Is this a Bad Dive Plan for Cozumel?

[farsidefan1]

Wow, I am so sorry. I completely missed how many dives you had. I have been spending too much time here and I must be letting posts run together in my old brain. Sounds like you have plenty of experience to handle anything you will come across in Coz. The currents there are generally not nearly as strong as Palau, especially Peleliu corner and express.

 

[DandyDon]

Just bought an AERIS, so I'll see how that compares. (I needed a nitrox computer, + my TUSA was dying).

I always suggest getting a Nitrox computer as it will come in handy eventually even for new divers, or - it'll sell easier on ebay if they quit.

Aeries is a Pelagic, same as Oceanic. If it ever goes bad out of warranty, or floods - even from owner mistake, they have a generous exchange/replacement program.

 

[tracydr]

I always suggest getting a Nitrox computer as it will come in handy eventually even for new divers, or - it'll sell easier on ebay if they quit.

Aeries is a Pelagic, same as Oceanic. If it ever goes bad out of warranty, or floods - even from owner mistake, they have a generous exchange/replacement program.

Thanks, Don. I doubt this will be my lifetime, dream computer but it was cheap and simple. It's fine for now. Simple is good for me. Although, I wish I had gotten a model that would download to my computer. But, for $200 what can I expect? I needed it that weekend and my hubby bought it for me so I'm happy with it. It will become a backup to a better computer, unless I do GUE classes and do the bottom timer/gauge/table thing. But, I think a lot of them use computers, too?
My TUSA has lasted for over 10 years and 250 dives. It's just now having issues with the energy saving system not turning off so the battery keeps dying. Possibly, it's something that might even be fixable?
Ive been doing my nitrox dives with tables and an air computer ( as a bottom timer). Not ideal but good practice.

 

[Mike]

I think because of all the great info you've gained from this thread you should post the dive operator you are diving with, if for no other reason, but to pay it forward to those who care about these things

 

[gasgirl]

I think because of all the great info you've gained from this thread you should post the dive operator you are diving with, if for no other reason, but to pay it forward to those who care about these things

I booked the August dive package at Blue Angel Resort. There are lots of positive reviews of this dive op.

---------- Post Merged at 10:32 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 10:10 PM ----------

Oh, cool. I'll look forward to meeting y'all. He's been diving since then and he went with a Suunto? Well, some folks seem to like them.

Your just posted dive plan seems good, altho I think you could plan on 32% for most first dives if you wanted to - depending, a 3 minute deep stop seems a bit much to me - but with the multilevel aspect of most dives I think you can work something similar in ok. I guess your computers have Nitrogen loading bars so you can see it as it loads and off-gasses.

How did you two end up in Canyon? I suppose you know where Plainview is. The Blue Hole, made famous on Rt.66 for the Dust Bowl immigrants fleeing and in the "Grapes of Wrath" is in Santa Rosa, NM...

View attachment 131748

We were both doing our B.Sc. at WTSU where DH did his OW for 3 college credits - NAUI certified - old school style.

When I bought my Suunto computer in 2004, I had just convinced him to replace his horse collar with a BPW.

DH was finally willing to buy a computer in 2005 only after we got Nitrox certified - he went with a Vyper to match my Cobra - since he did not have the luxury of avoiding me as a dive buddy.

I am currently negotiating an update on our +20 yr old UK dive lights - I want the Sola 1200's but may have to settle something for less.

I did my OW and both of us have done all our other certifications locally but I am sad to admit we have only done one local PNW dive trip for "fun" - the tidal currents at Quadra Island kinda felt like I was diving in a washing machine while wearing an oversized garbage bag. So we are also just "fumbling tourist divers".

 

[String]

'Regarding the diving situations, fhe conditions are favorable. For the surface interval, we will have to check in the dives that you make, as we are managing a group, not all of them would like to wait that long, but we can make that notification to the dive shop and they can work something out, but I don’t to guarantee the 60 minutes each time.'

Find a better dive operation. Sounds like a rack and stack rush operation where the "goal" is to be out as early as possible. There is no reason to NOT have a SI of at least an hour. Safety wise its highly recommended.

Dive air for the first dive (likely to exceed MOD on EAN32% if the right conditions are right and we go to the sites we want)

Or ask for Nitrox 28.

Do a 1 minute stop every 10 fton the multilevel dive

That's a good way of INCREASING the deco obligation on the Suuntos. Like most of the mainstream computers still used they penalise you for deep stops. Their model is about getting shallow faster then keeping you there.

(as slow ascents minimizes the 'penalty' imposed on repetitive NDL's by Suunto)

What penalty ? Have you actually bothered to do side-by-side comparisons with other mainstream computers? Most are within a few minutes of each other over even several DAYS of repeat diving. Slow ascents minimise nothing. FAST ascents penalise you and rightly so. Go up at or less than 10m/min and you wont have any issue

Do a 3 minute deep safety stop at 1/2 MOD

Thereby further reducing your no-stop time or increasing the decompression obligation. Plus where did you get that from? NO deco theory out there suggests a random 3 minute stop at half the max depth. Even for models incorporating deep stops properly (ie none of the mainstream computers) deep stops are usually 1 or maximum 2 minutes. And you still on-gas on those stops.

Really all this is not needed - all you need to do is find a more safety orientated and responsible dive operation.

There really is a lot of rubbish spouted about Suunto computers - they arent that much different to most recreational computers and in fact are more aggressive than some on certain profiles. Pretty much all the cheap recreational computers out there are very very similar in their calculations. Yes they penalise you for doing something stupid like a rapid ascent etc but thats with good reason.

Over here and in most of Europe Suuntos make up roughly 90% of the market along with the choice for guides yet nobody has an issue even doing 4 dives a day, 7 days a week for 2 months in a row.
Ive certainly had no problem with mine doing 2-3 dives a day for often 6 weeks in a row with no rest day (on day 29 now i think from memory). The other roughly 40 people ive worked with around this area with them have no issues either.

Key point - find a better dive operation and stop worrying about what is a perfectly acceptable recreational computer!

 

[GrimSleeper]

Well, I have to disagree that this thread is "utter tosh" (BTW, I had to look up the definition).

Sorry, gasgirl, you misunderstand me. I wasn't saying that your entire thread was "tosh" (sorry for the outdated English word...), but that all the "Suuntos are too conservative" and "Just put your computer into deco when you have no training or experience of decompression diving" responses were, well, tosh... Some of what has been said about how to clear an incurred deco obligation before arriving shallow is also ill-informed nonsense.

Your concerns are valid, but I agree with several other posters that the solution is to find a dive op who's more concerned with your safety than with getting their working day over as swiftly as possible. The answer is definitely not to play along with their poor practice and further endanger your own safety by doing decompression dives you aren't trained for with a piece of equipment that isn't designed for it.

 

[gasgirl]

I don't read at all that they are willing to extend the surface interval to normal and safe 60 min. The dive company is indicating that not all of "a group" of divers would like to wait that long. If this is really true, that the dive op is willing to make shorter than 60 min surface intervals because a few members of the group want to do this risky dive plan, can you please tell me what the name of this op is, so I can avoid using them.
Thank you for bringing this thread up. Perhaps i have been lucky, but in 14 years of diving in many locations around the world, I have not run into an op that would agree to short SIs. If this is all true it does not reflect well on this op.

I have already made a $500 deposit on our dive package. I really don't know how easy it will be to get a refund at this point. Anyone have any connections with Blue Angel Resort that might help with this dilemma?

 

[DandyDon]

I have already made a $500 deposit on our dive package. I really don't know how easy it will be to get a refund at this point. Anyone have any connections with Blue Angel Resort that might help with this dilemma?

Delightful hotel, and I used to dive with them. I only quit because of the increase in the hotel rates, but that package they offer this month is great. Not much to refund there.

The owner is a wonderful lady and I think if you voiced your concerns directly with her, things could be worked out. There might have been some misunderstandings in communicating with the dive shop

 

[gasgirl]

Key point - find a better dive operation and stop worrying about what is a perfectly acceptable recreational computer!

OK, I got the key point - I am trying to work out what my available options are now.

---------- Post Merged at 02:09 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:50 AM ----------

Wow, I am so sorry. I completely missed how many dives you had. I have been spending too much time here and I must be letting posts run together in my old brain. Sounds like you have plenty of experience to handle anything you will come across in Coz. The currents there are generally not nearly as strong as Palau, especially Peleliu corner and express.

Hey farsidefan1! Sorry I missed replying to this post earlier as I was distracted by the fact that I may need to make last minute changes to my last minute travel plans now!!!

We ended up diving Pelilieu Express with a very mild outgoing current so we didn't even have to "hook in" at the Corner at all.

On the other hand, Ulong Channel had a ripping 3 to 4 knot incoming current! That was an awesome dive and an even more amazing ride - very unique dive indeed.

At German Channel, we were incredibly lucky to have a manta ray come into the cleaning station right after we got there.

My personal favorite was hooking in at Blue Corner and we ended up doing that dive site twice!!

So now I just have to prepare for the angry mob to descend on me since I admitted to using a reef hook!

---------- Post Merged at 03:14 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:50 AM ----------

Delightful hotel, and I used to dive with them. I only quit because of the increase in the hotel rates, but that package they offer this month is great. Not much to refund there.

The owner is a wonderful lady and I think if you voiced your concerns directly with her, things could be worked out. There might have been some misunderstandings in communicating with the dive shop

I have sent another email to request to speak with Eva directly. DandyDon, would you mind checking your logbook and see what your surface interval times were like when you dove with them before?