Vandenberg report and profile shock!

[Amazz]

Must read for anybody planning to dive the Vandenberg. Plan was to do two dunks on the Sp. Grove Friday with a non D2D friend. I said hey Chuck let's go to Key West earlier and do the Vandy since I had never done it. I had to act quick and discovered it was difficult to find an operator going there on Thursday. Two of Johnoly 's reliable suggestions were unavailable. So that left me with Southpoint Divers. It's a nice large Newton and there was another couple for a total of only 4 divers. They had been on the boat all week and got their AOW recently, had nitrox and computers. Then came the briefing. The boat sits in 140 ft of water. Your maximum depth will be no deeper than 100', you will start your ascent at 20 minutes, and be on the surface no later than 28 minutes. After 28 minutes, if you are not on the surface we will assume you are lost and start search and rescue. I was incredulous. Not wanting to be benched for dive two, C and I were mostly obedient on only violated depth and time by a little bit. Needless to say, we had plenty of gas and no deco time on both dives before we were robbed of our time on the wreck. On the second dive we passed 3 navy divers with rebreathers and multiple cylinders. I automatically thought, geez, why couldn't we be on their boat. We feel completely ripped off by the experience. I don't regret doing it, only using this shop. I liked the wreck but didn't get the chance to see much of it in two 20 minute dives. What do those idiots think dive computers are for? Next time I'll plan more in advance and find an appropriate charter. Vis was a poor 30 ft, water was warm, some coral growth, holds very little fishlife. Gosh I hope Horizon Divers is better in KL tomorrow. BTW: Captain's Corner said they were doing reefs with wounded warriors. Change of plans as we saw them out there. I wonder if they are better.

 

[tkaelin]

Did you ask the DM any questions about the profile and briefing? We dove Southpoint for the Vandy and were not given the same briefing but we did dive with a DM. We were not limited to 20 minutes.

 

[grantwiscour]

Bittersweet dives I agree.

We've always enjoyed diving with HD and I don't remember any odd time/depth rules. Here's to some better dives tomorrow.

 

[Amazz]

Did you ask the DM any questions about the profile and briefing? We dove Southpoint for the Vandy and were not given the same briefing but we did dive with a DM. We were not limited to 20 minutes.

I had a lengthy conversation About the limitations placed on us. It was friendly but we were left with the bottom line we'd be considered "missing" and in search and rescue mode if over 28 minutes surfacing. On over 3,000 dives I have never had such ridiculous restrictions placed on me. I produced evidence of my training and it was obvious they only wanted to turn the boat over quickly for more afternoon passengers. Jupiter to Key West is a long expensive haul for two 20 minute dives at Keys costs. Very disappointed in Southpoint Divers. They obviously cater to very inexperienced divers who shouldn't dive the Vandy at all if such restrictions are in place.

 

[acteg]

I've done the Vandy 3 times with Capt's corner. If it's apparent that you know what you are doing and you communicate this, the crew will allow you to do your own thing within reason. Essentially, the boat leaves the dock at 9am, you get to the site about half an hour or so later, and they tell you that they are leaving the site at 12:30. As long as you are on the boat by 12:30 and you communicate your plan (and it is within safe limits), you can do what you want. I'll be doing the Vandy with them again August 24.

That being said, I've always done the dive with a guide so I can make the most of my time and do as many swim thru's as possible.

 

[Amazz]

On the About us page:

Wreck Divingour morning wreck dive is The USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg is Key West’s newest artificial reef. She lies in 140 feet of water approximately 6 miles SSE of Key West in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). Our profile is 20 minutes with a max depth of 100ft which is the approximate depth of the deck. We set up a line descent system using a traverse line to the main mooring line to the wreck.

No wonder I missed the above fine print. They are contradicting themselves. Above is from the About Us page. This is what you get when you click Book Online, then Vandenberg. They give
the requirements for various types of divers. Here is an excerpt:

A Qualified Diver: Advanced diver or above with documented experience, with the proper functioning equipment, and within the recreational limits. The dive profile for this level can range from 40-120 feet, and because of the diversity of depth and time allowed, each diver will be required to have a dive computer. Exploring the wreck will be at your discretion, yet keep in mind there is too much to see in one dive!

So which is it, Southpoint Divers???

Again, we had a lengthy conversation about our experience. It was also obvious by the gear we were using. Yeah, any yahoo can go out and get new top of the line gear. However, it should be evident to a crew member when the guests start assembling everything. I work in the industry. All you do is watch for a a few minutes. A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[iluvtheocean]

got me to thinking before the coffee starts working--- 100 foot limit and 20 minutes? --- that's the NDL for AIR at 100' so yeah not fair for any nitrox diver! i guess they are overly concerned with lawsuits.

 

[Wookie]

You'd be surprised at how bad the divers are that come dive the Vandy for the day. We get the overfed, newlywed and almost dead off of the cruise ships that got certified 5 years ago at the Sandals in Montego Bay (which may have an awesome instructor for all I know, but you get the point), the wife of the mini-season diver who doesn't want to break her nails, and the occasional European that got certified in Kao Tao years ago and puts their BC on the cylinder upside down. These people are bad, they need their hand held, they never heard of nitrox or a dive computer, and they are just plain scary. Some dive ops cater to the lowest common denominator diver.

Angie, you and Chuck come with me on October 4, 5, and 6. My treat, and we won't limit your Vandenberg diving at all, except no deco, 130 foot max depth. That may make up for your poor experience. Besides, you'll see the Dry Tortugas from the inside.

 

[Tom Winters]

My wife told me to dive the Vandenberg and stay down for a couple of days - maybe even a week.

She also thought I would really enjoy the Botswana crocodile dive with the 18'ers which ignore you once you're on the bottom.

Should I be worried?

 

[AfterDark]

My wife told me to dive the Vandenberg and stay down for a couple of days - maybe even a week.

She also thought I would really enjoy the Botswana crocodile dive with the 18'ers which ignore you once you're on the bottom.

Should I be worried?

Sounds like she has you on a long leash!