What is "muck diving"?

[60feet]

I’ve heard the term “muck diving” a couple of times recently, but am unclear what it means. So I looked up “muck” in my American Heritage dictionary, and the following is what I found:

muck n. 1. A moist, sticky mixture, especially of mud and filth. 2. Moist animal dung mixed with decayed vegetable matter and used as a fertilizer; manure… 4. Anything regarded as filthy or disgusting…

And I thought, surely divers wouldn’t be diving in dung-infested or filthy, disgusting water! So “muck diving” must mean something else. And I read on…

I see that Lembeh is regarded as a top destination for “muck diving,” offering a variety of unusual (and often small) sea creatures and “critters.” Okay, so those are “muck”? Another reference calls “muck diving” as diving on barren bottoms or places other than coral reefs. Still another calls it as diving where there are lots of items discarded by humans – cans, bottles, fishing lines, car tires, etc.

Hmmm... this is clear as, well… muck!

I (and perhaps some others out there too) would like to be more informed of what “muck diving” is.

1) Muck divers, please step up and give your definition of “muck diving”

2) I’m interested in seeing a very broad definition/interpretation and full spectrum of all different types of “muck diving”

3) Please briefly share your best “muck diving” experience; adding photos (or links)would be even better!

 

[mynamehere]

what the muck?

 

[do it easy]

I thought it was just low vis diving, although low vis might depend on what you are used to.

 

[String]

I generally use it to describe diving on a slope or flat bottom of sand or mud looking for small life on the bottom.
As opposed to a reef with coral or rock or a wreck etc.

 

[TSandM]

What String said.

 

[chrispete]

I've always referred to those dives where I'm immersed in a mixture just slightly more liquid than mud and viz of less than 1 inch as muck diving.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

When the visibility is so bad the water and the bottom are the same color causing you to go face first into the muck (usually mud) on the bottom.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[panhandvr]

chocolate milk viz

 

[ClayJar]

Muck diving, I suppose, is when you're diving in a location that the average vacation diver would have to be paid to dive.

For me, I'd probably say it's when you're diving in very low viz and not minding at all, as there'd really not be anything there to see even if you found a genie in a cylinder and wished for infinite viz. Of course, the closer you look, the more fascinating the muck.

If you can set your cylinder down beside a puddle, don your mask and reg, face-plant into the (apparently deep enough) puddle, stay there for an hour, and never be the least bit bored, you'd likely enjoy muck diving.

 

[muddiver]

The L.A. harbor after two tug boats have passed by and stirred the silt up. Standard visability is about 6" to 2'. Feet sink into the very soft bottom made of silt and or mud. Typical river diving as well, depending on where you live.