"if you can dive here, you can dive anywhere"

[Doppler]

I often hear a similar statement that "if you can dive in Melbourne, you can dive anywhere". People use the same reasons, it's cold, low vis, often high current etc etc. and many of the wrecks are deep.

I will say that diving to 70ft here feels less comfortable than diving to 140ft in the tropics. But maybe that just means i need to buy a drysuit.

And the meat pies in Melbourne can be a challenge, too!

 

[Davemohio]

The phrase does not "hold water' when it comes to diving.

Maybe at one time it did.

There are many types of dives out there. Many conditions. Temps, viz, and especially currents.

That is why I believe variety is important to a well rounded and accomplished diver.

Which is more difficult..a long cave dive with a strong spring current or a deep wreck dive in New England?

It is based on the individual diver.

 

[rmh84]

IMO each dive site presents different challenges for every diver. I was certified in the great lakes, but have done the bulk of my diving in Florida or the Caibean. My first ocean dive I nearly had a panic attack the first time the salt water hit my eyes. I'm used to it now, because I recently worked on flooding/clearing my mask in the salt water, but this took work for me. Low vis does not bug me much, nor do cold tempertures. I found the freshwater cave diving in FL to be very easy and comfortable.

My only real issue that I know of is I cannot stand to dive in gloves. They make me clostrophobic, so while I'd like to try some other cold water diving, I will need loads of practice in the pool with drysuit/glives/etc. The big deal is to know what you're not comfortable with, and then work on those things in a safe enviroment before you hit that unfarmiliar ocean.

 

[freewillie]

I would guess the intent of the statement is more how do the skills translate from one environment to the next.

I usually shore dive in California. Because of the cold I dive 7mm, hood, gloves, and booties. The beach entries present their own skill requirements and the experience to get through the surf break without getting tumbled. The visibility varies from 10-30 feet depending upon time of year and surf conditions. I've been in viz as low as <5 ft. Navigating the reef and kelp does require some skills with a compass, but one does not have to be that precise just have to know which general direction head back to shore.

In contrast, when I dove warm water Caribbean it was sooo much easier. All dives were off a boat, simple giant stride into the water. Exposure gear, what exposure gear? Board shorts and rash guard. Instead of 20-22 lbs lead Im down to 6-8 lbs. Much more comfortable lighter weights.

Now, my daughter went the opposite. She certified in the Caribbean on that same trip. Coming back to California I had a Dive master and I actually signed her up for a "introductory" dive in Catalina since that was her first time in a wetsuit. She now has gotten used to diving in full exposure gear but has taken her 3-4 dives now due to increase weight and the inherent clumsiness of the neoprene. We are still working on her proper weighting with the wetsuit but now have better idea how much weight to use.

I suspect the learning curve of going cold water diving translates better to warmer water diving than the other way around. And I didn't say that makes them better divers, just used to different conditions.

 

[FPDocMatt]

...On overhearing the conversation, a diver from Wisconsin related about the rigors of diving in the Great Lakes, especially cold water, low visibility, and deep water. When he asked me where I did most of my diving, I responded matter of factly "a fjiord off Prince William Sound in Alaska during the winter, that is when visibility is the best" which quickly ended the discussion as the diver retreated to his group.

 

[Bombay High]

I suspect the learning curve of going cold water diving translates better to warmer water diving than the other way around. And I didn't say that makes them better divers, just used to different conditions.

Read NetDocs post to understand why that may not always be the case.

In other news ...
Trying to make progress on the North Sea floor with a 3 knot current battering you while you wade through chest deep mud and drilling debris is more challenging than that quarry.

But maybe that author never made it out of that quarry to the ocean very close by in New England to see how well he did diving off say .. Nantucket .

 

[FPDocMatt]

I'm a newby, have dived in the 81-degree Caribbean and 57-degree Mediterranean. It seems to me that the heavy gear needed in colder water pretty much makes the whole experience of diving unpleasant for me. It doesn't even seem like the same sport. So let's say you have a lot of experience diving in cold water with low visibility. Well, how does that translate to diving in Cozumel? I'm not sure it does. It would be like saying that knowing how to play tennis makes you a good ping pong player.

 

[mathauck0814]

Read NetDocs post to understand why that may not always be the case.

I'd hardly call that a case study or data worthy of consideration. It's an incident. What we need are data that speak to the accident rates of divers sorted by where they've trained/where they regularly dive. You throw away those who dive in the area where they've trained and look at what's left. I've got an assumption, but without that data it's just an assumption.

I wonder if DAN has stats like that...

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Most of the diving in my area involves hauling gear up and down goat trails. This particular site, Flat Rock has sections on the trail that are only a few inches wide with precipitous drops on either side. Unfortunately, you can't tell how the visibility will be until you get in the water. I would rate Palos Verdes as "just a bit" tougher than the average quarry.

 

[Bombay High]

I'd hardly call that a case study or data worthy of consideration. It's an incident.

I wonder if DAN has stats like that...

I agree . I just think that presuming you will be ok in warm water ... just because the task loading is marginally less is also folly.
Different skills for different conditions. The more varied your experience, the better a diver you will be.