Perfect dive site - Questions:

[andrewsydenham]

Hi guys, "What elements make up your perfect dive site?"

I am currently doing a research project into diver's motivations to dive and "what makes the perfect dive site", I am hoping to get aound 100 - 150 small questionairres filled out from divers across the globe to make this a statisically significant study.

I would be vvery grateful if you could reply your answers on this post:

1. Favourite type of diving? e.g. Wreck, Coral Reef, Quarry deep etc.

2. Number these least important to most important in choosing your dive site(number 1 being most important), 2, 3, 4 etc

- wildlife
- Water visibility
- Water temperature
- Reputation and organisation of operator (when using)
- Developed Tourist infrastructure (popularity of dive site)

3. How important to you is it the company or operatoor you choose to dive with tries to limit damage to the environment? (Please number):
1. Very Important
2. Important
3. Slightly important
4. Less important
5. Not important

Thank you for all of your feedback, it is very much appreciaited. Any further questions or comments will be very welcome, please contact andrewsydenham@hotmail.com

[Dive-aholic]

Andrew, what about those of us that prefer to dive at sites that don't require an operator? My prefered/favorite type of diving is cave diving. Visibility and temp are 1 and 2. Developed tourist infrastructure is very important also, possibly even 1, but not in the way I believe you intended it. I'd rather it be less popular. Wildlife and reputation don't really apply. Question 3's answer is very important, but it's not necessarily a company or operator, more like the state or land owner. Not sure whether you'll be able to use these answers or not. Best of luck with your research.

[caymaniac]

Hi guys, "What elements make up your perfect dive site?"

I am currently doing a research project into diver's motivations to dive and "what makes the perfect dive site", I am hoping to get aound 100 - 150 small questionairres filled out from divers across the globe to make this a statisically significant study.

I would be vvery grateful if you could reply your answers on this post:

1. Favourite type of diving? e.g. Wreck, Coral Reef, Quarry deep etc.

2. Number these least important to most important in choosing your dive site(number 1 being most important), 2, 3, 4 etc

- wildlife
- Water visibility
- Water temperature
- Reputation and organisation of operator (when using)
- Developed Tourist infrastructure (popularity of dive site)

3. How important to you is it the company or operatoor you choose to dive with tries to limit damage to the environment? (Please number):
1. Very Important
2. Important
3. Slightly important
4. Less important
5. Not important

Thank you for all of your feedback, it is very much appreciaited. Any further questions or comments will be very welcome, please contact andrewsydenham@hotmail.com

My favorite is Coral Reef//Pelagics

1.Developed Tourist infrastructure
2.Reputation of organizer
3.Watertemp/
4.Viz
5.Wildlife

The operator has responsibility to the environment and it is "important" to me that he has a feeling for his surroundings.

I have several examples of best days in diving.
For the Caribbean what comes to mind was the year 1992/Little Cayman/Easter morning/at BloodyBay wall/diving with Divi Tiara. When the boat pulled up to the bouy, the DM said "it doesn't get any better than this." The ocean was mirror calm, you could see from the boat the wall we were about to dive very easily. Upon entering the water the viz was at least 200ft., the water was 81F. The wildlife on Little Cayman rivals or beats anything we've seen in the Caribbean.

Best liveabord day, off Star Dancer in Kimbe bay PNG, the water is mirror calm, the water temp is 90F, viz is nearly 100ft. No civilization in any proximity, we havent seen another boat, airplane or jet trail in the sky for days. Cuttle fish, octopus, 4 different species of eels, stone fish, lion fish, scorpion fish in 3 varieties, numerous nudi's, 2 turtles, soft coral in numerous colors, hard coral in pristine condition, pelagics like sharks in several varieties, big unicorn fish, swirling barracuda, school of jacks, too many tropicals and residents to remember or number.

[JimC]

A sandy road ending in a crystal clear blue spring. A few pick nick tables and some stairs down to the water. One extensive, shallow, twisty cave and no locals.

Ahhhh Peacock.

[Rick Murchison]

Lessee now...
It has to be accessible enough that I can get to it.
Water.
One or more...
Cave, wreck, critters.
Buddy crazy about diving preferred.
Rick

[Fish_Whisperer]

Water. Water is generally a good start.

A nice coral reef, good viz, reasonably calm seas, a dock or platform for shore dives, not having to lug my gear 500 yards, interesting wrecks or resident marine life. Those are just a few off the top of my head...

[TSandM]

1. Favourite type of diving? e.g. Wreck, Coral Reef, Quarry deep etc. To date, coral reef.

2. Number these least important to most important in choosing your dive site(number 1 being most important), 2, 3, 4 etc

- wildlife 1
- Water visibility 3
- Water temperature 4
- Reputation and organisation of operator (when using) 2
- Developed Tourist infrastructure (popularity of dive site) This is a plus/minus. It's nice to have a place to stay and somewhere to eat, but we avoided the GBR in Australia in part because of what we had heard of cattle boats and overdived reefs.

3. How important to you is it the company or operatoor you choose to dive with tries to limit damage to the environment? (Please number):
1. Very Important
2. Important
3. Slightly important
4. Less important
5. Not important

[vladimir]

Hi guys, "What elements make up your perfect dive site?"

I am currently doing a research project into diver's motivations to dive and "what makes the perfect dive site", I am hoping to get aound 100 - 150 small questionairres filled out from divers across the globe to make this a statisically significant study.

I would be vvery grateful if you could reply your answers on this post:

1. Favourite type of diving? e.g. Wreck, Coral Reef, Quarry deep etc.

2. Number these least important to most important in choosing your dive site(number 1 being most important), 2, 3, 4 etc

1 - wildlife
2- Water visibility
5- Water temperature
4- Reputation and organisation of operator (when using)
3- Developed Tourist infrastructure (popularity of dive site)

3. How important to you is it the company or operatoor you choose to dive with tries to limit damage to the environment? (Please number):
1. Very Important
2. Important
3. Slightly important
4. Less important
5. Not important

Thank you for all of your feedback, it is very much appreciaited. Any further questions or comments will be very welcome, please contact andrewsydenham@hotmail.com

As TSandM mentioned, tourist infrastructure is a huge minus for me. Ideally, I would see no other divers and a minimum of development.

[WVDiver]

Hi guys, "What elements make up your perfect dive site?"

I am currently doing a research project into diver's motivations to dive and "what makes the perfect dive site", I am hoping to get aound 100 - 150 small questionairres filled out from divers across the globe to make this a statisically significant study.

I would be vvery grateful if you could reply your answers on this post:

1. Favourite type of diving? e.g. Wreck, Coral Reef, Quarry deep etc.

1. Coral Reef, 2. Wreck. 3. Cavern 4. Lake

2. Number these least important to most important in choosing your dive site(number 1 being most important), 2, 3, 4 etc

1- wildlife
3- Water visibility
2- Water temperature
4- Reputation and organisation of operator (when using)
5- Developed Tourist infrastructure (popularity of dive site)

3. How important to you is it the company or operatoor you choose to dive with tries to limit damage to the environment? (Please number): 1
1. Very Important
2. Important
3. Slightly important
4. Less important
5. Not important

Thank you for all of your feedback, it is very much appreciaited. Any further questions or comments will be very welcome, please contact andrewsydenham@hotmail.com

.

[JimC]

1. Favourite type of diving? e.g. Wreck, Coral Reef, Quarry deep etc.
Cave, Wreck, Other

2. Number these least important to most important in choosing your dive site(number 1 being most important), 2, 3, 4 etc

1 wildlife
1 Water visibility
1 Water temperature
5 Reputation and organisation of operator (when using)
5 Developed Tourist infrastructure (popularity of dive site)

I don't use dive operators for anything more than a water taxi to the dive site and fills.

3. How important to you is it the company or operatoor you choose to dive with tries to limit damage to the environment? (Please number):
1. Very Important