How to categorize beginner, intermediate, advance diver?

Hi All! Greetings from warm sunny Dubai!!

I have questions..not sure where to post this as i am going through these Bunaken/Manado thread and am planning to go there in September, so these questions pop up in my mind..

How do we categorize beginner, intermediate and advance diver? Depends on logged dives logically, for sure. How many logged dives are under beginner, intermediate and advance?Or is it also depends on individuals like how comfortable one feel and how the decision making in case of emergencies, how well air consumption,currents etc.

Could anyone define this? As for my case,an AOW, i have only below 50 logged dives, so do i fall under beginner?

anemone:

Hi All! Greetings from warm sunny Dubai!!

I have questions..not sure where to post this as i am going through these Bunaken/Manado thread and am planning to go there in September, so these questions pop up in my mind..

How do we categorize beginner, intermediate and advance diver? Depends on logged dives logically, for sure. How many logged dives are under beginner, intermediate and advance?Or is it also depends on individuals like how comfortable one feel and how the decision making in case of emergencies, how well air consumption,currents etc.

Could anyone define this? As for my case,an AOW, i have only below 50 logged dives, so do i fall under beginner?

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Personally, I don't feel that the number of dives reflects the skills of the diver and it should be weighed on a number of factors.

• Amount of time diving
• Classes have a small impact but I feel they help improve a diver because they show dives under the supervision of an instructor.
• Amount of dives PER YEAR (If two people have 50 dives, who is more experienced: The one who did them last month or the person who has done 5 a year for the past 10 years?) This is the main reason I feel you shouldn't go on dive number alone.
• Conditions dived in: Again back to the 50 dives example. Who is more experienced, the person who has dove those 50 dives in a local quarry or the person with 10 dives in the ocean, 10 dives in a lake, 10 dives in the tropics, 10 dives under the ice, and 10 dives in zero vis muck holes?
• Self comfort: Even if you've been on 1000 dives, if you're still not comfortable in the water then you should consider yourself a beginner.

Just out of curiosity, why are you asking? If you're going on a trip that is asking for experience, I would list my stats for the above items to let them know exactly what type of diver I am.

anemone:

Hi All! Greetings from warm sunny Dubai!!

I have questions..not sure where to post this as i am going through these Bunaken/Manado thread and am planning to go there in September, so these questions pop up in my mind..

How do we categorize beginner, intermediate and advance diver? Depends on logged dives logically, for sure. How many logged dives are under beginner, intermediate and advance?Or is it also depends on individuals like how comfortable one feel and how the decision making in case of emergencies, how well air consumption,currents etc.

Could anyone define this? As for my case,an AOW, i have only below 50 logged dives, so do i fall under beginner?

Click to expand...

It's very difficult to quantify, as individual divers may excel at one aspect or another ... but it certainly has nothing to do with number of logged dives. I have logged over 1,200 dives, and have dive buddies with half (or less) of my experience who are better than I am at certain skills.

Some general rules of thumb that may (or not) be applied ...

Beginner - Still working on basic buoyancy skills ... has to keep finning in order to stay off the bottom. Swims in a "fins down" position (to varying degrees) ... typically kicking hard and breathing hard. Has no idea where they're going ... but they're going there pretty darn fast.

Intermediate - Has figured out the basics of buoyancy control ... and breathing control. Can hover without kicking. Has made the mental transition from "vertical" land-based creature to "horizontal" sea-based creature ... and has adjusted their trim accordingly. Is starting to figure out how to find their way around underwater and get back to the entry/exit point with some consistency. Has watched their air consumption rate drop dramatically ... and is starting to figure out that there's way more to diving than their instructor ever told them.

Advanced - Can hover and change depths at will simply by altering their breathing pattern. Has mastered several different fin kicks and applies them according to conditions and situation. Can plan and execute dives in a range of different conditions. Has developed good underwater navigation skills. Understands and applies "situational awareness" at all times during a dive. Can make a mid-water ascent and hold a safety stop without having to hold onto anything.

Those will do for a start ... I'm sure others will add to them ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yup, don't go by logged dives.

I've seen those with 700+ logged dives in a variety of diving environments who are terrible divers. Bad buoyancy, no air management, no navigation skills...

And I've had the pleasure of diving with people with fewer than 20 dives who are aware of themselves, their buddy and their environment and dived within their limits.

anemone:

...How do we categorize beginner, intermediate and advance diver? .... As for my case,an AOW, i have only below 50 logged dives, so do i fall under beginner?

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Well, how comfortable do you feel in the water? I was comfortable on my very first dive. I felt like I had finally come home. But, it was not until around dive 50 that I felt I had control of bouyancy, air rate, and position in the water. At around dive 200 I learned to say "no, not diving today" when diving was not worthy. I have experience with tropical water, temperate water, muck and clear vis, wrecks, reefs, drift, and kelp.

I think the terms "beginner, intermediate, and advanced" not good descriptors. Especially as one goes from open water certified to "advanced" certified. I was an "advanced" certified diver at dive # 11. IMHO, beginner, novice, and experienced are better terms. While I think of myself as an experienced diver, I am still learning from every dive I make.

I am very much relieved after hearing you all.There's some comfort.

And Kriterian, about your curiousity, i asked because when i browse in some diving magazines and websites, it said for intermediate divers..or for all levels..or advance etc..so just to keep a peace in mind..i'd like to fit in...

Thank you all..it's very much appreciated.
:10:

I always thought you could tell the difference by how someone looks in their gear on the boat or the stories they tell going to the dive site.

NWGratefulDiver:

Advanced - Can hover and change depths at will simply by altering their breathing pattern.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

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Dang, I thought I was an advanced diver but I guess I don't qualify

And don't forget that beginner/intermediate/advanced are also relative to the divesite and gear configuration. A very experienced warm water diver is still a beginner when making his first drysuit dive.

Yes and an experienced single tank diver can be reduced to a beginner when trying doubles for the first time...

And the list goes on.