Welcome to ScubaBoard, an online scuba diving forum community where you can join over 100,000 divers from around the world discussing all things related to Scuba Diving. To gain full access to ScubaBoard you must register for a free account.
As a registered member you will be able to:
Participate in over 500 dive topic forums and browse from over 3,000,000 posts.
Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
Post your own photos or view from 80,000 user submitted images.
Gain access to our free classifieds marketplace to buy, sell and trade gear, travel and services.
Use the calendar to organize your events and enroll in other members' events.
All this and much more is available to you absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact the ScubaBoard Support Team.
I started this thread as sort of a sequel to Henrik's thread regarding what you do to get ready for the season. I thought this should be a separate thread simply because it focuses more on dive safety and awareness.
Recently I reviewed a video, it was a video of myself and 3 other divers from 2 years ago. My first reaction was, WOW.. is that me? Yep it was.. buoyancy and weighting off and I could point out several issues with my technique within 5 seconds. Things have drastically changed since then.
My objective for this thread is to hopefully bring everyone together and have you all take a look back at your recent dives (for those of you who haven't been in the water recently) and closely examine yourself. Examine your logs, hopefully you take good notes, but I am a firm believer in a log book. I can remember almost every dive last year without looking in my logs. I can remember many mistakes, many "close calls", what could I have done differently? Did I make the right decision? The "right decision" has a different definition with every diver. We all do things differently but there still needs to be basic standards. I feel we should reflect on our past experiences and use them as tools to mold ourselves further into more educated divers. There is always something to learn and we never know it all. For all you new divers out there, come out to a DNY event at Dutch or anywhere else we hold one, ask questions, dive with us, get to know us. Yeah we're Goons (only us fortunate ones, hehe), but we have a close community here and we are always looking to help.
Hope this mumbo jumbo makes sense to you all who read this and please remember..Mistakes happen....but let your next mistake be a NEW one, learn from it and move on, it will make you a more educated diver.
As always, dive safe and be aware.
-C
__________________
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to ones courage"
There is always room to improve. The more experience I gain, the more I want to improve.
I just applied to take the DUE Fundies, and am thinking also of taking a skill honing weekend @DS with Bob in May.
I learned a long time ago, painfully, that skills do get rusty, equipment changes, etc. Every dive is a chance to practice skills, and try something new. I can't wait for warmer weather to get here, so I can get back in the water and play! Diving 3 weeks ago in ST Thomas was a great refresher, but also a tease, cause now I gots to wait, and wait.......
__________________
Every day above ground is a good day, and every one spent underwater is a bonus.
to DNY Invades Bonaire 2011
If I agreed with you, then we BOTH would be wrong.
2nd on the logbook. I make notes after every dive and have accumulated a good list of various equipment configurations, the amount of weight used with each configuration/dive as well as notes on where the weight was placed and how the weighting felt on that dive. It sounds like a lot of work, but it only takes seconds and is a great reference making it possible to get my weighting close with various equipment changes. I find it well worth the time.
I also do simple air consumption calculations after each dive. It's interesting to see how different conditions ... and "oh crap" dive situations affect air consumptions. Again it makes it possible to make a reasonable "guestimate" of how much gas I should be using and gives me something to keep an eye out for.
Skills: I'm a big believer in trying to constantly learn and (hopefully ) improve. I rode motorcycles for many years and thought I was doing ok - until I took a "class". Yikes. In short I'd been doing "year 1" over about 20 times. So I take classes 1) to learn of course, but also 2) to review correct technique and get the right tools to improve so I always have something to practice and the right way to practice it. That way even "fun" dives can be learning dives.
As for mistakes; my biggest one yet (I have no illusions that there won't be more =:0) ... was to do a dive I was not comfortable with in gear that was inappropriate for the dive. Will not be doing that again!
Its funny that you mentioned videos. I was just watching a video of myself and and a group of fairly new divers taken 2 years ago in Jamaica. We looked like a school of fish out of water. Our boyancy skills were non existant and from watching the tape, the word trim could never be mentioned. We have come a long way since then, but there is always room for improvement.
I've been lurking around DNY for a while reading and learning from you guys. This year I hope to finally get a chance to meet and dive with some of DNY's goons. There is always always something to learn and always a skill to improve. With the group from DNY ya never know what ya might learn
Many years ago (in the stone age), there was no Internet or ScubaBoard - I remember seeing Jacques Cousteau, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Sea Hunt & the old James Bond movies on TV & always wanting to dive after that. My parents always got a kick out of me wanting to be a "Scuba Diving-<insert cool job here>" - so when I was able - I went down to the LDS (Sea Horse Divers on Queens Blvd in Rego Park) and signed up for the OW class. Once I got certified, I tried diving but life, lack of funds\time & serious diving buddies made it difficult to keep active - I dove a bit but then it got pushed to the back burner.
The point I am trying to make here is that DNY & SB is a blessing to this sport - all the people here welcome the many levels of divers that populate the world - from Newbie to Master Instructors - Cave,DIR, Tech, Rec - it's all good as long as we are diving.
Like Chris says, come on out to DNY events, you will not meet a better group of people - look to the East this season - all are welcome to join us on Long Island at anytime.
To quote Jim's signature - "any day spent underwater is a bonus" - so true.
So dive often, perfect your skills, never stop learning, always be safe & (most importantly) - have fun.
DISCLAIMER: The opinion stated is my own twisted version of reality & does not reflect the opinon of other members -or- the moderators\operators of ScubaBoard.
Last edited by JKurk; March 10th, 2010 at 10:06 PM..
2nd on the logbook. I make notes after every dive and have accumulated a good list of various equipment configurations, the amount of weight used with each configuration/dive as well as notes on where the weight was placed and how the weighting felt on that dive. It sounds like a lot of work, but it only takes seconds and is a great reference making it possible to get my weighting close with various equipment changes. I find it well worth the time.
I also do simple air consumption calculations after each dive. It's interesting to see how different conditions ... and "oh crap" dive situations affect air consumptions. Again it makes it possible to make a reasonable "guestimate" of how much gas I should be using and gives me something to keep an eye out for.
Skills: I'm a big believer in trying to constantly learn and (hopefully ) improve. I rode motorcycles for many years and thought I was doing ok - until I took a "class". Yikes. In short I'd been doing "year 1" over about 20 times. So I take classes 1) to learn of course, but also 2) to review correct technique and get the right tools to improve so I always have something to practice and the right way to practice it. That way even "fun" dives can be learning dives.
As for mistakes; my biggest one yet (I have no illusions that there won't be more =:0) ... was to do a dive I was not comfortable with in gear that was inappropriate for the dive. Will not be doing that again!
Henrik
Amen. Started both diving and riding @ 17. Done a lot of both since then, and there is always so much more to learn. Seems the older I get, the more there is to learn too!
Took the Lee Parks "Total Control" advanced rider clinic two years ago, and discovered that what I did not know about riding a motorcycle, like my Harley, was far greater than what I did know. Can't wait to take the Level II, now that they are offering it. Turns are even more fun now than they were before!
My first dive with a BCD in the 80's, could easily have killed me. I was young, and cocky, and an "experienced diver". Got a lot more experienced quickly, that day!!! Became a firm believer in refresher courses and updating rusty skills, instantly!
I wish I did keep a log book, but that too didn't come till later. Now I log every dive. Great source of information, various gear changes and their effects, great memories, and lessons learned the hard way, are all there to remind me later. Getting older has effected the ability to recall all the details, and my log book is my reference book, pre dive trip, and long after ward it helps me recall sites and events.
__________________
Every day above ground is a good day, and every one spent underwater is a bonus.
to DNY Invades Bonaire 2011
If I agreed with you, then we BOTH would be wrong.
Took the Lee Parks "Total Control" advanced rider clinic two years ago, and discovered that what I did not know about riding a motorcycle, like my Harley, was far greater than what I did know.
While it's a bit of a side-step from the OP topic, I think it still applies: until you experience "the real thing" you don't know what you don't know.
I did my first track day in 1998 with Reg Pridmore - 20 years after I first got my MC license. The short version: on day 2 I thought I was doing great! Dove into turn 6 (the bowl) at Loudon "as fast as humanly possible" only to have Reg go flying past me like I was on the kickstand ... mid-turn ... on the outside ... riding 2-up on a bone stock VFR => lots to learn.
Similarly when we did the GUE intro day with Bob Sherwood and Ed Hayes last spring. We were all flailing around like a bunch of sugar-high kids in a wading pool, while our instructors moved through the water in perfect control as if all it took for them to move was thought.
That's not to say it should all be about practice, but nothing keeps you from noticing your trim or using a particular kick on a fun dive to keep the learning process moving forward.
I'll get to experiemce eating that humble pie myself soon, when I take Bob's Fundies in July.
The lead instructor at the Total Control track/road class, had an "everything but the kitchen sink" Goldwing, and he made me look really really bad! Just to tease me he showed a really low speed, and extremely tight "U" turn, he could do with that Tour bike, that I am still trying to duplicate!
Diving and riding are two skill intensive sports, that you never get so good or so experienced that you can afford to stop improving upon your skills, or stop re honing old ones.
__________________
Every day above ground is a good day, and every one spent underwater is a bonus.
to DNY Invades Bonaire 2011
If I agreed with you, then we BOTH would be wrong.
Last summer was a real eye opener for me. I realized that I just scratched the surface of learning how to control my buoyancy and adjust trim. This summer I am going to need some serious help in honing my skills. Please help me. Help me to help myself. HELP. I thank all of you in advance.
Last summer was a real eye opener for me. I realized that I just scratched the surface of learning how to control my buoyancy and adjust trim. This summer I am going to need some serious help in honing my skills. Please help me. Help me to help myself. HELP. I thank all of you in advance.
When I was talking to Bob Sherwood about his July Fundies classes, he suggested a 2 day workshop in May, at Dutch I believe, that focuses on exactly those skills. I am seriously thinking of doing this class, to prepare for the Fundies, and to work with his bp/w, etc that he is loaning me, before I dive into the 5 day class.
Interested?
__________________
Every day above ground is a good day, and every one spent underwater is a bonus.
to DNY Invades Bonaire 2011
If I agreed with you, then we BOTH would be wrong.
) improve. I rode motorcycles for many years and thought I was doing ok - until I took a "class". Yikes. In short I'd been doing "year 1" over about 20 times. So I take classes 1) to learn of course, but also 2) to review correct technique and get the right tools to improve so I always have something to practice and the right way to practice it. That way even "fun" dives can be learning dives.
Turns are even more fun now than they were before!
Became a firm believer in refresher courses and updating rusty skills, instantly!
Linear Mode
