Thoughts on these dive offerings

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Doubler

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I am looking at booking a trip at a dive resort in the Bahamas that offers these dives as custom dives, (Info copied from website):

Hole In The Wall
One or two people
running time: 40 minutes
maximum depth: 200 feet
in water time: 25 minutes
multi-level profile
The formation of this geological sensation is the true mystery behind the dive and is almost beyond description due its bizarre and curious configuration of tunnel and wall. The site begins at the edge of the wall at 120 feet where the "hole" will lead you through a large passage opening down at 200 feet on the wall. We will explore the wall back up to 160 feet where another entrance will take us back into the tunnel and up through the "hole" again. Besides this site being rather deep, the hole and tunnel are large and spacious, with plenty of light, which allows for a relaxed dive.
***Do not miss this incredible site which is full of history, beauty and intrigue!
Church Windows
One or two people
running time: 10 minutes
maximum depth: 225 feet
in water time: 30 minutes
***This dive offers some of the most unusual formations to be seen on our wall. We will descend down to the top of the wall where we will follow a permanent line to the entrance of a tunnel or cavern at 200 feet deep. We will need our lights briefly while entering the tunnel which will be loaded with silver side minnows.
***The tunnel goes in the wall and then turns left and down to where we will exit at 225 feet, above a huge limestone archway. We will immediately begin our ascent up to the top of the wall. A reef shark has been spotted here on almost every dive so we will keep a lookout for him!

Bob's Blue Hole
One person
running time: 40 minutes
maximum depth: 140 feet
in water time: 30-50 minutes
multi-level profile

***Bob's Blue Hole starts in 30 feet of water with a squeeze into the mouth of the cave. Once in, you will drop down a 4 foot wide dog leg to 84 feet where it will open up into a huge fault line. We will swim along the north line to a maximum depth of 140 feet deep and about 400 feet in. This cave has spectacular large rooms that are hard to imagine located under the ocean floor. There are many big lobsters, crabs, squirrel fish, and sometimes blind Bahamian cave fish. Once out of the cave there are hundreds of fish around the entrance to enjoy. You will be wearing fully redundant cave equipment designed for cave diving and will be thoroughly briefed on how to use it.
***A real adrenaline rush!

I used to be a certified cave diver but I haven’t done any cave diving since the 80’s hence the used to be, I believe to maintain a certification to this level you must use it, Anyway I am not sure about some of these dives. I am positive that on the first 2 offered I would insist on doubles and the third one “ you’ll be throughly briefed” sounds like a throughly good way to get some one in serious trouble. Thoughts?
And if anyone has done these dives you know where this is, how were the dives and the operation?

Jim
 
You're probably far more qualified to embark on those dives than I could ever be, but they sound pretty darned technical, with a max depth of 200-225 on the first two dives, and the third one sounds like an honest-to-goodness cave penetration.

You might have better results asking your question in the "regional" forums, though, if you're looking for specific answers from people who have done those particular dives. In the "forums" menu, if you select "travel and dive clubs", you can find the regional forum for that particular neck of the woods.

While I'd love to dive to 200 ft, and go 400 ft back in a Bahamas cave, I'd be kinda worried about any dive operation which states "...you'll be thoroughly briefed on how to use it" in reference to cave equipment. It seems like someone who's going to go 400 ft back in a cave ought to already know how to use the equipment. Of course, I'm completely unfamiliar with how things work in the Bahamas. And if those first two dives are on air, I'd be worried about being narced out of my mind (but this is coming from someone who took three tries to add 3+3 at 140 ft LOL).
 
Your profile looks like you are tech and cave trained -- These sound like fun, with the right equipment and the right training.

The phrase about being briefed to use cave equipment scares the dickens out of me.
 
Hmmm, overhead diving on air at 225 feet. That's a whole lot of narcosis, even in warm clear water... Unless they're planning to 'thoroughly brief' on using trimix, too? I'd have no worries about either the depth or the penetrations individually (as long as conditions were benign, which I assume they are in the Bahamas), but I'd be nervous about combining the two. On the other hand, they do sound like fairly awesome dives!
 
Yeah, forget about the overhead aspect of things. The depth alone is enough to make me think, "uh.......damn, dude!" - unless - as another poster pointed out, they're going to brief you on the gas you'll be using too.
 
I am looking at booking a trip at a dive resort in the Bahamas that offers these dives as custom dives

Off the top of my head, this sounds like some of the formations off Andros Island. There's one high-end resort on Andros itself that does excursions there and a few operators that run liveaboards to the various sites.

They also offer some much less challenging dives as custom options, and I recall discussing them directly with the operator. In the end, I decided that for the money and logistics involved in going there, I wouldn't bother until I was ready to do some of the dives you are contemplating.

I am in no position to tell you what to do, but I would suggest talking to the operator directly. Don't be afraid to share any misgivings or questions you will have. I'm sure they will tell you directly if you are not ready, and they have other dives you might want to consider. They may be able to put a package together where you escalate your commitment as you return to your previous skill level.

FWIW, I think I would ***** my dry suit at the thought of diving to 225' on air. I guess that's appropriate for my level of n00bity :)
 
I guess that's appropriate for my level of n00bity :)

I think it's appropriate for anybody's level of noobidity . . .
 
I've dove with the folks at Small Hope Bay - and I'm almost certain that's where the OP found those descriptions. They've done some incredible deep diving down there off Andros Island on air - but from what I saw and experienced - I didn't see anything that even remotely looked or sounded unsafe about their operation. While I never heard anyone there talking about doing any of these dives I'm sure that the owner would be more than happy to discuss them with you - he's a good guy.
 
While those dives do sound like they'd be a lot of fun, I would never even consider it at the level I'm at. If you are a technical diver, and have the training required to do these dives comfortably, I'd talk with the dive op and really nail down the details....doubles, mixes, ensuring that they are qualified to be diving in overhead environments (and are not escorting non-certified divers into caves and 200+ feet below the surface), etc.

Personally, I would not make the dives with this dive op if they are willing to take purely recreational divers on these dives....I don't care how qualified they are, they should not be taking an OW certified diver into a cave (that exceeds their training excessively). But if it just happens that they're a tech-friends dive op, awesome find!

Do your research, make decisions based on your comfort and ability, and have a blast!
 
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