Backing off from technical diving

[DivemasterDennis]

I am totally on board with TSandM. There was a time, younger days and healthier days, when I could get jazzed by technical diving but those days are past. I enjoy divign with Debbie and looking at pretty animals and their behavior. I enjoy working with students. Now that I am 60 and just working back into in water statyus after chemo ( hopefully wet in the next few weeks!) Circumstances are such that technical diving is out, but I feel no sadness. It was an experience I had and that was enough. More power to all techies, I have great respect for you. I will enjoy my recreational dives.
DivemasterDennis

 

[boulderjohn]

I am simply not attracted by wrecks, I guess, or at least I've never been to a wreck that has made me want to return to it or even to explore others--

So here's my theory--a lot of the lure of technical diving is in the journey rather than the destination.

A technical diver has gone through a lot of training, purchased a lot of equipment, and gained a lot of skill. There is a joy in any performing any activity that makes use of extensive training, equipment, and skill. There is a joy in doing something that you know only a few can do. I think that a lot of the enjoyment of technical diving comes from that, and I think that joy wears off for different people at different times. When it does, the destination becomes more important than the journey.

(I wrote a pretty long explanation with examples here, but I erased it because I figured it would take us off topic as people argued about the examples.)

 

[gypsyjim]

Argue? On SB?

---------- Post added August 15th, 2013 at 01:22 PM ----------

THAT would never happen!

 

[tech_diver]

I still enjoy tech diving but after so many hours in dry suit and heavy steel tanks, I long for a poodle jacket, aluminum 80, a pink speedo and a mellow, shallow Caribbean reef.

 

[Tortuga68]

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

Deco hangs in blue water, yeah they can be boring whether it's minutes or hours - it's a value judgement whether what you saw during your BT was worth it or not

Doing your deco coming up a reef, I fail to see any mandatory negatives

 

[flots am]

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

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.

flots.

 

[RJP]

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

Fixed it for you :d

 

[Dr. Lecter]

All im saying is if you cant get He and its needed then pick a new site.

It's that one little word with which some of us quibble.

 

[RJP]

It's that one little word with which some of us quibble.

Yup. And the quibbling varies not only person-to-person, but dive to dive. I've done plenty of dives on EANx in 185ft of warm, clear, water with no current... but I wouldn't dream of going that deep in cold, dark, ripping current without He.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

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

Deco hangs in blue water, yeah they can be boring whether it's minutes or hours - it's a value judgement whether what you saw during your BT was worth it or not

Doing your deco coming up a reef, I fail to see any mandatory negatives

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)