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Altamira

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I recently did two 2 tank dives with Top Dive in Fakarava and Bora Bora, French Polynesia, on a Windstar cruise dive excursion, and experienced an unusual approach to the use of Nitrox. We were on a dive boat with eight divers, with me being the only Nitrox certified diver in the group, and was surprised when the DM/Instructor briefed that everyone would be using Nitrox for the dives. A very brief explanation of how Nitrox differed from air was given, and with the explanation they always used Nitrox because of the distance to a chamber. I was not overly concerned by their procedure because the dive profiles being briefed would not approach NDLs for air or O2 toxicity for Nitrox with a 35 and 32 setting. Obviously I set my computer for the Nitrox, and all the other divers were given wrist computers, but it was obvious none of the other divers had a clue about using the computer. In addition, because of the way Nitrox was briefed, the other divers were left with the impression Top Dive was going to give them a Nitrox cert after the dives, but I quickly assured them that was not going to be the case, and it was obviously an in house procedure for their dive op. Maybe this is common in that part of the world, but when diving with Paul Gauguin a couple years ago, and with Hemisphere Sub at Raiatea on this trip, air was standard issue, unless the diver was certified for Nitrox and requested it. This is just info for those planning on using Top Dive in Polynesia.
 
It did not strike me as a major problem because Top Dive apparently runs all of their dives that way, and our group was only doing two dives, each about 40 minutes with a max depth of 70', and average of 40-50' at each location with a lengthy SI before any possibility of subsequent dives (we were on a Windstar Cruise). My main issue was they seemed to use Nitrox as a safety buffer to reduce nitrogen loading without the divers really understanding the issues. Since I was well within O2 and nitrogen loading on all dives, I was not concerned for the safety of the group, other than them getting a naive and untrained impression of using Nitrox. As far as the computers were concerned, there was no briefing on how to set them up, use them, or interpret the information being provided. I did not see a single diver so much as look at their wrist computer during the four dives with Top Dive. I think they were just for show or CYA with the lawyers.

My only personal beef with Top Dive is that they switched my gear to a tank that only had 1000 psi during an SI, and when I pointed out the problem, I got a dismissive "That's not possible" from our French DM/Instructor, who proceeded to turn the valve off, on, off, removed the first stage from the valve, turned the first stage upside down, turned the valve back on, only to still see 1000 psi on both my SPG and AI computer. I sat there thinking WTF as I watched him finally realize that the old guy was right, and he was well--wrong. Of course I got no apology or even acknowledgment as they put my gear on a fresh tank.
 
I would never allow them to touch my gear for starters...
 
It did not strike me as a major problem
But it is. It's a needless "Trust Me" dive. Did the participants each measure the O2 in their tanks? Did they really understand the various dangers and pitfalls? Probably not. They are entrusting their well being to another individual who has shown a remarkable disregard for safety protocols. That's why I said it was scary.

If NitrOx is essential, then a NitrOx cert is just as essential. What if a diver somehow made it to deep water, not realizing that the O2 was becoming a liability instead of a benefit? How would the dive op defend its practice should there be an accident? Any accident? Just because they get away with it for any number of times doesn't make it right.
 
If they were putting people on tanks with 1000psi and being dismissive about it, any nitrox mixing might be suspect as well. Overconfidence does tend to come around and bite people eventually.
 
If they were putting people on tanks with 1000psi and being dismissive about it, any nitrox mixing might be suspect as well. Overconfidence does tend to come around and bite people eventually.

Where are you getting the 1,000 PSI measurement? Is this something I am missing?

Also, if the max depth is 70', where is the major concern? I'm one that thinks Nitrox should be taught with OW, and not an additional fee to PADI, SSI, etc...
 
Where are you getting the 1,000 PSI measurement? Is this something I am missing?

Also, if the max depth is 70', where is the major concern? I'm one that thinks Nitrox should be taught with OW, and not an additional fee to PADI, SSI, etc...

Post five. Have not seen this done before! If they aren't tracking full tanks, and being dismissive to divers pointing it out, the depth is no longer the danger point, IMO.

EDIT: Post three, sorry.
 
I am not in any way defending Top Dive's procedures, just explaining what I saw, and to answer the questions.
1. I set up my own gear on dive 1 and was going to do the same for dive 2. However during the initial part of the SI, I went to the opposite side of the boat to talk to another diver who did not get to do dive 1 because he forgot to bring his air2 reg/inflator valve from the ship, and despite telling the DM/Instructor while enroute to the dive shop that he did not have the reg, something got lost in communication and nearing the dive site found himself with his bcd attached to a tank, but no Air2 and his inflator hose dangling in the breeze. When my friend accepted my invitation to use my gear for the second dive, I took him to my gear to set it up and give him a rundown. That is when I found the crew had already switched the tank, but to one that only had 1000psi. I actually got to dive the second dive, but that is another story not relevant to the Nitrox issue.
2. They did check everyone's Nitrox mix and showed each diver the reading, so all the divers knew was they had 35 or 32% O2. But they did not discuss any depth limits or issues on using Nitrox. I was the only diver in the group that was trained for EANx, and was comfortable with the briefed dive profiles. Top Dive apparently does this type of diving routinely, and they know their dive sites. Every tank on the boat was Nitrox.
3. The sea bed in both dive locations was 70' so there was no danger of anyone exceeding the PPO2 limits.
4. I knew about Top Dive's rep on SB, but elected to use them because it was convenient, and did not want to deal with the aggravation of trying to coordinate diving with a crappy/non-existent internet or cell phone in that part of the world.
5. Yes, they were trust me dives for this group of typical low experienced, un-proficient divers rec divers (I was the exception of course), and the two DMs had their hands full dealing with this group on the Fakara drift dives, and even on the low stress Bora Bora dives. Besides the DMs, I was the only one with a DSMB and reel, much less a safety sausage, on what could have been a sporty drift dive. Luckily it was not the ride Fakarava apparently can be.
6. On the positive side, I did enjoy all of my dives.
 

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