B-29 at Lake Mead

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wnissen

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Livermore, Calif.
# of dives
100 - 199
With the water level in the lake dropping, sounds like it is now a recreational dive, barely. Depth on July 2nd was 35.6 meters. No price listed, and only 50 pairs per year. The list of requirements is the longest I've ever seen for a non-tech dive: Advanced Open Water, Deep Specialty, Advanced Nitrox, 50 dives in the last 20 months, and "In the winter months dry suite [sic]". The operators sound like barely-literate schmucks, but if people are interested, there you go. To save you the trouble, at 1.6 PPO2 that's 28% nitrox.

EDIT: I realize I forgot to credit the fine folks at Undercurrent for telling me about this dive. I really appreciate that they are continuing the newsletters.

Undercurrent, Consumer Reporting for Serious Divers Since 1975
 
Yeah...of the few divers that would make the cut (ex. Even if you had all the certs, you still need 50+ dives in the past 20 months), I can’t imagine that too many would jump at the...opportunity...to dive with them after reading that webpage.

You make the cut, get your gear loaded up, and make the mistake of not completing the required 10 counter-clockwise spins after assembling your gear, which causes you mess up their DMs chi...they’re DEFINITELY gonna cancel your dives.:popcorn:
 
A lot of it is dealing with the park services. When the contract was written up a decade+ ago it was a deep technical dive. The park service is well known for being difficult to work with. Since the requirements are already in place it would risk there status to take anyone if they went back and decided a new set of standards would be acceptable.

In short, dealing with the federal government. You know, public lands. Where you are not allowed, unless you pay the price and stick to the pre-built tourist areas.
 
A lot of it is dealing with the park services. When the contract was written up a decade+ ago it was a deep technical dive. The park service is well known for being difficult to work with. Since the requirements are already in place it would risk there status to take anyone if they went back and decided a new set of standards would be acceptable.

In short, dealing with the federal government. You know, public lands. Where you are not allowed, unless you pay the price and stick to the pre-built tourist areas.

I would totally get it if they’d just say “technical divers only,” even though it’s within AOW depth limits at the moment.

My issue is that the current requirements are ridiculously lengthy, poorly written, and could be summarized by just saying “technical divers only.”

Instead...it essentially says “must have gone out and bought every cert card possible short of technical diver.” Oh, and must know your gear and do the buoyancy and stuff.:popcorn:
 
Advanced nitrox? WTH is that?

Do they require advanced plane wreck identification, also?

It is a thing. As is peak performance buoyancy.

Lol.

Apologies for de-railing the thread. That webpage made me do it.
 
With the water level in the lake dropping, sounds like it is now a recreational dive, barely. Depth on July 2nd was 35.6 meters. No price listed, and only 50 pairs per year. The list of requirements is the longest I've ever seen for a non-tech dive: Advanced Open Water, Deep Specialty, Advanced Nitrox, 50 dives in the last 20 months, and "In the winter months dry suite [sic]". The operators sound like barely-literate schmucks, but if people are interested, there you go. To save you the trouble, at 1.6 PPO2 that's 28% nitrox.

wnissen,

I can see weeding out the wheat from the chaff, but surely there is a nicer, more professional way to word it.

I understand that their ability to apply for future permits may be jeopardized by non compliance, but having said that, why would anyone want to do business with any operator showing that level of customer disrespect.

I don't think I'd be booking anything with these people.

Rose.
 
It is a thing. As is peak performance buoyancy.

Lol.

Apologies for de-railing the thread. That webpage made me do it.

I googled advanced nitrox. It appears to be a TDI cert for using greater than 40% O2. Not sure why that would be needed for that depth, but I am not a tech diver.
 
I googled advanced nitrox. It appears to be a TDI cert for using greater than 40% O2. Not sure why that would be needed for that depth, but I am not a tech diver.

Yup. There’s AN, AN/DP (deco procedures), etc. I’m guessing the emphasis is on the DP, as with that dive profile and the verbiage telling AOW newbs to not apply, these are likely not no-deco/standard recreational dives.
 
I can see weeding out the wheat from the chaff, but surely there is a nicer, more professional way to word it.

I understand that their ability to apply for future permits may be jeopardized by non compliance, but having said that, why would anyone want to do business with any operator showing that level of customer disrespect.

I don't think I'd be booking anything with these people.

That was my take as well. Not to mention if they can't be bothered to punctuate and capitalize on a site that is advertising their services, how careful are they with diving? It does seem like a really neat dive.

Yup. There’s AN, AN/DP (deco procedures), etc. I’m guessing the emphasis is on the DP, as with that dive profile and the verbiage telling AOW newbs to not apply, these are likely not no-deco/standard recreational dives.

Yeah, that's what I don't get, actually. I was under the impression that just AN didn't cover mandatory deco dives, but maybe I'm wrong about that. Or are they riding the NDL so close that it's technically a rec dive but one more minute puts you into mandatory deco?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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