Mossbank is correct.

PADI has always been vague at best about the maximum depths for divers. The only thing they are very firm on is that "Recreational diving be limited to 130ft."

Open Water divers (when you press PADI on the subject) are allowed to a maximum of 130ft under "professional supervision" which would mean divemaster or senior.

Now, Florian, how do YOU justify Open Water divers not diving the Blue Hole if they have proper supervision despite the fact that this is NOT PADI'S policy? Fact is, PADI, is a profit organisation. They WILL NOT state in unambiguous terms that Open Water divers are not allowed to dive beyond 60ft under proper supervision. This would mean that Open Water divers would miss half of the best dive areas in the world. They WILL state that if two or more Open Water divers are diving together as a buddy team or pair and they are familiar with the site, they can dive unsupervised to the 60ft max, but no more as they do not have professional supervision. But, outside of the local dive club, how many Open Water divers dive as buddy pairs with no supervision?

And, 60ft maximum for Open Water divers off Ambergris Caye??? That would limit them to Hol Chan Marine Park....how ridiculous!!

If the Blue Hole was limited to Advanced divers (and PADI only "trains" these to 100ft) then the price would have to be quadrupled to justify the boat trip out there...there would simply not be enough so-called "qualified" divers to do the dive. And, if you were to limit the dive to 100ft for Advanced divers (bear in mind this is the MAXIMUM depth that they dive during their course), there would be bugger all to see at that depth in the Blue Hole.

Of course, Florian or bywarren, you might be a couple of those special divers that would be willing to pay $500.00US for a day trip to the Blue Hole, which is what you would have to pay for the trip if only Advanced divers or above could do the dive.

Of course, this would be nonsense. The boats would never move, no-one would get to do the dive because no-one would be willing to pay.

In any case, using the dive card as a measure of someone's diving skills is also sometimes not a very good barometer of actual diving ability. I have refused to deep dive the odd Advanced or Rescue diver for being an absolutely horrible diver, and have welcomed with open arms Open Water divers who have proved to me on shallower dives (and with carefully maintained log books) that they have the experience and skills to handle the deeper dives.

Now......as to apportioning blame for dive accidents/incidents.....how do you stop divers from giving false medical
information on their dive applications/releases? When I was in the
dive business I lost count of the number of people who
"forgot" to put down small details such as a history of heart
problems, high blood pressure, active asthma etc.


I lost count of the number of certified divers who were on
lithium and prozac and any number of other powerful
prescription drugs but wouldn't admit it until pressed.


I lost count of the number of grossly obese certified
divers who walked in to my shop and showed their dive card
and expected to dive even though they were clearly not "fit
to dive."....and some of these divers had Advanced cards or greater.


I lost count of the number of divers who falsified their
diving experience on their dive applications and were only
found out through careful verbal questioning.


I lost count of the number of divers who I refused to dive
because of all or any of the above.


And yet, who knows how many good liars I let slip through
my vetting procedure that got to dive that I would not have
allowed had I known the truth?

I also lost count of the number of divers who thought they
were too experienced to dive with the dive group and refused
follow the dive profile once they were in the water.


In my years in the dive industry I never had a diving
death, but that was pure luck. Had I stayed in the business
I am quite sure my luck would not have held out. I had
quite a few divers that I admitted to the Hyperbaric
Chamber, and I would say about 60% of those omitted
important medical information from their dive applications
that would probably have saved the chamber staff the bother
of having to prevent a needless death.

The point is, no one is going to be able stop people from partaking in the sport,
including people who clearly would have difficulty
breathing let alone diving. It's human nature to challenge
authority, to buck the system, to defy the rules. It's no
good blaming JUST the diving professionals who stress
themselves out every day trying to balance a good guided
tour with safety safety safety. The individual has to take
responsibility for choosing to dive in the first place, and
he or she had better be fit for it or be prepared to take
the consequences.

Mossbank, you were bang on on everything you said, let me know when you're ready to have your computer serviced again!!