Lake divers checkout dive?

hey folks something that occurred to me. From what I can see on here a lot of folks are doing their "open water" dive training in calm lakes with very little if any current,wave action tides etc. Would it therefore make sense that if they are trained in such calm conditions that they should have a "checkout/sighnoff" dive with an instructor when perhaps doing a boat dive in the ocean or a shore dive in a bit of a sea. -Not a full on "course " as such just a single dive. Happy to stand corrected here.

Lakes, quarries & such have their own challenges. Generally much poorer vis & much colder waters. Sure tides & currents aren't usually a problem, but the challenges should not be overlooked either. The same might be said for a tropical warm water ocean diver going to depth in a lake or quarry, where the temps are typically 38- 45 degrees. There should be no mistaking that new OW divers should be able to dive in environments similar to what they were trained in. If they have questions or concerns about a certain environment, then they should seek the guidence of an instructor or mentor familiar with that environment. Divers, in some environments need extra training, some do not. I did my initial training in a quarry. I have done many dives in many different environments (the strong currents of the Galapagos, high flow caves, very cold waters) & I'm still around. Of course I struggled a bit in some circumstances, but I learned,... either on my own or under the guidance of an instructor. Each environment has their own risks. If there is any question as to whether a diver is prepared for a certain environment, then that diver should be getting some information from someone who knows.

New OW here. Three shore dives and 2 lake dives. Good mix!

I was trained in a local lake and feel that I actually learned more diving in that type of environment than diving in a ocean. From my experience I actually think that people that train in pea soup are better divers. I feel this way because you have to maintain excellent buoyancy control since you have to be 2 feet of the bottom to see anything, always stay with your buddy since you only have 10' viz instead of SOB's (Same Ocean Buddies) which I see a lot in high viz. I feel that the current is never a problem as long as you dive in thirds and start of into it. People make the current see like a big factor when it does not matter.

P.S.
The current in the ocean is not nearly as strong as some hydroelectric dam intakes

WartedEmperor:

I was trained in a local lake and feel that I actually learned more diving in that type of environment than diving in a ocean. From my experience I actually think that people that train in pea soup are better divers. I feel this way because you have to maintain excellent buoyancy control since you have to be 2 feet of the bottom to see anything, always stay with your buddy since you only have 10' viz instead of SOB's (Same Ocean Buddies) which I see a lot in high viz. I feel that the current is never a problem as long as you dive in thirds and start of into it. People make the current see like a big factor when it does not matter.

P.S.
The current in the ocean is not nearly as strong as some hydroelectric dam intakes

Click to expand...

Take a look at this video, if you don't think some of thes ocean currents don't get strong. About 3/4 way through, you will see a diver grab onto a rock, that breaks off in the current: YouTube - ‪Galapagos Diving‬‏ It was an E ticket ride!

I think anyone who moves into an environment that is strikingly different from what they are used to, should get some advice and some mentoring at first. When I did my first dives in Southern California from shore, I was facing water that wasn't as cold as I was accustomed to, wasn't as murky as I was accustomed to . . . but it was MOVING. I might as well have been a brand new OW cert, when it came to knowing how to manage myself on a surf entry.

It wasn't quite as bad when I dove in Florida and did hot drops into current, but that again was unfamiliar territory, and I listened very carefully to the briefing, and talked to my local buddies about how best to manage the departure from the boat (and managed to fall off the thing, anyway . . . )

We are all beginners in unfamiliar surroundings. It's good to retain that frame of mind.

On the chance the OP is looking for something a bit formalized, PADI has long recommended their Discover Local Diving program. Other agencies might have similar.

kazbanz,

I totally agree.

I was down in FL a few years ago and some students were doing all of their OW dives in a spring, working from platforms. Talk about a sterile non-real world evaluation! Now, it's obvious that not everyone can be certified in the ocean and some inland divers may never visit the ocean so divers need to be trained in their available conditions.

The bottom line is that when you deviate from those conditions you need some form of orientation. It may be from some combination of a mentor, local information, instruction, guide or research. The same holds true if transitioning from only boat to shore or the opposite, warm water to cold water and so forth. These are all lumped together as OW diving but until you learn some finer points offer unique challenges.

Pete

I think an orientation is enough when going to a new area. I got certified in a quarry. The conditions there are obviously not like an ocean, but they are challenging. I've dove in a quarry with 5ft Vis max if you are lucky. In temperatures in the low 40's. (think 42 is my coldest so far). Where there is silt everywhere you touch that clouds the water more instead of sand that just sinks right back to the bottom. Etc. So it has some real challenges. I went diving with someone a couple months ago that had never been diving in fresh water. We had a ton of rain here, like 3 weeks straight, so visibility in the first 30 ft or so was very very poor. Like mud. It took us 4 tries to descend. He panicked and got claustrophobic everytime we tried to go down. Even when it got clearer after 40ft (around 15ft vis) he was nervous most of the dive. Said it really scared him. So we have our challenges too.

I did however, when I went to Florida, talk to the Divemaster on the boat about challenges and things to watch out for. I made sure he understood it was my first time in the ocean and he was extremely helpful. The currents were very new. Moving when I wasn't finning was annoying to me at first until I got use to it and recognized safe places to grab onto when I needed to. I probably looked like a brand new diver on that trip. But I paid attention to the DM advice and had a great dive. I think as long as you pay attention to the DM in a new location and ask questions, you will be fine.

While I think the thought behind this is good, the question I have is what exactly do we produce when we create an "open water diver"? Is the point to train them in a variety of situations, or is it to give them the basics to start down this road, with the expectation that further experience (training) will be necessary? I think of it like a student taking driver's training. I have two freshly minted drivers in my house. The state says they're equipped to operate a car on their own. The reality is, they will need to undergo a great deal more experience before I'm comfortable with them on the highways at rush hour. I think the same is with OW training. The students are given the basics to know how to handle an "average" situation. What needs to be clearly explained to them is that they are not done with training. I believe if we do a good job giving them the basics AND giving them a clear understanding that their training has just begun, they'll do well. I much rather teach students to learn for themselves than try to teach them everything I think they may encounter. Just my thoughts.