Blue Water versus Fresh Water Diving

[blueeyes_austin]

I'm wondering what value people think fresh water diving experience has for blue water diving? I did an AOW course in Lake Travis, Austin after leaning to dive in Ningaloo, WA, and it was one of the most depressing experiences of my life. No vis, nothing to see, cold, etc.

What is the value of doing lake diving if what you are really interested in doing is blue water diving? I don't think the skills you learn in fresh water are readily transferable to blue water at all!

In the end, I didn't even log the lake dives into my dive log....

[The Kraken]

Skills learned in fresh water:
1 - Buoyancy
2 - Emergency Skills
3 - Proper selection of exposure protection
4 - Weighting and trim
5 - Proper finnining techniques
6 - Dive planning

Nope, these skills certainly aren't needed in blue water diving!!!

I think flames are gonna get started on this thread VERY quickly!!!

[ScubaFreak]

I think flames are gonna get started on this thread VERY quickly!!!

here here

fresh/dark water diving skills, mean that blue water or warm water diving skills are increased immensely. i went from 4 years in dark dublin bay, wearing lots of weight and equipment and drysuits, so floating like a feather in honolulu.
My skills improved big time!

SF

[trob09]

1. check out the great lakes sometime

2. I used to say that diving the local quarry held no interest for me beyond new gear check-out and skills practice - Until I did a fantastic scooter dive this summer. Weaving through the trees with 25' of vis or so was like flying through a fog. One of the best dives I've done in a while. Including serious technical dives here in the NE and crystal clear vis/warm water dives in Hawaii.

t

[Boogie711]

LOL - so whatcha saying - you can't hack a cold, dark environment? That the skills you learn to master that environment won't help you in 80 degree water with 80 feet of visibility?

Yeah, OK.

[knotical]

No vis,

There's some value. Now you've dived in low vis, and if it happens to you in the ocean, you're already experienced. We can learn something on every dive.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Most lakes and quarries have life, you just have to look harder to find it

Skills in no vis, cold water, make skills in warm clear water much much more refined.

[blueeyes_austin]

Skills learned in fresh water:
1 - Buoyancy
2 - Emergency Skills
3 - Proper selection of exposure protection
4 - Weighting and trim
5 - Proper finnining techniques
6 - Dive planning

Let me play Devil's Advocate here...

I didn't find the experience of a dozen lake dives helped my buoyancy control one bit. What helped the most was a blue water live aboard where I did nothing but dive for several days in a row. Frankly, I was too miserable in Lake Travis to be able to concentrate on things like buoyancy!

Emergency skills...the most challenging blue water dives I have dealt with featured current and surge. Neither of these things are present in lake diving.

[Corigan]

Most lakes and quarries have life, you just have to look harder to find it

Skills in no vis, cold water, make skills in warm clear water much much more refined.

Here Here. I like diving in low viz, it feels like a horror movie drifting through the fog. Nice,dark, and cold, I love it.

Matt

[blueeyes_austin]

1. check out the great lakes sometime

2. I used to say that diving the local quarry held no interest for me beyond new gear check-out and skills practice - Until I did a fantastic scooter dive this summer. Weaving through the trees with 25' of vis or so was like flying through a fog. One of the best dives I've done in a while. Including serious technical dives here in the NE and crystal clear vis/warm water dives in Hawaii.

t

Hm, that does sound like an interesting dive....