CO testing report - ScubaFun, Bayahibe DR - all zeros!

[dshorwich]

My family and I just finished several days of diving with ScubaFun in Bayahibe, Dominican Republic. We've been diving with ScubaFun anually since 2007, so obviously we think well of the operation.

This year I brought down a rented Analox CO analyzer to check our tanks - not because I had any particular concerns about the quality of their air, but simply because my awareness of the dangers of CO has been raised by DandyDon's many posts on the subject here on ScubaBoard (thanks, Don!).

I'm pleased to report that every tank I tested read "0" - I tested about 3 dozen tanks in all.

I'm also pleased to report that the operator's (John Sack) attitude towards my testing his tanks was exactly what you would hope for from a dive op - on our first day he said, "hey, cool, let's go back to the fill station and check some tanks," and he took me back to his fill station and let me pull out as many tanks as I wanted at random; they all tested CO-free. I checked several tanks at the fill station that morning, and subsequently tested all the tanks we used for our dives; again, I got zeros every time.

So - I just wanted to pass this information along for those who might be interested.


David Horwich

 

[DandyDon]

Sounds great! Glad to hear the rental worked out ok (small price to pay for safety huh?), and the trip went well. It may get boring testing tanks every day and never getting anything, but it's reassuring when that happens - as it's supposed to happen. Just do your breath tests to make sure the unit works and keep on keepin' on. Glad the dive Op was mature about it.

 

[dshorwich]

Yes, the analyzer rental from www.oerentals.com was very straightforward, and reasonably priced; I ordered the unit about 10 days before we left and it was shipped promptly, which gave me time to practice using it on my tanks at home before leaving the country.

Bump-testing with my breath worked out just fine.

Curiously, one day there was a DM & diver from another op who were catching a ride on one of ScubaFun's boats; the DM saw me testing our tanks, and asked about it, but when I offered to test his & his diver's tanks he said, nah, I've never had a problem with their air. Well, I'd never had a problem, either, and had no reason to think there might be a problem, but...I suppose the weak link in his logic is obvious enough, eh? I just shrugged and let it be, figured it wasn't my job to decide what someone else's comfort zone should be.

Sounds great! Glad to hear the rental worked out ok (small price to pay for safety huh?), and the trip went well. It may get boring testing tanks every day and never getting anything, but it's reassuring when that happens - as it's supposed to happen. Just do your breath tests to make sure the unit works and keep on keepin' on. Glad the dive Op was mature about it.

 

[electrix]

we rented one last year also for our trip

 

[DRsharky]

All the small dive operators in Bayahibe (and I guess all over the world) have to take good care of all their equipment and the air too. They don't have the luxury of big resorts supplying them with thousand of clients, so they have to have everything in perfect shape to keep the clients coming. Good air and equipment are one of the reasons more and more divers choose independent dive ops instead of diving with resort dive shops.