Thoughts on whole dive group surfacing when one of the group reaches 1000psi

Hi All

My partner and I went on a molokini back wall dive today with Lahaina divers. I had read reports of their dm's making the whole group surface when the first diver hits 1000psi.
So before I booked the dive I asked Tim the middle aged gentleman working the front counter about this and was reassured it was not the case so after a great dive the day before with these guys we were looking forward to this charter immensely!!!
So during the dive brief the dm says that once one diver reaches 1000psi we all must do a safety stop and exit the water.
I looked at the group of divers that would be on this dive and I immediately knew we were in trouble.
26 minutes later our first dive was over my partner and I both on 1950 psi.
I was so pissed off when asked about how good the dive was I couldn't hide my disgust. We were moved to an other group and our second dive lasted 50mins.
I asked for a refund for the first dive but have had no answer as of yet.
What do you guys think about this would you be happy paying premium rates for a 26mins dive????

Nope. I actually complained to a prominent and pricey LOB in the Maldives I was on this spring that I really disliked their DMs mandating a maximim dive time of 50 minutes on about half of the dives and 60 minutes on the other half of the dives. I could see no good reason for this arbitrary shortening of the dives, particularly when we've traveled so far and spent so much on a cruise.

What?!?! Unless they were willing force me out of the water I'd have kept diving. I avoid most charters for such reasons. I perfer shore diving or a private boat. To me diving is about freedom, someone telling how, when or how long to dive runs counter to that. I've got a spg, a pdc and a watch to let me know when the dive is over. I sure don't need someone that probably has less dives and time in the water then I telling me when the dive is over. On my recent NC dive trip we were asked to keep our last dive to no more than an hour because bad weather was moving in, no problemo!

Quero:

Nope. I actually complained to a prominent and pricey LOB in the Maldives I was on this spring that I really disliked their DMs mandating a maximim dive time of 50 minutes on about half of the dives and 60 minutes on the other half of the dives. I could see no good reason for this arbitrary shortening of the dives, particularly when we've traveled so far and spent so much on a cruise.

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No reason given for 50min dives? Generally diving the channels, a 60min dive time is the 'rule' so as to coordinate exits. If a diver or group doesn't surface in these potentially problematic dive sites at the pre-agreed time, some hands start to wring.

50mins is short. I wonder if this was to account for travel time? Or did you arrive comfortably (time wise) to the next site.

Maldives diving is very regulated- one thing many LOB's do not respect is the depth limit. I'm not sure how they get away with that so regularly.

Insurance may well be an issue if it's proven that you dived deeper than 30m (Maldivian Law) and get bent. DAN is good for it, but it would not surprise me if a private 'vacation insurance' company refuses to pay up if the computer shows 30.1m- there are enough horror stories getting paid by these companies as it is. Sorry- this went off topic.

If you're diving with a group- you're diving as a group. Experienced divers should not sign up for a 'group dive' if they're unsure of the divers in question. Just asking for drama IMO.

chris kippax:

...before I booked the dive I asked Tim the middle aged gentleman working the front counter about this and was reassured it was not the case...the dm says that once one diver reaches 1000psi we all must do a safety stop and exit the water....26 minutes later our first dive was over

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Having obtained a verbal assurance upon booking that this policy wasn't in effect, you could consider the subsequent imposition of the policy to be a breach of sale. Not sure what the US/Hawaii legislation is on that, but in the UK it would be actionable under law.

Complain in writing to the dive center and ask for a full refund. Maybe invite them to provide a response, as clarification of their policy, here on the forum...

The DM is responsible for everyone in the water, I get that. But poor management is still poor management. Somewhere toward the middle of the dive, the DM should have stopped playing guide and started checking air levels and started to assemble a 2/3 list to break them out and send them to the boat at1000. The option would have been to escort them if one or more of the divers were very new, which is very likely the one (or more) short of air. During the dive, observation should have been made as to who the better divers were and if surface escort was needed, bunch the newbies with the better divers. I don't have problem with keeping a closer eye on someone.

I paid my money, invested the time and I want the goods. If that means I have to help them help me, that's OK. But under staffing for dive management is what usually leads to this. Some operators are counting on one somebody blowing through their air to justify pulling everyone out of the water, to insure that boat can make 2 or more trips per day. Especially if it is a long haul to the site.

IF you are told at the desk about air policy and it is to your liking, the only way to help avoid a change at the site, is to ferret out the DM, ask how many in the group, how many staff in the water and the policy on air. If you don't like the answers, Go back to the shop before you load the gear and get your money back. In most cases, the person in the office will tell you to wait a sec, go outside, talk to the DM or Captain and kind of point in your direction. The moment of truth will become clear. Negotiation is and art, but rquires a certain reasonable amount of assertion.

Notice I said assertion, not aggression. Every person you meet on a dive boat is also a potential friend simply because you and they share the same, shall I say passion, for diving. No point in starting off the relationship labeled as GRUMPY.

Tim has been the General Manager for Lahaina Divers for a long time, so for him to give you false information is pretty bad IMO. Considering that the one time we did a backwall dive with Lahaina Divers back in 2005 they had the same routine, Tim definitely should have known better.

We did the back wall with another outfit a couple years ago, the DM actually got out of the water 5 minutes before us, I was kind of surprised.

I have dove with Lahaina divers at least on 10 different boat trips in the last 2 years, and the dive was never ended when one diver hit 1000psi. I just did the Molokini dive about a month ago, and the divers that ran short on air were pointed up by the DM and we kept diving. I just looked at my computer and we went 54 min there on one dive. I have always had a great time diving with them.

I probably would have challenged the DM during the briefing and not have done the first dive under his conditions. Makes a much better case if forced to do a charge back on the CC.