one ultimately responsible for your actions.

Have a great trip.

 

[ggunn]

Here here. DM are not baby sitters. They are guides. IMO you never rely on anyone other than yourself and your dive buddy. There are way too many stories about DM doing stupid things with divers and the divers blindly following. Always remember, you are the one ultimately responsible for your actions.

Have a great trip.

Agreed absolutely. Five or so years ago, four of us went out on a second dive with a DM who was really pushing the limits. My wife and I were watching our N2 loading on our computers and the other couple, who also had computers, weren't. We hung back and considerably above the three of them, and we came up in the yellow. The other couple missed a deco stop and both their computers went into "flash" mode.

 

[loudives]

Check out www.bottomtimedivers.net Raul Platas is owner/operator with small fast boat, 6 divers max. He is excellent at going slow so he can find all the little things many divers miss. AL 80s and bottom times over 60min most of the time. He will have heavy breathers go shallow and do safety stops above the rest of the group. He will send up the sausage and have them stay close to it. I've been down with Raul for as much as 20 min longer than other divers in the group, he just keeps the sausage up and the boat follows. Some of the big operaters will do 35-40 min bottom times and thats not good if you still have 2000 psi. Raul will let you do your computer and 700psi to the safety stop.
Lou

Ps the island is having internet problems so e-mail may be slow or down for a couple of days. Its an on going thing. I had trouble getting through to my hotel in Feb also.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

I have been diving with Aldora for years. They use steel 120's and dive times are always over an hour. My record dive with them was 85 minutes and I came up with over 700 psi. The group comes up together so you are still at the mercy of the heaviest breather. The DMs all have an extra long reg for assisting the true air hog in the group. For the record I always carry my own saftey sausage. For the price it is cheap insurance against the heavy boat traffic in Coz. I just purchased a line reel with 150 feet of line for a trip to Palau but it is now a part of my dive kit with the sausage.