covediver
Contributor
"I'm curious: is the visibility issue about staying oriented? Keeping track of your buddy? Not panicking?"
It really depends on the diver. Low visibility can raise the stress level in some divers and does make for a greater effort to stay in contact with a buddy. Some people don't like the feeling of diving alone in low vis even though after some experience a diver develops a sense of where the buddy is. The other thing with low vis is when it combines with all the other "first time" stressors of equipment, cold water, conditions on the surface, new big boat dive techniques, it can create a cascading effect of discomfort. I have seen this on boats I worked on as DM. The secret to successful growth in diving is to have a suitable challenge to improve skills without being overwhelmed by multiple challenges. Panic is the response to too many challenges too quickly making us feel like we are not in control, then a tipping point is reached when one too many seemingly random event hits and takes us from beyond aprhension to panic. It can be addressed with some planning.
For example, when I moved to Alaska, I about 1000 dives in all different conditions from Baja to Vancouver, but mostly at the Channel Islands. But with the cold water (38 degrees on my first dive), new equipment (drysuit and heavier weights), lower ambient light (we can do a night dive at 9 in the morning in December), new buddies, and unfamiliar dive sites I felt like a novice diver. It did not take long to get my comfort level established, but it was done in increments--getting familiar with my drysuit, weight harness and larger steel tank, diving the same spots with the same people who were kind enough to coach me, etc. I controlled what I could and accepted the challenge of things I needed to become familiar with. It worked. I got better with a little help from my friends.
"Just out of curiosity, does colder water affect one's equilization differently from warm water?" I am not certain if I will characterize the physiology correctly, but cold water can cause constriction of nasal passages but I have only noticed a difference in real cold (35 degree) water. I have several techniques for equalizing and have not really noticed an effects from moderate water temps versus florida temps. I suppose a real tight fitting hood could cause constriction of the eustacean tube with could make equalizing more difficult.
I do hope you have the opportunity to dive with TA. In my book, they simply are the best, in part because they offer challenging diving on some trips (I am kicking myself for not having done their Big Sur and points south trips a few years ago) but mostly because it is a class operation.
It really depends on the diver. Low visibility can raise the stress level in some divers and does make for a greater effort to stay in contact with a buddy. Some people don't like the feeling of diving alone in low vis even though after some experience a diver develops a sense of where the buddy is. The other thing with low vis is when it combines with all the other "first time" stressors of equipment, cold water, conditions on the surface, new big boat dive techniques, it can create a cascading effect of discomfort. I have seen this on boats I worked on as DM. The secret to successful growth in diving is to have a suitable challenge to improve skills without being overwhelmed by multiple challenges. Panic is the response to too many challenges too quickly making us feel like we are not in control, then a tipping point is reached when one too many seemingly random event hits and takes us from beyond aprhension to panic. It can be addressed with some planning.
For example, when I moved to Alaska, I about 1000 dives in all different conditions from Baja to Vancouver, but mostly at the Channel Islands. But with the cold water (38 degrees on my first dive), new equipment (drysuit and heavier weights), lower ambient light (we can do a night dive at 9 in the morning in December), new buddies, and unfamiliar dive sites I felt like a novice diver. It did not take long to get my comfort level established, but it was done in increments--getting familiar with my drysuit, weight harness and larger steel tank, diving the same spots with the same people who were kind enough to coach me, etc. I controlled what I could and accepted the challenge of things I needed to become familiar with. It worked. I got better with a little help from my friends.
"Just out of curiosity, does colder water affect one's equilization differently from warm water?" I am not certain if I will characterize the physiology correctly, but cold water can cause constriction of nasal passages but I have only noticed a difference in real cold (35 degree) water. I have several techniques for equalizing and have not really noticed an effects from moderate water temps versus florida temps. I suppose a real tight fitting hood could cause constriction of the eustacean tube with could make equalizing more difficult.
I do hope you have the opportunity to dive with TA. In my book, they simply are the best, in part because they offer challenging diving on some trips (I am kicking myself for not having done their Big Sur and points south trips a few years ago) but mostly because it is a class operation.
). (Hint: boats often anchor in the best places, so look around where they stop.)
