How do experienced divers define "What is Advanced Diving?"

[halemanō]

OK, there are three pieces to this posting; this thread here in Advanced Scuba Discussions (for divers who do feel they are advanced divers), a thread in Basic Scuba Discussions (for divers who don't feel they are advanced divers) and a thread in Technical Diving Specialties (for divers who make technical dives).

OK you advanced scuba divers; looking into your past, when did you think you had earned the title "advanced diver?" If you have ~1,000 or more dives, when do you now think you were "advanced?"

So, please answer the question in the proper forum; the question is slightly different in each different forum; this question is for those who are advanced divers (<50 dives ).

[Thalassamania]

Sorry, it's a stupid question, based on stupid names for dive courses, none of which begin to create an "advanced" diver.

In skiing there are beginners, intermediates and experts, you know who they are when you see them, you know who they are by the slopes and trail that they ski, the problem in diving is that often all you've got to try and guess who they are is their mouth (or keyboard).

How do I know I've spotted and advanced diver when I'm not underwater to see what they can do? It's the guy (or gal) who can go into Monastery on a big day (or it's local equivalent), make the dive, body surf the break back in, crawl up the beach out of the water, take their fins off, and trudge up the beach face before the next wave breaks, with a grin on their face and snot on their lip.

You want a set of definitions that work? Go look back, we've had this whole discussion before.

[DevonDiver]

I'm a technical trained diver, but I also do what I consider 'advanced' recreational dives. Sometimes I do very basic dives also. Where should I post?

[halemanō]

I'm a technical trained diver, but I also do what I consider 'advanced' recreational dives. Sometimes I do very basic dives also. Where should I post?

It was spelled out in very few words in all three OP's!

thread in Technical Diving Specialties (for divers who make technical dives).

[halemanō]

Sorry, it's a stupid question, based on stupid names for dive courses, none of which begin to create an "advanced" diver.

In skiing there are beginners, intermediates and experts, you know who they are when you see them, you know who they are by the slopes and trail that they ski, the problem in diving is that often all you've got to try and guess who they are is their mouth (or keyboard).

How do I know I've spotted and advanced diver when I'm not underwater to see what they can do? It's the guy (or gal) who can go into Monastery on a big day (or it's local equivalent), make the dive, body surf the break back in, crawl up the beach out of the water, take their fins off, and trudge up the beach face before the next wave breaks, with a grin on their face and snot on their lip.

You want a set of definitions that work? Go look back, we've had this whole discussion before.

Thal, I am not talking about course names. I asked for each persons opinion of when they would, or did, consider themselves an advanced diver. These threads are not asking you if other divers are advanced divers.

If you were to actually participate, you would tell us when you first felt that you were an advanced diver? And then also tell us your thoughts "now" regarding when you think you were an advanced diver?

[vladimir]

I once posted here that the Yongala can often be an advanced dive spot. I got a little condescension from a few divers who are no doubt better trained than I am and more accustomed to challenging conditions. But it's really a question of semantics. If the divers who can comfortably and safely do the dive are two standard deviations from the mean diver, then it's an advanced dive, even if it may seem trivial to some. There is no generally accepted objective definition of an "advanced diver," so it has to be a relative quality. What is an "A" student?

When did I feel I was advanced? There was no revelatory dive; the logic was the same. You go out on a liveaboard and find that you are more competent than most of your fellow divers, so you figure you're "advanced."



It seems to be the custom in the DIR forum to proclaim yourself just a beginner--often one who is not certified. This bit of false humility serves a few purposes: it lets the people who dive in warm water with single aluminum 80s know that they aren't even beginners; it lets everybody know that you are accustomed to diving with the giants in the sport--people whose buoyancy fluctuations are measured in centimeters; it bonds you to the cohort that have also been run over by the bus; and, most importantly, it signals that you know what you don't know.



With that in mind, I think I am advanced when graded on the curve, but practically a non-diver using that other scale.

[Jax]

If people would quit attacking the OP and think about it, these (3 forums) are very good questions.

Some beginners ask about Nitrox in the "Advanced" thread. Others follow Uncle Ricky' s definition from the sticky.

I submit that advanced is more related to experience AND ability to handle a variety of situations.

For example, I am comfortable in deeper waters (100'-160') and incurring deco, slinging a couple of stages of different deck gases. I do this in warmer waters and in lesser vis.

Now, change a few things and I am back to being a beginner. Cold water makes a huge impact on my dexterity, thought agility, awareness, etc.

So, "advanced" assumes training to handle the dive; but also relates to the amount and variety of experience in the given environment.

:popcorn:



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[DevonDiver]

these (3 forums) are very good questions.

I don't really see the point. The Basic-Advanced definitions in a 'recreational' sense are going to be entirely skewed by personal perspective and training/experience level. Do we really need threads to clarify what will come of those discussions? Divers choose to use the Basic/Advanced forums based on their perspective of their skill/experience. Sometimes we get a OW divers posting nitrox questions in Advanced... or how to do a weight check. Sometimes we get experienced divers posting about deco theory in basic.

According to Halemano's specific terms, I'm not allowed to comment in either of those threads, because I am also a technical diver.

This thread, in this forum, is really going to be about 'advanced technical diving'. Limited audience - limited viewpoint. However, I really don't want to have to say that 'advanced diving' is Trimix below 100m etc etc... because there are many forms of diving - many of them not technical in nature, but still 'advanced'.

What can be advanced? Excellent core skills?.. or are they still 'basic'? Fundies is basic or advanced? Depth range?

Number of 'tools' in a divers' toolbox to plan and conduct dives? Nitrox, Rec Trimix, Trimix, SCR, CCR, Tables, Dive Computer, Planning software, wreck skills, cave skills, reel skills, gas blending, equipment servicing, etc etc etc

What about experience? cold water, currents, viz, night, marine life, number of countries/continents dived, years diving, number of logged dives, number of incidents experienced, reaction to narcosis etc etc etc

I don't count myself as an 'advanced' technical diver. I've gained quite a bit of experience, but only within relatively narrow parameters. Others may have more experience in wider parameters. Others may have less experience, but in wider parameters. Relativity.

We also have 'pro' ratings to consider. An advanced instructor versus a novice instructor. Experience? Range of qualification? Both?

[DaleC]

This thread, in this forum, is really going to be about 'advanced technical diving'.

Huh? I think you meant advanced recreational diving. Seeing as there are already two whole forums with multiple subforums dedicated to technical diving I don't see this as yet another forum for technical diving and it's limited scope. If so, where do recreational discussions of an advanced nature go?

[RoatanMan]

OK, there are three pieces to this posting; this thread here in Advanced Scuba Discussions (for divers who do feel they are advanced divers), a thread in Basic Scuba Discussions (for divers who don't feel they are advanced divers) and a thread in Technical Diving Specialties (for divers who make technical dives).

So, please answer the question in the proper forum; the question is slightly different in each different forum; this question is for those who are advanced divers (<50 dives ).

So first, you're asking people who can't yet know,

and then those who have the patch and might think they know,

and finally those who know they know.


It is a SCUBA Board, not an English Semantics Board.

Advanced Diving: Is any new or unmastered situation experienced by a diver. Multiple such stimuli can result in "task loading". (See other topic beaten to death on )