Australia Diving

[alcina]

Just ask when you sign up if there are restrictions on bottom times or returning air pressures etc. I know I do when I book a dive somewhere.

I do not expect an operator to put that in their info...to me it's fairly reasonable to assume there will be dive plans of some sort on all commercial tours. So I just ask to make sure that the dive plan is something that works for me.

When you have a private group going, ask the group leader/organizer. Usually he/she will have created a special group excursion with different "rules" than if there was a boatload of various people of all experience and interests.

 

[farrakhan]

You may want to rethink coming up with 50 bar of air is stupid as there are many reason's for this rule to be in effect. Do you also think using more then 1/3 of air when you are in an overhead environment is stupid. Think about the duty of care responsibility the charter operator has for you. I can personally assure you that one time you need that 50 bar in your tank in an emergency and it's not there you won't think it's such a stupid rule.

Just my 2 cents. Safety before anything else.

 

[paschen]

While I have only been diving a short period of time, the 50bar rule has been in place everywhere I go in SEQld.
Those dive sheets can be audited and we have been spot checked (fisheries) once between dives to make sure everything was being done correctly. While we don't have to show our gauges, we are asked air on leaving and boarding.
Role call is also taken and you are not allowed to answer for your buddy, your wife, your dog - anyone. This has also been the proceedure for when I have dived at Cook Island in Northern NSW, though I don't remember if this happened in Byron.
I assume that the air limit isn't mentioned because it is the way things are done here.
A bad dive brief is one thing, but trying to ensure yours and others safety is not a bad thing. I can't imagine coming up with less than 50bar. You can still get a good dive (1hour) in with a lot of bottom time in the low 20m and come up with 50bar.

Personally, I don't much care for ProDive and have never dived with them - but have heard great things about Mike Ball through my dive club.

 

[boxcar]

"While I have only been diving a short period of time, the 50bar rule has been in place everywhere I go in SEQld. Those dive sheets can be audited and we have been spot checked (fisheries) once between dives to make sure everything was being done correctly. ... Role call is also taken and you are not allowed to answer for your buddy, your wife, your dog - anyone. This has also been the proceedure for when I have dived at Cook Island in Northern NSW, though I don't remember if this happened in Byron.I assume that the air limit isn't mentioned because it is the way things are done here."

Good Point Paschen...My experiences are similar to yours whe diving between Byron and Bundaberg. While I've dived on some boats that recommend ascending at 50 and back on the boat at 35 or 30 bar, back on board with 50 bar is pretty common here...and so that's the way we dive...and we still get fantastic dives.

I guess I can understand people being miffed about this for a dive or two, but its time to get over it. Some of the comments here might indicate that a 50 bar return pressure is extrordinary...but in QLD its pretty common (perhaps even a de facto standard)...and, from what I've seen, most of these policies have been improvements over the way things used to be 'back in the day'...

 

[maggo]

I am working in Cairns for one of the local dive operators. Most of the rules existing on these boats are company policie. The depth for example. It says diver should not dive below their trained depth. As well, in our operation manul it says we should advice open water diver not to dive below 18m and advanced divers not below 21m, but if they dont stick to that advice it is their own problem. I think Queensland law says 40m but I am not 100% sure about it. Since they are certified divers the boat is not reliable if they dive too deep or run out of air under the water. If the crew doesn't let you in the water after diving too deep i consider this as bad customer service. If you are an experienced diver and you know what you are doing you usually should have the freedom to dive as you like. Only if you heavily reverse your profile we advise(!) people to stay out of the water for 12 hours. We still let them in the water but they know about the risk they take.