Dive operator: "We won't let you ..."

[Bob DBF]

... my buddy had taken off after a speared fish, and then ascended alone. I ran out of air on the main tank before I cut myself loose. (My air had gotten low anyway from trying to get a fish under control and on the safety pin while a big 'cuda competed) I don't count on buddies any more.

Anyone who spearfishes, hunts bugs, or photographs with a buddy is diving alone, and should act accordingly. I have, and have seen, buddies stay togather under these circumstances, but it takes a lot of dicipline.

The discussion is more about expanding ones limits while buddy diving in a more controled situation than spearfishing. So the question is whether you believe you can do the dive, whether you are ready to do an openwater ascent with your buddy should you use your air too quickly, and wether you trust the ascessment of the operator. If no is the answer to any of these questions, pass on the dive.


Bob
--------------------------------------------------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet

 

[idive2]

I did dives in my first twenty five dives that I would not do again under the same conditions.
I guess you can be taught what to do and what not to do but until you have a few things go
wrong yourself these " what ifs " are just something that happens to other divers.

 

[billt4sf]

wow, 12 pages, 116 posts, but no answer to the question, which agency did you do the aow class thru?

padi.

 

[John_B]

padi.

Fact: PADI AOW requires the deep dive (also navigation).

We are novice divers, about 50 dives each. We did the AOW class but not the "Deep Diving" portion.

You should report your instructor.

 

[Tigerman]

Fact: PADI AOW requires the deep dive (also navigation).



You should report your instructor.

Its been brought up before (by me) and the replies indicated that they might have done a deep dive but not the DEEP SPECIALITY?

 

[diverrex]

padi.

Of your 5 dives done in AOW what was the depth of the deepest dive?

 

[obxdivemaster]

After having been a crew member on a boat for 15 years, I can tell you from personal experience that the diver to look out for is the one bragging about all their certifications. The guy bragging about his latest "advanced" certification is usually the one I'll be rescuing.

To me that plastic card doesn't mean a whole lot. The most important thing is experience and comfort level. On more occasions than I can count, I've seen supposed Divemasters being rescued by someone with nothing more than an OW card.

Just as having the card does not necessarily mean you're ready to do the dives, the opposite is also true. Personally, I do do dives on a regular basis that go way beyond any certification I hold. But, and this is a big but, while not appropriate for everyone, I got there through self education and taking small steps to gain the experience necessary. For example, I did about 50 quarry dives before I headed offshore for the first time. I did a bunch of offshore dives in the 70' range, then got comfortable at 100', then moved into the 130' range, then started doing deco dives in on 130' wrecks, then moved a little deeper... and so on. Again, it's all about comfort level and experience.

Like the cliche says... "Experience is the best teacher."

 

[eduardogv02]

I´m a rookie diver AOW as well and did inmersions guided by really excelent instructors at Santa Lucia, in Cuba, and met bull sharks, among some other really nice fauna. I´ve joined recently Cuba Diving Centers and will be visiting, very soon, The Gardens of the Queen, in Cuba as well: seems to be a real paradise underwater !!!

 

[fnfalman]

Its been brought up before (by me) and the replies indicated that they might have done a deep dive but not the DEEP SPECIALITY?

If that's the case then it's an entirely different animal. Deep Dive Specialty is like a Boat Dive Specialty. You pay extra for more "detailed" instruction, while in AOW it's simple a dive with some instruction.

Deep Dive Specialty, like all of the PADI specialties, are not included in AOW but classes of their own. Some shops; like the big SoCal chain Sport Chalet for example, would say that if you were to take five specialties then they'd throw in AOW for free because by then you would have done five specialty dives.

 

[Fishstalker]

Actually, this is a pretty standard approach among most dive centers and I would agree with them. 'Technically', if you only have Open Water certification, the rule is 'not-deeper-than-60 feet'. However, the reality is that there's not a lot of technical difference and so most Dive Masters simply watch the diver. In terms of insurance, there is also a little gray area as you are covered to the depth to which you are certified...a little caveat emptor there.....by the way....most recerational divers rarely do more than 50 dives over their diving history, so a 50- dive diver is getting on to intermediate....just an opinion.