Should OW certified divers be taken into a deep wreck? Overhead? Thread split

[AdivingBel]

HEY!! First thing we teach in the Manatee Wrangler course is to turn the GoPro OFF!!! That isn't covered in OW.

I would think the first rule would be, make sure it's a manatee not a big fat guy in a grey wetsuit. That could be awkward...though I get your point. I wouldn't want that on youtube either.

 

[Akimbo]

I would think the first rule would be, make sure it's a manatee not a big fat guy in a grey wetsuit. That could be awkward...

Not really, I wouldn't want a video of that for an entirely different reason.

 

[rivers]

Not all. But in these days of Zombie Diver, Cement Pond Diver, and Manatee Wrangler, nothing surprises me. The lengths some will go to in order to make money off things that should be in the OW class does though.

From the sounds of the zombie apocalypse diver course, it's basically working on rescue, first aid, buoyancy, and search and recovery skills, with a zombie twist. From the videos I've seen, it's just using the the current zombie mania to make it a bit more interesting and fun. If someone was offering the course in the UK, a load of my friends and I would take it, just because it looks like fun. It would be a great day out, and would make quarry dives more entertaining.

 

[Akimbo]

How sad is this? I had to Google “Manatee Wrangler” to make sure it wasn’t an actual PADI course. How about helping an old guy out with a winking icon now and then?

 

[Wookie]

How sad is this? I had to Google “Manatee Wrangler” to make sure it wasn’t an actual PADI course. How about helping an old guy out with a winking icon now and then?

Sorry.

 

[SaltyDog35]

Was the witness who posted earlier in this thread Open Water qualified? If they tied in at 95 feet in current he shouldn't have been there let alone the talk of a swim thru. Any word on a recovery yet?

---------- Post added March 7th, 2015 at 08:35 AM ----------

I don't mean to be insensitive but I'm frustrated with theses reports of the trust me dives.

 

[Wookie]

There is no 60 foot limitation for OW certification. How many times does this have to be said? The depth limit for Open Water certification in any and all training agencies in the United States is 130 feet, and by training and experience. You get experience by being briefed and led on a dive. The witness was briefed and led on a 95 foot dive. It's how you gain experience.

 

[Iralub]

Most people are surprised to learn that PADI does not say in any of its materials that divers are not supposed to enter ANY over head environment. Individual instructors may well say that, and I am sure many do, but PADI does not.

My OW manual, under heading of "A deceptively easy way to die" says: "Do not enter a cavern, cave, wreck or any other overhead environment unless you have the training and equipment you need".

On the literal reading of those words, swim-throughs should not be entered. Personally, I have entered plenty of swim-throughs (always shallow, wide and supervised by an instructor). I would not enter a wreck at 30m depth, but it is difficult to know what is and what is not ok and where the cutoff point lies - especially when you are not experienced enough to know what you don't know.

There's even more potential for confusion when reputable dive ops appear to allow or encourage unqualified overhead diving. When looking for some diving opportunities to combine with a holiday, I was shocked to see that, at least one dive op allows "unlimited penetration" of a wreck at "all depths" for AOW certified divers, if accompanied by a guide. The wreck in question is at a little under 30m deep. This is in Queensland, Australia, where one would hope safety would be top notch.
Having done a wreck dive as part of AOW certification, the most useful thing I learned was to not penetrate the wreck without further training.

But there are too many mixed messages and little consistency between training and practice.

 

[boulderjohn]

My OW manual, under heading of "A deceptively easy way to die" says: "Do not enter a cavern, cave, wreck or any other overhead environment unless you have the training and equipment you need".

On the literal reading of those words, swim-throughs should not be entered. ...

In the previous thread to which I alluded earlier, no one was able to find anything like that in the PADI materials. That is interesting.

It is also quite vague, because it does not identify with any specificity what training is needed. What training is needed to qualify a diver to swim under an anchor chain? There is a hotel in Cozumel that has an arch on the coral wall where people snorkel. The who area is about 12 feet deep., and the arch is at a depth of about 5 feet. Untrained snorkelers frequently swim through that arch. How much training would a scuba diver need to qualify for that?

 

[delta-v]

There is no 60 foot limitation for OW certification. How many times does this have to be said? The depth limit for Open Water certification in any and all training agencies in the United States is 130 feet...

This seems odd. I know PADI OW is 18m (60ft) and BSAC Ocean Diver is 20m (66ft). Does the USA mandate 39m (130ft) depth limits for all OW courses taught in the country, over-riding original depth limitations?