Question, regarding timeline / experience

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InfieldFly

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I am just about finished with my e-learning course, after which I plan on using a local dive shop to complete my open water/pool portion. I am a recent transplant to Manhattan, and while it seems an odd hobby to pick up here it is surprisingly accessible - expensive, but doable. Oddly enough one of my desires is to volunteer at an aquarium somewhere - I've always enjoyed volunteer work, and it seems like that would be a good opportunity to dive while scratching the itch I've always had to work around animals...stinks that what ends up paying the bills isn't usually what your childhood dream was! Granted I know something like this is really underwater janitorial work, it still sounds fulfilling.

Anyhow, my question is related to the perception of someone's experience, related to time diving - I'll try to get this out of my head in an understandable way. Say someone has been certified and diving for 20 years, but rarely does more than 5 dives per year or so - would that person be considered more experienced than someone who fast tracks things? Doing everything properly and by the book, just over the course of a few months...say 30 dives in a year.

I of course plan on doing this purely for pleasure as well, when I can get away for a vacation here and there - but my curiosity is solely based around what places that accept volunteer divers have as requirements. I used to work quite a bit on cruise ships, and have a good amount of experience free diving and snorkeling.

This probably sounds odd, as I'm setting myself up to invest quite a bit of money with half of my reason for doing so to do volunteer work, but any input is welcome!
 
I do not know which facility you plan on going to for the completion of your course.
I am located just outside of Manhattan, Yonkers, and have classes running on a continual basis .
If I do not have a group class 1 week it is because I have a private class running. Facility I teach out of is 25 -20 minutes from mid town . Indoor heated pool onsite and a parking lot. No LDS in NYC like this.
PM me here if you wish to schedule either a group class or one on a private basis. For private schedule I ca give you any time, any day that fits your needs, as all of our instructors have 24 hour, 7 days a week access here. As to your question I would say the diver who did 30 dives in a year (which is really not very much. I can get in 30 dives in a week on Bonaire) is more capable than the 5 dive a year person.
 
Anyhow, my question is related to the perception of someone's experience, related to time diving - I'll try to get this out of my head in an understandable way. Say someone has been certified and diving for 20 years, but rarely does more than 5 dives per year or so - would that person be considered more experienced than someone who fast tracks things? Doing everything properly and by the book, just over the course of a few months...say 30 dives in a year.

I get your question, but I don't think there is a black and white answer. My hubby had 15 years and 15 dives experience when we met; I had 4 years and 300+ dives. At that point I was surely the more competent diver. Considered more experienced by whom? That's really the question.

Why not call the Brooklyn Aquarium, for instance, and ask directly what their requirements are for volunteers who dive in their tanks, if they do, in fact, use diver volunteers??

Good luck! and welcome to SCUBA!
 
I've actually already done a bit of research, and it seems the smart bet is about 25 dives for applicants at the local aquariums.

Here's another question on the subject, would certain dives carry more weight? Assuming the log is read like a resume, that is. In this area Dutch Springs seems the only real local place to get some experience as a novice, meaning not technically open water since it's just an old quarry.

I can't imagine it matters where - I just don't see myself having many opportunities in more vacation like settings with my work schedule, for the near future at least. I figure as long as you're deep enough for an extended period of time, fundamentally the experience should be the same as diving off a boat somewhere
 
Mr personal view is to measure experience by hours in the water on scuba. I do not count pool dives, only open water, fresh or salt. The Dever aquarium requires documentation (logged dives) showing 100 hours on scuba before they will consider you. That's one of many reasons to log every dive. Some dives are 15 or 20 minutes, some are an hour or more. Time on scuba in the open water is to me the best and most objective measure of experience.
DivemasterDennis
 
I've actually already done a bit of research, and it seems the smart bet is about 25 dives for applicants at the local aquariums.

Here's another question on the subject, would certain dives carry more weight? Assuming the log is read like a resume, that is. In this area Dutch Springs seems the only real local place to get some experience as a novice, meaning not technically open water since it's just an old quarry.

right about log, NY Aquarium also will require a skill review with you before you can volunteer. Mystic Aquarium had a program also. Dutch is not the only place. There is LI Sound and south shore of Long Island.Boatt charters thru dive facilities in Westchester.
 
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Obviously you have to check what the aquarium you chose requires for being "experienced". To answer your question, my opinion is someone who gets certified and does 25 or more dives in a short period would be "more experienced" than someone doing 5 dives a year for 20 years. But it might be splitting hairs, and of course depends on the individual. Neither is really "experienced". On a side note, I tried to dive as regularly as possible at the start, figuring I'd forget stuff if I didn't dive for weeks/months at a time (rotten memory). With many more dives logged and 9 years, I would guess I could go "dry" a very long time before I actually forgot anything. But again, depends on the individual.
 
To put it in perspective. I got my NAUI Master Diver cert in conjunction with my AAUS Scientific diver rating through my university. It took me 4 classes and 8 months from when I got my Basic OW (all classes ran longer than through your dive shop); Feb 2010-September 2010.
I racked up my 100th dive on a field ops studying sharks in the Philippines in July 2011.

I'm 4 years into my diving career and am working a full-time paid position in Dive Safety at an aquarium. My interests and experience led itself to rigorous training in bouyancy control while being heavily tasked loaded, so safely to say, I can hold a relatively constant depth while doing 2-3 problem solving tasks.

My volunteers are across the board in terms of skill, experience, and diving career length. And the longer career doesn't always equate greater skill.
It all depends on what goals you set for yourself and how often you stay in learning mode.
I would research what aquariums are available to you to volunteer at and set your diving certification goals to that.

Some aquariums want Basic Divers and up, others want Rescue and up. Aquarium diving is a different subset of skills than open water. You can develop a lot of bad habits diving solely in an aquarium: Like hand swimming in a coral reef exhibit. Vice versa, you can develop a lot of bad habits in open water that don't translate well in aquarium diving: like maintaining horizontal 0-degree trim all the time. Both habits are necessary and often good in their respective environments, but are terrible to downright dangerous in other environments.

What does transition cleanly between both environments is situational awareness, buoyancy control, and animal knowledge.
How much you invest monetarily depends on where you're going to volunteer at and what your personal goals are.
How much time you invest will be a lot, but it can be very rewarding to certain individuals in the payment of "good feels".

As long as you meet the prerequisites to apply, you'll be eligible to attend an aquarium volunteer orientation.
Your Dive Safety Officer will often evaluate how ready you are in several steps: Your attitude when they first meet you. Your attitude/performance at your pool checkout session, and your attitude/performance in your first few days of volunteering. We honestly can't tell how you're going to be, just by reading your application and dive log. We've been REALLY surprised on many occasions, so we don't rely on the paper stuff telling us who should and who shouldn't be in our volunteer ranks.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
 
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Much appreciated! All definitely makes sense - apparently what I'd need to aim for is somewhere near 25, and of course over those I'd like to use most to continue advancing. Not that paper means anything, but I figure I'll enjoy it all anyways, and I can plan a vacation later!

Definitely a costly venture at first glance, certainly seems like one of those things where you accumulate gear over time...unless you're loaded.
 
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