Backing off from technical diving

[Tortuga68]

When the brown stuff hits the fan, and "This sucks, I'm going back to the boat." isn't an option, it's technical diving

Well that would include cave diving

Depends on the dive. I'm coming up from a lovely 200-foot dive in Nootka Sound, British Columbia. It's a beautiful reef ... non-stop scenery. At 120 feet my toes start cramping. I'm looking at 45 minutes of deco between here and surface, so I try to relax and put my mind on how beautiful these cloud sponges are, and how ... from the 70 foot stop almost to the 20 foot stop ... I'll have carpets of sponges and strawberry anemones and all the critters that call them home to take my mind off this pain. After that, I'm in the kelp with a completely different environment to admire all the way to the surface. 25 minutes later I'm at 20 feet, switching to oxygen. The cramps have gotten worse, and I can barely move my right foot it hurts so bad. I'm looking at 20 minutes at this depth. Scenery's nice ... but all I'm thinking about is how much I want this dive to be over. I really want to get my foot out of that fin, out of that boot, and massage the cramps out of my toes. Life threatening it ain't ... but I'd definitely call it a mandatory negative ...

So, don't dive solo? Same thing could happen on a shore dive

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

So, don't dive solo? Same thing could happen on a shore dive

What's my dive buddy gonna do? I couldn't exactly pull off my fins and drysuit boots and ask her to massage my toes underwater.

The vast majority of my dives are shore dives. I've yet to be 45 minutes from shore, unless there was a deco obligation involved.

Just because you can't see a downside doesn't mean one doesn't exist ... all it means is that the downside is outside the realm of your experience or imagination ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[shoredivr]

I'm now totally confused as to what "technical diving" actually is...

Yeah, I would put cave diving in the technical category.

 

[PfcAJ]

What's my dive buddy gonna do? I couldn't exactly pull off my fins and drysuit boots and ask her to massage my toes underwater.

Well not with THAT attitude!

 

[rjack321]

I just don't seem to want to very often.

Ditto. Often not worth the price and hassle for the bottom time. Out of my 1100 of so dives total, my top 10 of all time are strongly weighted towards cave and wreck dives however. I am just getting very picking about my definitions of "worth it" over the years.

 

[Centrals]

Ditto. Often not worth the price and hassle for the bottom time. Out of my 1100 of so dives total, my top 10 of all time are strongly weighted towards cave and wreck dives however. I am just getting very picking about my definitions of "worth it" over the years.

You won't know until you had tried it so every dive is worth it.
I dive for fun.

 

[ajduplessis]

Yeah, I would put cave diving in the technical category.

What, can't be?!? Do you know how many rec divers, non-cave instructor and untrained cavers enter caves! It so easy to enter caves.

 

[Centrals]

Depends on the dive. I'm coming up from a lovely 200-foot dive in Nootka Sound, British Columbia. It's a beautiful reef ... non-stop scenery. At 120 feet my toes start cramping. I'm looking at 45 minutes of deco between here and surface, so I try to relax and put my mind on how beautiful these cloud sponges are, and how ... from the 70 foot stop almost to the 20 foot stop ... I'll have carpets of sponges and strawberry anemones and all the critters that call them home to take my mind off this pain. After that, I'm in the kelp with a completely different environment to admire all the way to the surface. 25 minutes later I'm at 20 feet, switching to oxygen. The cramps have gotten worse, and I can barely move my right foot it hurts so bad. I'm looking at 20 minutes at this depth. Scenery's nice ... but all I'm thinking about is how much I want this dive to be over. I really want to get my foot out of that fin, out of that boot, and massage the cramps out of my toes. Life threatening it ain't ... but I'd definitely call it a mandatory negative ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

If you did not have the cramp then that dive would be beautiful. It is just like having a good meal and then suffer(not food poisoning) afterwards. You can't blame the food, can you?
BTW, it can't be that negative cause you can still vividly remember every minute of it.

 

[TSandM]

I am just getting very picking about my definitions of "worth it" over the years.

One of the best days of diving I've had this year was doing the Maury Island Barges and the Anna Foss with you guys. It doesn't have to be deep to be fun.

 

[Tortuga68]

What's my dive buddy gonna do? I couldn't exactly pull off my fins and drysuit boots and ask her to massage my toes underwater.

The vast majority of my dives are shore dives. I've yet to be 45 minutes from shore, unless there was a deco obligation involved.

Just because you can't see a downside doesn't mean one doesn't exist ... all it means is that the downside is outside the realm of your experience or imagination ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Miaow!

I guess I just don't see getting a cramp on one dive as a reason to quit technical diving