CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
60 matters some places but not so much in others. Most of the dive sites I dive off NC the bottom is 80-100 ft. I see lots of OW divers on the 80ft dives and some on the 100 ft dives such as our ledges. A popular dive with NEW OW divers is the Hyde. Bottom at 80-85. Top deck at 60. A typical dive may spend some time at 60, some time at 80-85, some time back up at 60. I have instabuddied with new OW divers on the Hyde and they had maybe 4-6 quarry dives prior to our meeting up. And now a there are usually two dives a trip and the SI is about an hour. Second sometimes on the Markham where you are varying from 40 on top to 85 in the sand but everybody hits the sand to see the big props.
Those dives should not be permitted whether the guy has a computer or not. If we are giving people computers so that they may violate the limits set by their training then that requires a different discussion, much serious than the one we are having. Now if an open water diver accidentally loses buoyancy then that is a situation that he can easily address without having a computer. Every 10 feet of unintentional buoyancy loss below 60 takes 10 minutes off your max time of 60 minutes. 70 ft will mean dive will now last 50 minutes and 80 feet will mean dive will last 40 minutes instead of 60.
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