sabbath999
Contributor
OK, here's something a bit different, a little game for anybody who cares to play.
I am curious who would, and who would not, dive with me (as in be my dive buddy), and why.
I don't mean this to be a personal thing about me... I mean it to be about whether you would or would not dive with ANY person with my experience level and equipment, given the information that I am going to list below, and I am going to give three scenarios that I would like you to answer "Yes, I would dive with you" or "No, I would not" in those conditions. All three of the conditions are ones that I personally WOULD dive without hesitation.
First, about me.
Personal: I have a bit over 100 total dives in (including 20+ training dives) plus at least 50 pool dives where most of the "coursework" is done. I was certified in September, 2008, so at the time of this posting I have almost one year's worth of diving in. I learned to swim three weeks before my open water class and passed the PADI swim test... but I am not a strong surface swimmer. I am a big guy but I am also a cyclist who rides 25-30 miles a day so I am in excellent cardio shape (even though I look a bit like the Pillsbury Dough Boy). I am level headed and not prone to panic (although I do realize that ANYBODY can panic).
Training & skills (or lack thereof): I have taken and passed the PADI OW, AOW and Rescue class plus have 8 other specialty cards at the moment, most of which are silly and pointless. Of those classes, I do feel that the Rescue class was of great value. I would rate (for my number of dives and experience) my underwater swimming skills as average, my buoyancy skills as significantly above average (I concentrate on underwater photography, and buoyancy is my thing) and my buddy skills as average. My navigation skills are horrible.
Diving experience: Most of my dives have been made in fresh water cold water in 15 foot visibility or less with no current or surge. I have about 20 dives of 40 minutes or more with visibility 5 feet or less. The coldest water I have dove in was 58 degrees on the surface and 48 below the cline (I dive wet... kids, do not try this in a 3 mil farmer john without hood or gloves like I did... worst 42 minutes of my diving life). The warmest I have dove in is 84 degrees. The deepest I have dove is 112 feet (while doing Deep Dive training) at Kona. I regularly dive within 8 feet of the surface taking pictures, spending nearly entire dives at that level. When diving above 60 feet and not rushing about all over the place, I have a SAC that will allow me to get an hour or more on an AL80. I am strictly open water, and I generally do not dive below 60 feet unless there is a reason for me to go lower (like, say, garden eels... I like garden eels). I have dove in swells up to 6 feet, in moderate (but not strong) current and in some very strong hurricane generated surge. I have about 20 open ocean dives.
Equipment: I wear a Transpac/wing with 5 foot hose primary to pass and bungied alternate, dive wet (although I am going dry this month so let's assume I can dive dry for the purpose of this game). I wear (for the purpose of this game) split fins (I actually DO wear them a lot in the cold water). I wear a non-AI computer, a bungied wrist compass and I wear a snorkel
OK, here are the three Scenarios:
ONE: Quarry dive, the visibility is 15 feet above the 'cline, 1 foot through the 'cline and 35 below it. Temperature is 76 at the surface and 68 below the 'cline. Would you dive as my buddy (or anybody else's for that matter).
TWO: Drift dive, warm water, 100+ foot vis (something I have absolutely no experience whatever with) in a group containing one DM of unknown quality.
THREE: Spiegel Grove, rough seas and strong current, average visibility. Dive plan calls for us not to exceed 90 feet or penetrate the ship.
OK, would you dive as my (or somebody with similar training & equipment's) instabuddy any or all of these dives
If so, would you have any concerns. If not, would you share why not (things like "I only dive DIR and you are not DIR" or "I don't dive cold water" or "I don't dive with people with your experience level" or whatever would be great).
I am curious who would, and who would not, dive with me (as in be my dive buddy), and why.
I don't mean this to be a personal thing about me... I mean it to be about whether you would or would not dive with ANY person with my experience level and equipment, given the information that I am going to list below, and I am going to give three scenarios that I would like you to answer "Yes, I would dive with you" or "No, I would not" in those conditions. All three of the conditions are ones that I personally WOULD dive without hesitation.
First, about me.
Personal: I have a bit over 100 total dives in (including 20+ training dives) plus at least 50 pool dives where most of the "coursework" is done. I was certified in September, 2008, so at the time of this posting I have almost one year's worth of diving in. I learned to swim three weeks before my open water class and passed the PADI swim test... but I am not a strong surface swimmer. I am a big guy but I am also a cyclist who rides 25-30 miles a day so I am in excellent cardio shape (even though I look a bit like the Pillsbury Dough Boy). I am level headed and not prone to panic (although I do realize that ANYBODY can panic).
Training & skills (or lack thereof): I have taken and passed the PADI OW, AOW and Rescue class plus have 8 other specialty cards at the moment, most of which are silly and pointless. Of those classes, I do feel that the Rescue class was of great value. I would rate (for my number of dives and experience) my underwater swimming skills as average, my buoyancy skills as significantly above average (I concentrate on underwater photography, and buoyancy is my thing) and my buddy skills as average. My navigation skills are horrible.
Diving experience: Most of my dives have been made in fresh water cold water in 15 foot visibility or less with no current or surge. I have about 20 dives of 40 minutes or more with visibility 5 feet or less. The coldest water I have dove in was 58 degrees on the surface and 48 below the cline (I dive wet... kids, do not try this in a 3 mil farmer john without hood or gloves like I did... worst 42 minutes of my diving life). The warmest I have dove in is 84 degrees. The deepest I have dove is 112 feet (while doing Deep Dive training) at Kona. I regularly dive within 8 feet of the surface taking pictures, spending nearly entire dives at that level. When diving above 60 feet and not rushing about all over the place, I have a SAC that will allow me to get an hour or more on an AL80. I am strictly open water, and I generally do not dive below 60 feet unless there is a reason for me to go lower (like, say, garden eels... I like garden eels). I have dove in swells up to 6 feet, in moderate (but not strong) current and in some very strong hurricane generated surge. I have about 20 open ocean dives.
Equipment: I wear a Transpac/wing with 5 foot hose primary to pass and bungied alternate, dive wet (although I am going dry this month so let's assume I can dive dry for the purpose of this game). I wear (for the purpose of this game) split fins (I actually DO wear them a lot in the cold water). I wear a non-AI computer, a bungied wrist compass and I wear a snorkel
OK, here are the three Scenarios:
ONE: Quarry dive, the visibility is 15 feet above the 'cline, 1 foot through the 'cline and 35 below it. Temperature is 76 at the surface and 68 below the 'cline. Would you dive as my buddy (or anybody else's for that matter).
TWO: Drift dive, warm water, 100+ foot vis (something I have absolutely no experience whatever with) in a group containing one DM of unknown quality.
THREE: Spiegel Grove, rough seas and strong current, average visibility. Dive plan calls for us not to exceed 90 feet or penetrate the ship.
OK, would you dive as my (or somebody with similar training & equipment's) instabuddy any or all of these dives
If so, would you have any concerns. If not, would you share why not (things like "I only dive DIR and you are not DIR" or "I don't dive cold water" or "I don't dive with people with your experience level" or whatever would be great).
