Palancar Deep

[cnherrick]

... I would like to go to Truk one day and most of those ships ...

From what I've read, Truk and the wrecks are very, very challenging dives. Get ready for lots and lots of skills acquisitions.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

In my opinion, and the observation of many others over 23 years: the Punta Sur Reef, and similar deep ones are either not safe for the general public on aluminum 80 tanks, or at best not very much fun. Again, just my biased opinion.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

Bienvenidos - Aldora Divers | Only the best of Cozumel

 

[ibj40]

In my opinion, and the observation of many others over 23 years: the Punta Sur Reef, and similar deep ones are either not safe for the general public on aluminum 80 tanks, or at best not very much fun. Again, just my biased opinion.


Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers

Dave, could you elaborate on your observation, and cite specific examples?

 

[KenGordon]

I was there with a group last year. All bar three would (and have) routinely done this depth in the English Channel. We decided against doing the Devil's Throat as doing 38m on air with maybe an 8 minute no stop time into an overhead with only 2200l of gas seemed to be inviting issues. Also we'd have had to figure out what to do with the two fresh PADI AOW and the new BSAC Sports Diver.

And what for? Yet another swim through, but darker? If we'd had sensible sized cylinders, or been able to take along our second 80s as spare then maybe, but best way this is a 1200l dive. If someone has a 'moment' inside it could all go quite wrong quite quickly with very little spare gas.

 

[Dave Dillehay]

Dear ibj40,

As well stated above by Ken Gordon, without higher capacity air supplies there is just too little margin for error. in dark swim throughs at that depth. I will not go into specifics of accidents, some fatal, that have occurred there but that is one of the several reasons I started using HP high capacity tanks in 1992.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers


Bienvenidos - Aldora Divers | Only the best of Cozumel

 

[tomhooper]

Truk isn't really worth the trouble in my opinion. Am I glad I can say I've done it? Yes. Would I do it again? No.
Too little bottom time and to much deco time. At the time I was diving with double tanks. Been a few years ago. Too deep for Nitrox so you would still have the problem with deco. Unless you went with heliox or something. Again lot of advanced skills involved.

Stay at 60-80 feet in Cozumel. Much better diving.

 

[mstevens]

The best way to do that dive is with steel 120's of nitrox.

You're getting a custom mix, right?

I've only found 32% and 36% nitrox routinely offered. I have been delivered mixes that are not what they say on the sticker (which is why anyone diving nitrox needs to check their gas personally). For a pO2 of 1.4, MOD for 32% is 111 fsw. Even for 28% (or 32% using a max pO2 of 1.6), MOD is 132 fsw and that is right at the edge of most people's max depth for that dive. I wouldn't dive that site with any mix over 26%.

Now, if you have a place that gives you steel 120's, you probably can get a custom mix. I just wouldn't want anyone ordering nitrox from their shop and assuming it would be appropriate to use for Devil's Throat.

 

[Ron Lee]

I avoid nitrox on deeper dives in case there is a unplanned need to go deeper (another diver begins descending beyond the planned depth.)