deborahdelamar
Contributor
Sorry for the delay in answering, I was traveling...To answer your question about Aqua Safari experience & profiles:
Yes, I continue to dive with them.
All of the dives are planned as multi-levels -- there are no square profiles. If you have a computer, you're encouraged to monitor it and stay within sight of the group rather than time off the levels on a watch or plan the times with a wheel. (They give you those times during the briefing.) Since they usually use two divemasters -- one as lead and one as sweep -- the divers may spread over a fairly long distance and enjoy leisurely tours. At sites like Tormentos, Paso del Cedral, Chankanaab and a few others, it's possible to fully explore as buddy pairs -- just don't pass the lead DM and stay aware of where your group-mates are so that you don't get lost.
You must understand that the DM's are planning the dives as well as the length of the SI for a GROUP and that if you stay too deep on your first dive, the SI won't be long enough for you and you may have significant bottom time and/or depth penalties during your second tank.
I don't spend much time as deep as 80 on the first tank but I'm usually first to descend and last to go up and toward the end of the second tank, I end with a minute of dive time left -- maybe...
They ask that you limit depth to 80' during the first tank. If you see something really interesting at 85 or 90, no one's going to get upset if you momentarily descend and look, but you shouldn't sink like a stone to that depth and stay there. Generally on first-tank sites, there is nothing at 90 or 100 that you can't see at 70.
As far as dive times go, they are generally an hour per tank depending on conditions, of course. The first tank may be a little shorter and the second tank a little longer but air is usually the limiting factor for many divers. As SOP for most ops in Coz, low-air divers ascend with their buddies in proximity to the DM's bouy and everyone else continues the dive.
Yes, I continue to dive with them.
All of the dives are planned as multi-levels -- there are no square profiles. If you have a computer, you're encouraged to monitor it and stay within sight of the group rather than time off the levels on a watch or plan the times with a wheel. (They give you those times during the briefing.) Since they usually use two divemasters -- one as lead and one as sweep -- the divers may spread over a fairly long distance and enjoy leisurely tours. At sites like Tormentos, Paso del Cedral, Chankanaab and a few others, it's possible to fully explore as buddy pairs -- just don't pass the lead DM and stay aware of where your group-mates are so that you don't get lost.
You must understand that the DM's are planning the dives as well as the length of the SI for a GROUP and that if you stay too deep on your first dive, the SI won't be long enough for you and you may have significant bottom time and/or depth penalties during your second tank.
I don't spend much time as deep as 80 on the first tank but I'm usually first to descend and last to go up and toward the end of the second tank, I end with a minute of dive time left -- maybe...
They ask that you limit depth to 80' during the first tank. If you see something really interesting at 85 or 90, no one's going to get upset if you momentarily descend and look, but you shouldn't sink like a stone to that depth and stay there. Generally on first-tank sites, there is nothing at 90 or 100 that you can't see at 70.
As far as dive times go, they are generally an hour per tank depending on conditions, of course. The first tank may be a little shorter and the second tank a little longer but air is usually the limiting factor for many divers. As SOP for most ops in Coz, low-air divers ascend with their buddies in proximity to the DM's bouy and everyone else continues the dive.
