Cozumel-Diver lost

[diver 85]

I hope this is wrong, I have read that the operator was Studio Blue!.

Never heard of them.......Oh well,............good luck to all, keep us informed.....

 

[Crush (Virginia USA)]

I just got back from drift diving San Francisco. Beautiful experience and my best dive ever. We also had a 40ish Japanese national with us (group of 5 from a cruise boat). The dive master (pedro) had to hand hold her the whole time. She actually surfaced half way through the 45 minute dive. No rest stop or anything from 90 feet. The DM sent up a float and the boat picked her up.

My question is is it normal for the DM to continue diving or should he have kept on swimming like he did? She did the same thing on the second tank as well. Both times the right boat (Lucienda) picked her up. Another dive group the day before in Grand Cayman had the same problem with a guy from England who ran through 3500 psi in 15 minutes and we all had to ascend with him.

 

[Crush (Virginia USA)]

I should clarify that San Francisco is the dive spot in Cozumel. The second was Paradise Point.

 

[diver 85]

I just got back from drift diving San Francisco. Beautiful experience and my best dive ever. We also had a 40ish Japanese national with us (group of 5 from a cruise boat). The dive master (pedro) had to hand hold her the whole time. She actually surfaced half way through the 45 minute dive. No rest stop or anything from 90 feet. The DM sent up a float and the boat picked her up.

My question is is it normal for the DM to continue diving or should he have kept on swimming like he did? She did the same thing on the second tank as well. Both times the right boat (Lucienda) picked her up. Another dive group the day before in Grand Cayman had the same problem with a guy from England who ran through 3500 psi in 15 minutes and we all had to ascend with him.

Kinda what you're trying to describe URKS me to death....ie....the diver(woman in this case) is supposed to be a certified diver, @ least I'm assuming she was, ---if so, this isn't hands holding time....She should have been left on the boat OR taken up to the surface very early in the dive, period........and-----, sounds like the guy from England owes your dive group in CI some moola--- IMO, the price you pay for diving with cruise ship people........but, that's just me maybe.........

 

[olyvtx]

I hope this is wrong, I have read that the operator was Studio Blue!.

Where did u read this? It would help us all if people posted references...otherwise it's just "hearsay" on a board that has a TON of "hearsay" and "speculation"

 

[Hillmorton Scubie]

This from DocVinkingo
Diver lost at Garganta del Diablo last weekend.+=

 

[olyvtx]

Diver lost at Garganta del Diablo last weekend..

not a lot of details or facts in that thread....

 

[pilot fish]

Can we get back on topic and try to find out about this missing diver?

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Thanks pilot fish - thread split - discussion of Cozumel Dive Masters moved here.
RM

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[Ayisha]

I'd just like to say that I've done Devil's Throat and it's a very advanced dive, at least it was before the hurricanes. I've heard it split open in some places after the hurricane, but I don't know. The last that I did Devil's Throat in 2004, it had a swift current, requiring a quick drop to 80 feet to hit the entrance to the tunnel - no going back. You then follow through the medium passageway tunnel twisting, turning, sometimes up, sometimes down, exiting at 120 feet with apparently a 1200 foot bottom - essentially bottomless.

I went with our local dive group and minimum Advanced certification, excellent buoyancy, excellent horizontal trim and excellent gas consumption were a requirement of the dive shop to do this dive. It was by invitation only. I hope that all people taken on that dive have the prerequisite skills and experience to carry it out safely. If anyone had a problem in there, time at that depth and mobility in the tunnel would be limited - most people use single tanks with no redundancy - I'd think twice now. There were a couple of points where I was confused as to which direction to go because the diver in front of me was long gone around a corner, but I chose the bigger side of the fork in the tunnel or just guessed, and I always caught up. I tried to speed up a little after that to not fall behind or lead the divers behind me the wrong way.

When I went to Cozumel in 2003 and 2004, I heard that there had been several deaths/accidents in/around Devil's Throat, and that's why the requirements were so stringent. The following year, Devil's Throat was not being offered by the LDS. Hopefully, all divers allowed to do it have the skills and experience to do it.

However, I have not done Devil's Throat since the hurricane(s) changed it, so I don't know if it is still as challenging as it once was.

 

[diver 85]

I'd just like to say that I've done Devil's Throat and it's a very advanced dive, at least it was before the hurricanes. I've heard it split open in some places after the hurricane, but I don't know. The last that I did Devil's Throat in 2004, it had a swift current, requiring a quick drop to 80 feet to hit the entrance to the tunnel - no going back. You then follow through the medium passageway tunnel twisting, turning, sometimes up, sometimes down, exiting at 120 feet with apparently a 1200 foot bottom - essentially bottomless.

I went with our local dive group and minimum Advanced certification, excellent buoyancy, excellent horizontal trim and excellent gas consumption were a requirement of the dive shop to do this dive. It was by invitation only. I hope that all people taken on that dive have the prerequisite skills and experience to carry it out safely. If anyone had a problem in there, time at that depth and mobility in the tunnel would be limited - most people use single tanks with no redundancy - I'd think twice now. There were a couple of points where I was confused as to which direction to go because the diver in front of me was long gone around a corner, but I chose the bigger side of the fork in the tunnel or just guessed, and I always caught up. I tried to speed up a little after that to not fall behind or lead the divers behind me the wrong way.

When I went to Cozumel in 2003 and 2004, I heard that there had been several deaths/accidents in/around Devil's Throat, and that's why the requirements were so stringent. The following year, Devil's Throat was not being offered by the LDS. Hopefully, all divers allowed to do it have the skills and experience to do it.

However, I have not done Devil's Throat since the hurricane(s) changed it, so I don't know if it is still as challenging as it once was.

That is what I thought but possibly not true anymore ie the last time we dove it about Nov. 15, '07, one of the divers was making his 5th or 6th ocean dive(had gotten certified the week before on the mainland on a few cenote dives)......

Here's some(4 short) videos of the dive, guess which one is/was a brand new diver......Work your way backwards (ie page 3 then page 2--- DT's beginning, 2, 3, then 4))for the correct order for the dive........

GEAUXtiger/CZMUWvideoNov07 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting