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HAIGH QUARRY OPENING FOR THE 2012 SEASON IN jANUARY?
Capt. Darrick Lorenzen
1/7/2012
No, the season at Haigh Quarry is not opening this weekend! It will open for the 2012 season on Saturday April 7th, but because of our unusually warm weather Tina has decided to give Midwest divers a chance to scratch th...

SCUBA DIVERS LEFT BEHIND IN FLORIDA
Capt. Darrick Lorenzen
10/6/2011
The U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday that it was investigating RJ Diving Ventures of Miami Florida. The investigation was initiated because the dive operator left behind two tourists while they were scuba diving.   D...

10 WORST MISTAKES MADE BY RECREATIONAL DIVERS
Capt. Darrick Lorenzen
9/30/2011
1.      Don’t make safety decisions based on financial considerations! Many fatalities and injuries occur because people want diving, dive training or dive travel to be cheap, easy and fast. Always use the proper equipme...

MSD FORUMS - RECREATIONAL DIVE TRAINING AND EDUCATION
TOPIC: Open Water maximum depth limitations
superlite
Posted: 8/20/2011 12:38:43 PM

Joined on
1/14/2006

 Can anyone tell me what maximum depth a diver is certified to dive to after completion of a basic course through PADI. I have heard that the first level of training only certifies you to 30'. Other people have told me you are certified to 130'. I am a little confused about the training process and what is an acceptable maximum depth.
h2odragon1
Posted: 8/20/2011 4:38:05 PM

Joined on
4/14/2009

Basic OW allows you to go to 60'

AOW allows you to go to 100'

any deeper, you need PADI's Deep diver course. This will allow you to go to the limits of what is recognized as recreational diving, 130'. 

Few dive opperations will allow you to excede these guidlines. There are many stories about basic OW divers gooing beyond the limits of their certificates. Usually casualty stories!
Captain Dale
Posted: 8/20/2011 9:39:57 PM

Joined on
3/31/2006

 PADI has no authority to allow or prohibit you from diving to whatever depth at which you feel comfortable unless you are in a PADI class at the time.  Outside of a PADI course the depths are guidelines only.  What a dive service operator will let you do is a function of their business plan.  They may decide to follow PADI's guidelines, another agency's guidelines or establish their own.