Mizpah diving, WPB FL

I have a total of four dives (at 60ft) under my belt and am in a position to go diving tomorrow morning with a group of vastly more experienced divers. We are going to West Palm and there is a wreck there that we are supposed to be diving. It lies in about 70-85ft apparently. We do not plan on any penetration, but am slightly wary about going 85ft, and also figure I will have way less dive time at this depth. I'll be using Nitrox for the dive, not that I will exceed my time at all. My questions are to any who may have done this dive: what is the difficulty level? Am I going way over my head here (figuratively)?

-Justin

None.

Hi Justin,
On one of my OW cert dives my instructor took me down to 80FSW on 21%(air) and I had no problem. Like you, I didn't last as long as the others but had no problems.
Have fun and enjoy the dive.
Steve

wanna see somethin' cool?? http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/302368-goliath-grouper-mizpah.html have a great dive!!

Thanks for the encouragement. I don't think it's too bad, but just wanted a 2nd opinion. I don't think I'm missing any red flags here. Also, we will all have a DM accompanying us to my knowledge.

Yeah I saw that post! The pictures probably don't do their size justice, but man, am I ready to see some of those big b@stards.

A couple red flags are going off for me. Maybe not fire truck red, but at least a reddish hue:

djinn88:

I have a total of four dives (at 60ft) under my belt and am in a position to go diving tomorrow morning with a group of vastly more experienced divers.

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Are these divers aware of your experience level and apprehension, and do you have a specific buddy who you know will not just abandon you if you have to surface earlier than everybody else?

djinn88:

We are going to West Palm and there is a wreck there that we are supposed to be diving. It lies in about 70-85ft apparently.

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Unless you're an AOW diver, you're not certified to dive below 60'. While many argue that depth limits are arbitrary, a responsible DM shouldn't knowingly assist you in violating them since his insurance won't cover him. The fact that the DM either hasn't enquired about your certification level or doesn't care is a red flag.

djinn88:

We do not plan on any penetration, but am slightly wary about going 85ft, and also figure I will have way less dive time at this depth.

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Yes, you'll go through air faster at 85' than at 60'. One risk of deeper dives is that it can be easy to run out of time before you run out of air, so you must pay close attention to your NDLs.

If you're apprehensive about the dive, talk to others in the group about it -- especially the DM. They may also conclude that it's not an appropriate site and you'll all go elsewhere...or they may assure you that your concerns are unfounded. Either way, it's best to get this out in the open while you still have the ability to communicate with each other.

djinn88:

I'll be using Nitrox for the dive, not that I will exceed my time at all.

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This is the biggest red flag. Are you nitrox certified?

Yes, I'm certified for Nitrox too. I do know my buddy well (neighbor), and we have talked more about this in the past hour. I am more at ease with this now. He knows of my apprehension towards the dive and will be by my side the whole time. Thanks for all the reply and words of wisdom! Also, I do plan on AOW at the beginning of next year (anticipated Xmas gift) so I won't be out of my element for long I suppose.

In that case, the red flags are changing to amber. The max depth below your certification level is still a little bit of a concern, and I'd never advise you to violate the standard (whatever it is for NAUI...is it 60' or 70'?) but the nitrox certification and talking to your buddy were the biggies.

Have a great dive!

SteveTW:

Hi Justin,
On one of my OW cert dives my instructor took me down to 80FSW on 21%(air) and I had no problem. Like you, I didn't last as long as the others but had no problems.
Have fun and enjoy the dive.
Steve

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Two of our four OW checkout dives were 70+ FSW

joolz:

Unless you're an AOW diver, you're not certified to dive below 60'. While many argue that depth limits are arbitrary, a responsible DM shouldn't knowingly assist you in violating them since his insurance won't cover him. The fact that the DM either hasn't enquired about your certification level or doesn't care is a red flag.

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Is that really an insurance thing? The whole 60' rule if I remember correctly from the OW book was more of a suggestion that you do not exceed that depth until you are comfortable or something like that.