What makes you an experienced diver?

[DevonDiver]

Bummer.
Forget all the skill bulls#*t. Just enjoy the sound of the bubbles. The skills you need for your type of diving, whatever that is, will just follow.

Never heard an academic argument for the 'natural evolution' of skills.

Chances are, without a focus on development, the diver would slide into bad habits and complacency.

 

[Hank49]

Never heard an academic argument for the 'natural evolution' of skills.

Chances are, without a focus on development, the diver would slide into bad habits and complacency.

Based on his post, I would guess he understands the skills he feels he needs but isn't performing them to the level he desires. Perhaps impatient? My point is to not get so hung up on performing perfect skills on every dive and to just enjoy being underwater. Which is probably the reason he started diving anyway.
It's easy to get so hung up on skills....almost to the point of being like a young girl constantly looking in the mirror..."how do I look"? more to please others and not yourself. Just enjoy, It will come.

 

[DevonDiver]

Ah, ok..that makes more sense. I think that the 'DIR mentality' has caused a overly skills focused mentality in some divers. I don't think that's a bad thing, but if it becomes a compulsion, then it could be detrimental to long term development. That said, people enjoy diving for different reasons. For some, it is a natural outlet for a perfectionist streak.

I wouldn't be surprised if some form of 'competitive' diving emerged in the coming years. Performing manoeuvres and buoyancy, underwater obstacle courses for a judge's score....

Hmmm.....

 

[turnerjd]

I wouldn't be surprised if some form of 'competitive' diving emerged in the coming years. Performing manoeuvres and buoyancy, underwater obstacle courses for a judge's score....

Hmmm.....

It is also going in to opposite direction, with a minimalist movement slowly starting up. Over the last 3 months that I have really started diving again, I see a distinct undercurrent of "anti DIR" or more generally "anti Tec" where the aim is to have the minimum necessary kit to safely perform the dive, and to be as comfortable as possible under water.

or perhaps its just the French being "bloody minded" and "anti-American".

Typical example, going to between 40 and 50m, the French typically do this on air, with a 15L tank and a 7L pony. and if they are feeling really adventuous, the 7L pony will be full of 100% O2 for 5m deco stops. Normally though, they will avoid having to do long deco stops, as this does interfere with the "apero" time afterwards.

Jon

 

[danvolker]

With about 15,000 dives I moved to Hawaii ... newbie again!

Did you sign up for the "PADI Island Diver Specialty Cert" ?

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I think it is important to add that being an "experienced" diver must have reference to the conditions in which you are diving. Divers who have scores or hundreds of hours in warm salt water environments with good visibility are not experienced divers when the diving is to be in a cold fresh water lake with 20 feet of viz on a good day, for example. It is important to know one's limitations as well as expertise areas. Please check out my blog on "What it means to be a scuba diver" for more remarks on this issue. And for a bit more fun and different perspective, you might enjoy chapter 2 of "The Scuba Snobs Guide to Diving Etiquette" available on amazon, barnesandnoble, or scubasnobs.com. that gives the authors' view of the the qualifications to be a scuba snob. As a final thought let me point out that there are divers out there who have scores of dive experiences, and there are others who had a single experience scores of times. Experienced divers can plan and execute a safe dive plan, know their equipment and keep it maintained, and ... well, read the blog and the book!
DivemasterDennis

 

[danvolker]

I think it is important to add that being an "experienced" diver must have reference to the conditions in which you are diving. Divers who have scores or hundreds of hours in warm salt water environments with good visibility are not experienced divers when the diving is to be in a cold fresh water lake with 20 feet of viz on a good day, for example. It is important to know one's limitations as well as expertise areas. Please check out my blog on "What it means to be a scuba diver" for more remarks on this issue. And for a bit more fun and different perspective, you might enjoy chapter 2 of "The Scuba Snobs Guide to Diving Etiquette" available on amazon, barnesandnoble, or scubasnobs.com. that gives the authors' view of the the qualifications to be a scuba snob. As a final thought let me point out that there are divers out there who have scores of dive experiences, and there are others who had a single experience scores of times. Experienced divers can plan and execute a safe dive plan, know their equipment and keep it maintained, and ... well, read the blog and the book!
DivemasterDennis

I hear this alot, but I still don't know why people say this.....While most of my diving has been florida and carribean diving, when I dove in the kelp at Catalina, or under the ice in Lake Erie, I did not feel any difference, other than that there was no drift current.
If what everyone is talking about is the differences of switching your exposure suit from cold to warm, or vice versa....I don't get this either. One or 2 dives to get bouyancy issues optimized in new suit....and the dry suits suck, as to the lack of glide through the water, but not so bad that it changes comfort level in the water--and we have to use them in winter or tech dives in Fl anyway.

I will concede the NorthEast divers that go out in 6 to 9 foot seas, and feel like it is glassy flat out, are definitely a "hardier sort" when it comes to comfort on boat rides in rough seas

 

[TMHeimer]

I hear this alot, but I still don't know why people say this.....While most of my diving has been florida and carribean diving, when I dove in the kelp at Catalina, or under the ice in Lake Erie, I did not feel any difference, other than that there was no drift current.
If what everyone is talking about is the differences of switching your exposure suit from cold to warm, or vice versa....I don't get this either. One or 2 dives to get bouyancy issues optimized in new suit....and the dry suits suck, as to the lack of glide through the water, but not so bad that it changes comfort level in the water--and we have to use them in winter or tech dives in Fl anyway.

I will concede the NorthEast divers that go out in 6 to 9 foot seas, and feel like it is glassy flat out, are definitely a "hardier sort" when it comes to comfort on boat rides in rough seas

I'd have to agree with that. I've dived in cold, moderate and warm locales. Even a diver with maybe 20-50 dives shouldn't take lots of dives to adjust, assuming he knows his proper weighting for each.

 

[Hank49]

Experience.
Picking the right day to go to a faraway site.
Gassing the boat with enough and some spare. Check the motors. Fuel lines, spark plugs, filters etc.
Bring enough food and water in case you break down and may be out there for a couple days. (here anyway)
Bring your first aid kit.
Bring spare parts and tools for gear or boat problems.
Judging the conditions when you get to the site. Planning the dive drop and pickup based on currents.
Where, if, you can anchor the boat.
etc.. etc...

There's more to diving experience than climbing on a resort boat, riding out and doing the dive, no matter the water temperature.

 

[Reku]

Experience. (no seriously - dive more.)