OW Maximum Dive Depth?

[explorer08]

They were obviously putting trust in divers, but if I were them I would have been tempted to "suggest" that fairly inexperienced OWD divers go on a different boat on relatively shallower dives.

:thumbs-up

 

[Marek K]

:thumbs-up

OK... Is that a good smiley, or a bad smiley? I guess good...

 

[explorer08]

OK... Is that a good smiley, or a bad smiley? I guess good...

You are true, it's hard to recognize. Or is it just, that we both need glasses? It's two thumbs up.

 

[KY_BOB]

I guess the agencies have to throw out some number but isn't it really relative to the dive being done? Personally, I think a 65' reef dive in the tropics is a very simple dive. A 55' dive in my local quarry is much more complicated and dangerous due to cold water and limited visability. You have to wear a thick wetsuit or a drysuit, hood, and thick gloves. Other than the importance of ascent rates, I dare say that a 80-90' dive following a divemaster on a nice warm reef is safer than 2 inexperienced divers jumping into a quarry and going to 50'.

Just my $.02 (flame away)

 

[nelsoned]

Wow this all seems sooo strange. I was certified in 1965. No tank pressure guage just a J valve. Whenthe breathing got tough (hard to breathe) you had 5 min to the surface before out of air. Npw we have SPGs and most diverd die because they are "out of air" ! Why.................................................... ?

I dove to 180 ft on air with an "OW" certification and a 72 cu ft steel tank.
I watched others "bounce dive " to 250 ft with the same rig. We all lived.

We dove the old navy tables. No computers. Only wathches, SPGs and depth guages. We worked our tables before and after each dive.

I dove that way until one day in Grand Cayman the dive master said "all of you with computers on this side of the boat and those with no computers on the other side". Hearing the command I stepped to the "computer" side of the boat. When the dive master said "where's your computer" I pointed to my head. (realizing that not having a computer was a marker for being incompetent). In self defense I bought a computer. I have been asked "why don't you surface as soon as the computer clears ? The answer is gas laws and probability. No one ever died of a nice long deco/safety stop.

It was't long before 130 ft "rule" magically appeared.

What I really think is that all of the limit stuff is a combination of the Nanny phenemenon, lawyers and desire by some to perpetuate the illusion that diving is "safe", along with the 'Disneylandization" of diving.

All of the risk can not be eliminated from diving.

Only you can think for you.
Only you can breathe for you.
Only you can survive for you.

You can train.
You can dive and learn and dive and learn and dive and learn...........only if you live !

Ask yourself "what if" I have a: BURST TANK RING, BURST INFLATOR HOSE, RUN AWAY BC INFLATOR, FREE FLOW AT DEPTH, BURST SPG HOSE, BUDDY OUT OF AIR.
Become self reliant.

Have a plan B.


The ocean does not care.

Happy diving.

 

[scubajew]

The Open water Depth limitations is indeed a recommendation. It is not a law that will be enforced by some underwater law enforcement agency... there are no PADI police. These limitations aren't always enforced by Dive shops or boats offering fun diving, but may be recommended. On my boat we offer Adventure dives for both deep diving and Night diving for divers without documented experience in these areas. otherwise we will provide you with a Divemaster to lead the dive and everything,but there is one good reason to adhere to the depth limitation though... it's called your insurance... yes "if" you have an accident and require any kind of medical evacuation or perhaps even re-compression. anything at all that means you need to go to a hospital. Your insurance agency is going to work very hard to prove you did something wrong so that they don't have to cover you, and at least the area I reside in that means about $800 USD/hr in the chamber that your travelers insurance will not cover due to you diving beyond your certification experience. So yes be afraid of the lawyer not the shark swimming next to you, and look into doing the adventure dives or even the Advanced just so that at least in the worst case senario, you have a problem your insurance will take care of you.

 

[ScubaCruiser54]

An AOW certification does not mean that you are a better or safer diver than an OW certification.

I'll take a 100 dive OW buddy who is comfortable diving and has good situational awareness over a barely dive qualified AOW who has never dove in salt water anytime.

 

[mmintz]

scubajew, it is nice to finally see someone bring up that all important topic of insurance. That is the one thing nobody seems to think about, if they don't have DAN or another form or dive insurance.

 

[Insta-Gator]

Collusion to keep the $$$ flowing through the industry.

 

[Bonesnews]

Wow this all seems sooo strange. I was certified in 1965. No tank pressure guage just a J valve. Whenthe breathing got tough (hard to breathe) you had 5 min to the surface before out of air. Npw we have SPGs and most diverd die because they are "out of air" ! Why.................................................... ?

I dove to 180 ft on air with an "OW" certification and a 72 cu ft steel tank.
I watched others "bounce dive " to 250 ft with the same rig. We all lived.

We dove the old navy tables. No computers. Only wathches, SPGs and depth guages. We worked our tables before and after each dive.

I dove that way until one day in Grand Cayman the dive master said "all of you with computers on this side of the boat and those with no computers on the other side". Hearing the command I stepped to the "computer" side of the boat. When the dive master said "where's your computer" I pointed to my head. (realizing that not having a computer was a marker for being incompetent). In self defense I bought a computer. I have been asked "why don't you surface as soon as the computer clears ? The answer is gas laws and probability. No one ever died of a nice long deco/safety stop.

It was't long before 130 ft "rule" magically appeared.

What I really think is that all of the limit stuff is a combination of the Nanny phenemenon, lawyers and desire by some to perpetuate the illusion that diving is "safe", along with the 'Disneylandization" of diving.

All of the risk can not be eliminated from diving.

Only you can think for you.
Only you can breathe for you.
Only you can survive for you.

You can train.
You can dive and learn and dive and learn and dive and learn...........only if you live !

Ask yourself "what if" I have a: BURST TANK RING, BURST INFLATOR HOSE, RUN AWAY BC INFLATOR, FREE FLOW AT DEPTH, BURST SPG HOSE, BUDDY OUT OF AIR.
Become self reliant.

Have a plan B.


The ocean does not care.

Happy diving.

To me this basically says it all......Well put Nelsoned!!!!! Stay within your experience lvl.....