Cold water divers vs warm water divers

Cold water and warm water diving are 2 totally different types of diving environments. Do you believe that being trained in cold water makes you a more skilled diver than being trained in warm water (tropics)?

We should maybe specify which skills we're talking about. When it comes to diving technique, I believe a cold water diver may be able to dive well in wider veriety of exposure suits and weighting situations. Here we get to do a little of both. I can dive light stuff on shallow dives in 80 deg water yet at least some of our dives are in dry suits, hoods and gloves all year because it's always cold down deep.

There are other factors of the environment that introduce planning considerations. For these, skill and knowledge of one environment doesn't always help in another.

Excellent points, Mike. Silly poll.

Started my diving 1971 in Northern Ireland no dry suites moved to Florida 1999 took to it like a duck to water in my speedo's

Walter once bubbled...
Excellent points, Mike. Silly poll.

Click to expand...

Thanks. All polls are silly. I hate em. they come to the top and you think some one posted and go there to find a 2 year old post and realize that somebody just voted.

Maybe my wife an I should come down there and take a salt water class from you. Right now we mostly just gargle with it.

done both and there are two different set of concerns. knowing one does not make you an expert in the other and vice versa....

I am diving cold now and I fiind that good solid skills translate regardless. Yes, diving in the cold is harder but that does NOT translate to a more qualified diver. Skills are still skills and they must be learned.

You could argue that in tropical climates people typically get a lot more water time to hone their skills....... Now I am not nieve enough to think that this makes a better diver but I do not think you can make a blanket statement eitther.

my thaughts,
Pete

cool 3 to 1 I am outnumbered....

divemed06 once bubbled...
Cold water and warm water diving are 2 totally different types of diving environments. Do you believe that being trained in cold water makes you a more skilled diver than being trained in warm water (tropics)?

Click to expand...

There not really two different "types" of environs... their just two different temperatures, so one can't make an accurate distinction. Cold alone isn't that bad (i.e. diving cold in a quarry takes similar skills to diving warm off Cayman, just different thermal requirements).

On the other hand, different "types" of environs would be more like high current (Pompano, St. Lawrence, Pacific Northwest), big water way offshore (New Jersey, Florida Gulf, N.Carolina), High Viz (Cayman, Coz), Kelp Beds (California), Good vs Bad Viz, etc

These are examples of things that can be "combat multipliers". As a cold water barbarian, the cold vs warm isn't that much of a factor. In fact with the exception of Cayman or Coz, you could dive a drysuit in all of the other areas I mentioned (depending on time of year).

Now, if you want to compare the skills of the average diver that regularly dives Cold water with mediocre viz in fast currents vs someone that spends time diving off 7 mile beach in Cayman (warm water, great viz, minimal to zero current, then I think you've got yourself a poll question.

Also, once you get comfortable in one environment doesn't make you good in another. (i.e. Let's say you comfortable in the Great Lakes and go South to swallow your first mouthful of saltwater... how comfortable do you think you'll be?)

Bob

"Thanks. All polls are silly. I hate em. they come to the top and you think some one posted and go there to find a 2 year old post and realize that somebody just voted."


I guess you don't like people who ask questions...probably because what you say is so narrow minded that folks don't take you seriously! Jut a thought...:mean:

but perhaps more versed or maybe just more broadly trained. A diver who can do all the necessary steps and skills in a 7mm two-piece wetsuit, can certainly do them in a 1mm warm water suit.

What any one diver does with the training and how proficient they become at the various skills is far more related to the personal style and personality of the individual diver than to the temp of the water he/she was trained in.

That being said, it seems that people trained and experienced in cold water diving are given less scrutiny at resort locations (all other things being equal).

my dos centavos

Wristshot