Disclaimer: It is not my intention whatsoever to cast blame on anyone or to flame or offend anyone, but rather to educate and offer some reflection of what did or didn't go wrong on this dive gerald describes. Of course I wasn't there, but AS has an impeccable safety record and their divemasters are extremely competent. Gerald, I am not picking apart your post for the sake of nitpicking. I just think that it will be easier to respond to comments individually.
As a charter boat operator who is very familiar with the protocols followed in Coz, here is what I think:
geraldp:
...Our first dive was on Columbia Deep. The only thing the DM told us was 1) dont go below 80 ft, 2) signal me when you get to 1000psi and I'll inflate a lift bag and we'll get off the wall, then signal me again at 750psi, then we'll go up, and 3) if you go OOA come to me, not your buddy.
Sounds like a no fluff, but fairly thorough briefing telling you the parameters of the dive. Perhaps he could have been clearer on ascent procedures. If you are ever unclear of procedures before you enter the water...ASK! It is the DM's duty to make sure you are clear on all procedures including entry, exit, decent and ascent procedures.
geraldp:
...Two of us were underweighted, and we flailed around using up most of our air trying to get down...
If this was your first dive of the trip, I suspect that you weren't necessarily underweighted, but your equipment, particularly your wetsuit was dry and not soaked. It is not uncommon at all for divers to have a little difficulty getting down on the first dive of the trip, but adding more weight is not the answer, unless of course you had trouble staying at the safety stop too...this would be an indicator that you were underweighted. Also, if you really were flailing around like you described, you will never get down. The key to descending is to relax and exhale deeply and sink slowly. The more you are moving and fighting it, the harder it is going to be to get down.
You said that you started with 18 and he added another 4. 18#s sounds appropriate based on the wetsuit you were wearing and your size. I suspect that once your wetsuit was fully soaked, you didnt really need that extra 4#s.
geraldp:
I flashed to the DM when I was at 1000psi (he did nothing), then again at 750, and the DM slowly inflated a surface bouy, then stayed there at 80 feet. Not knowing that his plan was to stay with the more advanced divers, I became more and more alarmed (and repeatedly flashed my SPG to the DM) until finally when I got to about 450 psi I decided to surface by myself.
You NEVER need the DM's permission to ascend. When the divemaster asks you to signal him at 1000psi, it is so that he has a mental note of your air consumption rate. He uses this to calculate how much longer you will be able to dive and how he should handle the dive profile from that point on. 1000psi is certainly no need for alarm and no need to rush to the surface. The 750 psi mark lets him know it's time to start a nice slow ascent. Again, this is plenty of air to do a normal ascent, and a nice safety stop with about 300psi + to surface with. Keep in mind that as you get shallower, your breathing consumption rate is alot less as well and 750psi at 15-20 ft will last plenty long for a proper safety stop. He HAS to inflate the buoy slowly, otherwise it will pull him up very fast. As small as they are, surface buoys have lift power and can be dangerous if not used properly.
geraldp:
My one buddy who was also low on air was using rental gear, and didn't know how to read his computer. He ended up going OOA, but since the DM was no where near he shared with another diver.
Hate to say it, but this is a 100% error on your dive buddys part. If he did not know how to read his computer, he should have asked the DM for a brief explanation. Secondly, dive computers rented by shops are not air integrated and have nothing to do with tank pressure. He should have been reading and monitoring his SPG for tank pressure regularly. OOA situations are almost always diver error
from not paying attention to their SPG.
You say the divemaster was nowhere near. The divemaster is leading the dive, and it is your responsibility to stay with him. If you go below him, ahead of him, or go off on in another direction, that is not the divemasters fault. This is where a certain amount of diver responsibility and buddy contact comes in. Even though the divemaster said he would share air with a low on air diver, this does not mean that you cannot donate air to your dive buddy if the divemaster is not within reach. Divemasters are GUIDES and are there to help if needed. If you are expecting a divemaster to be directly by your side throughout the dive, to check your guages and computer for you, and to control your ascents and descents, I HIGHLY recommend that you hire a private divemaster at least for the first day of your trip. It will cost a little more, but isn't your safety worth it? As a certified diver, you assume the risks involved with scuba diving and you assume responsibility for yourself.
geraldp:
When my two buddies and I finally surfaced after our safety stop the DM stayed down with the more advanced divers for another 30 minutes.
Aqua Safari is a very conservative shop and does not do extended bottom times. Their dives rarely exceed 50 minutes. Are you saying that you surfaced after 20 minutes? Regardless, the other divers should not be expected to surface because you and your buddy ran low on air so early in the dive. You will appreciate this as your air consumption improves and you are able to stay down longer as well. Per marine park standards, the DM cannot leave divers alone in the water regardless of their experience level.
geraldp:
So clearly my two buddies and I screwed up royally for not taking care of each other properly, and we were fortunate enough to survive.
Yes, you are correct here. Buddy systems are in place for a reason. However, it doesnt sound to me like you were in true danger of dying in this case, unless of course you had totally failed to check your gauges and act accordingly. Again, you are responsible for yourself and making your own decisions underwater. If you are low on air, you do not need permission to surface
but dont forget to do it safely.
geraldp:
However a portion of the blame has to go to the dive op and the DM for 1) mixing newbies in with more advanced divers
I don't agree. Sometimes this simply cannot be avoided. There are a lot more considerations for matching up divers than you are probably aware of.
Perhaps to you these divers seemed very experienced, but may have actually been closer to your experience level than other divers with the operation that day.
OR
Maybe the other boats were full with groups that could not/did not want to be spilt up. There are a plethora of considerations that go into scheduling the boats, particularly for larger operations that deal with walk-ins and deal with a high volume of customers.
The ONLY way to guarantee you will be grouped with divers of your exact experience level is to assemble your own group and charter the boat for your group OR hire a private divemaster. We (dive ops) cannot send out a separate boat for every single level of diver
that would be impossible and impractical. We have to match divers the best we can as closely as we can. When you are booking a dive trip on a public charter, you take these chances.
Also keep in mind, that most people have very inflated egos regarding their dive skill level. I see it every single day from OW level divers to instructor level divers. Just today I had a call from a non-certified diver claiming to be an experienced diver because he has done several resort dives over the years. Sorry folks, that is a beginner by any definition.
geraldp:
...By telling us that he would be our buddy during the dive I completely ignored my two friends who were my real buddies (again this part was mostly our fault for not following our basic training).
The divemaster is everyones buddy when diving as a group. I am certain that it was not his intention to have you ignore or abandon your buddy. Again, he probebly could have been more clear on this. Some of it is the fact that they don't have a 100% command on the English language.
geraldp:
...but I had not zeroed in my bouyancy.
Buoyancy control takes practice and no one is expected to be perfect on their first ocean dive, or even their 10th. Your buoyancy will actually need fine tuning anytime you change dive environments, and even within the same environment. Sometime I need to add 2 #s to my weighting, and sometimes I need to take off 2#s in the same water, with the same gear configuration.
geraldp:
...this was my first dive (outside of the pool) that I was using my new BC, reg, & computer...
It would have been a very good idea for you to have done a check-out dive with an instructor to adjust your weighting and get a feel for your new equipment and the new diving environment.
geraldp:
re: gear rental...I would recommend either taking the plunge and buying ones own gear, or renting gear from your local LDS and travelling with it. This excludes tanks and weights, obviously, as they are always included in the cost of your dives in Cozumel.
This depends 100% on the operator you are diving with. My rental equipment is in new condition and very well taken care of. It is regularly serviced and retired after 100 dives or earlier if necessary.
Well, I hope this gave you and others some things to reflect on and think about before your next dive trip.
