PADI OW diver - depth limits?

[FiReaNG3L]

So we'll be in Cozumel mid July - I noticed that all dive ops are doing first dive below 60' (usually about 80') and the following dive is shallower.

I'm only certified PADI open water (not Advanced yet) - they recommend a max of 60'. Should I get my advanced first thing in coz? Or is it possible to do only shallower dives? I love to see wildlife the most.

 

[betsyinczm]

The 60' you are referring to applies to the last dive(s) during the Open Water Course, not once you are certified. I do agree that it is VERY confusing the way that depth limit is presented and you aren't the first person to question it.........have fun and be safe------Betsy

 

[Zman96]

I was certified while I was there, just OW and I went down to 85'.

 

[ggunn]

So we'll be in Cozumel mid July - I noticed that all dive ops are doing first dive below 60' (usually about 80') and the following dive is shallower.

I'm only certified PADI open water (not Advanced yet) - they recommend a max of 60'. Should I get my advanced first thing in coz? Or is it possible to do only shallower dives? I love to see wildlife the most.

When my wife and I were first cert'ed (she by PADI, me by PDIC), she thought she was limited to 60' (PDIC never said anything like that to me), and being a little nervous, she and I had this, um, spirited discussion about it before our first dives together (Cozumel) where I grudgingly promised not to go any deeper than 60'. At one point on our third dive, I looked at my depth gauge at one point and saw that I was at 70'. I had this "husband moment", realizing that I had violated the understanding, and looked around frantically for her, and a few seconds later there she was, tooling along about 10' below me. We never spoke of it again. ;^)

An arbitrary limit on depth would be meaningless; there's depth and then there's depth. 60' in the clear warm waters off Cozumel is very different from 60' in, say, Puget Sound (or so I've heard; I'm a warm water wimp, myself). Also, being an advanced diver is more about experience than what it says on your C card. Relax, dive in your comfort zone, and you'll be fine.

 

[Hinalo]

There's no PADI requirement that 60' is a hard deck for OW divers, but they do caution you to think of it as a guideline for a while just after you get certified. However, the 80' dives you're likely to do on the southern reefs should be no problem, just tell the DM honestly what your experience is and your concerns if you have any.

 

[h2odragon1]

Why wait? does your LDS offer a Deep Diver cert? go ahead and take it locally, get comfortable. Nitrogen narcosis is the main concern for dep dives. If you can get the course out of the way so you can enjoy the dive, when you get to Coz.

 

[sealskin98]

Don't worry about the 60' thing...I got my OW from padi several years ago and never heard about that type of limit in any of the classes (but the Instructor told us we had the YMCA course and just got the padi card because it was his affiliation at the time). Never have seen anyone with OW get refused to be taken to 80' +. You'll be doing no-deco dives with a safety stop anyway. Unless you just want to get the extra training before you go....

Just go and have fun!

Just a note since this is apparently your first trip to Coz.: Watch your depth on descent so that you don't go BELOW the planned depth. Say the max. depth of the profile is 85 fsw...It's REAL easy to end up at 100' + before you even realize it.

I know...been there, done that. :11:

 

[ronbeau]

The 60' you are referring to applies to the last dive(s) during the Open Water Course, not once you are certified. I do agree that it is VERY confusing the way that depth limit is presented and you aren't the first person to question it.........have fun and be safe------Betsy

I am not sure I agree with you.

Both PADI and NAUI state "diving under conditions similar to those in which you were trained".

Are you suggesting that just because the recreational limit is 130 feet that they can go anywhere between 60 and 130 feet with no problems?

 

[mstevens]

Actually, the PADI OW cards have depth sensors. They work even if your card is in your wallet in the safe back at the hotel. If you exceed 60 feet (fortunately, the sensors are really set to 20 meters, so you get a little leeway), the card explodes with tremendous force. It's quite likely that shards from that explosion will sever your carotid artery, leading to your death. After all, the card is set to your depth, so it has to track your location. That's how it knows where to send the deadly, sharp-edged bits of plastic when it goes off.

There is a way to circumvent this problem besides being certified by another agency or getting a PADI card that entitles you to go to 21 meters. How do you suppose your original OW card knows you've taken another course and it no longer has to kill you for diving too deep? That's right: there's an "off switch!" A "back-door" method for turning off the "depth limit" has been discovered. Simply hold your card in your right hand (studies have shown the left usually works, but why not be on the safe side?), mentally review the steps in a CESA, and repeat the mantra "dive tables are my friend." Then go have fun diving to 80 feet without the worry of imminent explosion.

 

[sealskin98]

Actually, the PADI OW cards have depth sensors. They work even if your card is in your wallet in the safe back at the hotel. If you exceed 60 feet (fortunately, the sensors are really set to 20 meters, so you get a little leeway), the card explodes with tremendous force. It's quite likely that shards from that explosion will sever your carotid artery, leading to your death. After all, the card is set to your depth, so it has to track your location. That's how it knows where to send the deadly, sharp-edged bits of plastic when it goes off.

There is a way to circumvent this problem besides being certified by another agency or getting a PADI card that entitles you to go to 21 meters. How do you suppose your original OW card knows you've taken another course and it no longer has to kill you for diving too deep? That's right: there's an "off switch!" A "back-door" method for turning off the "depth limit" has been discovered. Simply hold your card in your right hand (studies have shown the left usually works, but why not be on the safe side?), mentally review the steps in a CESA, and repeat the mantra "dive tables are my friend." Then go have fun diving to 80 feet without the worry of imminent explosion.

I love it!