Diving past recreational limits...with no deco

[john triggerfish]

Hi all, it's John Triggerfish here; the world's most entertainingly prominent scuba author and diving supremo.

I've just come back from lecturing on the island of Gozo about how to become a middle aged scubahero when I discovered that it's common for PADI divers to go 63m on air to do the 'bottle' on the north coast.
To be honest I was effing astounded when I found out and nearly rang up my head honcho PADI executive level fellow scubagod there and then.
I also coined a new acronym to describe it:
PIFS
Pretty Intensely Frickin Stupid

This dive is being commonly done on compressed air and as we all know, that's about the limit where oxygen toxicity becomes a factor, never mind narcosis, not to mention the gear maintenance issues at those pressures.
So here's my questions:

How common is this?
Are there any more known dodgy depth dives?
Would PADI mount an investigation or is it down to the discretion of the 'open water' diver if he wants to basically kill him/herself?

I'd like a big list of commonly done lack of common sense dive sites please, and a big FO discussion to go with it...
Thank you.
JT

 

[BlueTrin]

When you say PADI divers, do you mean:

• Dives organised by a PADI center labelled as PADI dives
• A random bunch of people who have PADI certifications who decide to do this

I don’t think PADI has a right of say on what people do after they pass their certification on their spare time outside a PADI centre (even though I agree that seems unnecessarily dangerous)

 

[jlcnuke]

Is it just the PADI divers doing it? All divers certified by some other agency there are skipping that dive?

How common is "doing that dive"? I'd guess not very since most divers never get to the island of Gozo I'd imagine (having never heard of it myself). How common is it for rec divers to exceed 130ft? I've done it (by 6 ft) and I imagine many hit the limit or just past it like I did at least once, so I'd say that's relatively common. How common is it for them to go to 63m? I'd say very rare. I know I wouldn't consider it with rec gear and training. That said, I'm not everyone. Here's a Youtube video of a guy doing 58.4 meters in Fiji with others (including a DM, indicating to me that it isn't completely uncommon there).

As far as whether PADI would "mount an investigation" I'm really not sure what they'd investigate? Divers are certified. If they choose to go beyond their training that's on them, not PADI. PADI isn't going to "revoke their diving privileges" or anything.... if a diver choose to go do deco dives with only OW training that's up to them. Plenty of people dive without any certification at all around the world. There are no "scuba police" to stop anyone from doing things that are reckless or beyond their training. Only dive operators who institute their own standards as far as who they'll take where.

 

[Stoo]

I suspect it's more common than you might think. Here in Tobermory, dives to 170' to 180' are pretty common on air. However, it would be very uncommon to do it with a single tank, and as a no deco dive.

Admittedly, there is a difference between 180' and 206'. Personally, I wouldn't do it.

At least the water is warm in Malta

 

[johndiver999]

What gear maintenance issues are associated with that depth?
That video was amusing, hand swimming and all.

Also narcosis rather than oxygen would be my concern for a bounce dive.

 

[lowviz]

IDK, ask the OP troll...

 

[Bob DBF]

Having been trained for NDL diving back in the day, the depth limit was technically 190' because a dive on tables to 200' required deco. Considering the tables have been revised giving less time at depth I would guess even 190' may require deco now. At 63 meters they are in deco, they ignore it assuming that they will not have an obligation when they surface.

When I started extending my diving range a mentor was the only training, air was the only choice, and 200' is not crazy deep, so I am not as upset with the dive itself, but the lack of planning, gear, and skills for the actual dive that usually accompany these attempts.

Since PADI, or any other agency, does not approve of these attempts, I see no reason for changing the suggested "recreational" limits.


Bob

 

[divad]

.[/QUOTE]

Why are they just standing around milling about?

 

[jlcnuke]

[QUOTE="j
.

Why are they just standing around milling about?[/QUOTE]

No idea, I just found the video on Youtube. Apparently they all take a while to sign the slate too... but I'm guessing narcosis probably had something to do with that.

 

[Rred]

John, my old instructor was a D-day frogman. His diving skills started at that level. And he mentioned that one day, he was very curious to see why his exhaust bubbles were going SIDEWAYS so he decided to follow them and see where they were going.

Of course they were going UP not sideways and when he reached the surface he realized he was thoroughly narcosed. With the lack of instruments and knowledge of limits back then, he was simply lucky to be alive.

So sure, anyone can dive any way they please. "The limits" are there because they have been found to be the limit of safe diving for the vast majority of divers with conventional equipment and training. Heck, FOX TV could probably put on a new "Jackass" show now that word has gotten around that hood-surfing on the highway isn't a great idea. This time, feature the superheros who can dive to sixty meters on just a pony bottle and never get bent. Interview the survivors in their wheelchairs, and try to find one in an iron lung perhaps?

PADI has the obligation to inform students about danger thresholds. What the students choose to do when they dive, is something entirely different.

Maybe SCUBA agencies need to show videos of former divers, who have found the limits the hard way, to drill the point across.