Is 130 ft too deep?

[Curt Bowen]

In other words, it's OK if you do it as a "Trust me" dive?

Every diver is responsible for him/herself.

No, its OK if the guy your diving with knows what the heck they are doing. I have taken many divers on their deepest dives from 80 feet to 380 feet with no problems. Why, because I have the training and experience with deep diving to handle the situation and provide the diver with the basic training to handle the situations.

 

[Boogie711]

Curt - suffice it to say you and I strongly disagree.

Who do you rely on when YOU get into trouble? Or do you honestly think that your "training and experience with deep diving" will preclude you from ever needing a competent dive buddy?

 

[ScubaCrossing]

Correct:
Padi limits are:
60 ft OW diver
100 ft AOW diver
130 ft Deep Diver Specialty certified

Deep diver specialty for 130'. When you conduct the dives as the Instructor you're limited to a max of 100' for the training dives, kinda odd huh.

 

[scubapro50]

Is you life insurance paid up? Do you belong to DAN ? Will the dive operators let you go that deep ? Where is the nearest deco chamber ? Questions need to be answered. Got a deep divers certificate before they changed the name of the country back in the 60's using double 72's steel tanks and a doublehose regulator. It's a nice piece of paper that states "Certified Deep Diver" for doing a bounce dive to 200ft. Most of my friends think it should say : "Certified Crazy" for pulling such a stunt ...... well I was young and wreckless and lucky enough to tell the story without being bent.

 

[OE2X]

In my past I've dove to 130' on air. I now consider this a mistake though we treated them as deco dives and everything was fine.

Now I will dive that deep on a single 130 with either either Ean 28 or 30% as long as my buddy is diving a tank that large as well.

The point about an O ring blowing or free flow is very valid. Make sure you and your buddy have enough air to safely get to the surface from depth. If you feel narc'd stop and go no deeper. If you have doubts about going that deep - then don't. It will be their for another if you really want it to be. Nothing is worth getting hurt or killed for.

 

[wedivebc]

I used to make frequent dives to 130+ fsw. As time passes and I learn more, I seldom go past 130 without double tanks, tech gear and trimix in my tank. The more I learn about diving, the less risk I am willing to expose myself to.

 

[Damselfish]

I agree with the idea that if you're questioning if you should do it, you probably shouldn't be doing it. I've also done it, and wasn't all that impressed.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I used to make frequent dives to 130+ fsw. As time passes and I learn more, I seldom go past 130 without double tanks, tech gear and trimix in my tank. The more I learn about diving, the less risk I am willing to expose myself to.

Experience is sometimes the best teacher.

When I was pretty new I took a trip to the east coast to dive some wrecks. I was using a single al 80, I though staged decompression was against some sacred rule and the bottom was at 120 ft. There was a strong current and the vis dropped to about 10 ft on the wreck.

My wife and I dropped to the bottom...really...to the bottom. I looked at my computer and my SPG and decided that we didn't have enough time or gas to go any place or see anything so we thumbed it. We moved up the line and watched the Jacks and Dolphins running around until the other divers came back. Oh and there was a cuda that kept us company the whole time and scared to daylights out of my wife. LOL. One of the other divers was going at least a hundred miles an hour, hand over hand, up the line, without a buddy, because he was about out of gas. Back on the boat he didn't have enough left to blow his dust cap dry.

Now, I could just about spend the whole afternoon on a 120 ft wreck...wearing doubles (with a little helium in them if I have a choice) a decomrepssion gas...and plenty of time to kill.

Maybe I'll dive that wreck again.

 

[wedivebc]

Curt - suffice it to say you and I strongly disagree.

Who do you rely on when YOU get into trouble? Or do you honestly think that your "training and experience with deep diving" will preclude you from ever needing a competent dive buddy?

So isn't a students first deep dive with an instructor a "trust me" dive?
If I had never dove with anyone more experienced than myself I'd still be at 60' lookin at the fishies

 

[Curt Bowen]

Curt - suffice it to say you and I strongly disagree.

Who do you rely on when YOU get into trouble? Or do you honestly think that your "training and experience with deep diving" will preclude you from ever needing a competent dive buddy?

A. I carry my own back-up. (never trust a buddy)

B. I have never gotten in trouble at 130 feet, and if I did, I would buddy breath with whom ever I am taking there, or grab my bailout. I would even bet I could make it to the surface without gas. Might not feel good afterwards, but I am sure I could make it.

C. You must still be diving in the pool, because if you have never followed someone with more experience, than you're probably still looking at that pool drain, lost hair clip, and locker key.

Does this mean I cannot teach mixed gas diving anymore, because I always take them deeper than they have ever been? Isnt this a trust me dive?

Diving is a progressive sport and you will not learn from those who do not know more than you.