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Something I have yet to do, dive fresh water to any depth?
Stoo
Contributor
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Peter, should you have reason to be in this part of the world, it would be my pleasure to show a few of the hot spots!
In fact I am coming over in July this year, but unfortunately not diving this trip. On a 30 day normal tourist trip to Canada trip up the east coast. Been to Edmonton once which I liked but too short, a business trip, also to Niagara Falls. Where is the best part to dive there. My dry suit would be ok but I think my regs would freeze up.
^I love this quote!
I dive deep because I want to see something that no other human has ever seen before or maybe see a frequent dive site in a totally different light (no pun intended).
I know some people think that there is nothing down deep except for wrecks or darkness with nothing else to see. Not true at all.
One of my favorite dives here on the Big Island has an entirely different community at depth. We've seen fish species so rare at 265' that they sell for thousands and thousands of dollars each in the aquarium trade (Not kidding, I've seen this one species of Angelfish that goes for around $10k).
My main interest in going deep is because I want to do it for my profession. I want to research the "mesophotic zone," the area of coral reefs from 200'-500'. This area has largely been unexplored because it is way outside the limits of recreational diving and because of this, scientists discover new species on pretty much every dive! That is what gets me excited!
Of course there is an inherit risk to what we do. My parents and girlfriend always worry about me until I text them afterwards that I'm safe. Divers always associate cave diving as extremely dangerous but deep diving shares a commonality, if something happens you can't go to the surface. And I'm sure many people reading this are thinking "I have no interest in going 250'" and that's totally fine because it takes an absolutely different mentality to be a tech diver (more so if you are a tech REBREATHER diver). But if you are like myself, loving the thrill of being someplace that probably no one else has been to except for you and your team (lots of exceptions to this), it's awesome.
There are a few wrecks that have been lost but thought to have sank in 350'-400' FSW. While that's outside of our comfort zone right now, we'll slowly be working our way "down" there as we get more experience. And for the majority that doesn't like deep diving, not to worry that's what video cameras and deep housings are for
. Whether it be shallow or deep, happy safe diving everyone!
(From our shallow-er dives at 190')
[video=youtube;W2mMbjvdCYI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2mMbjvdCYI[/video]
R-balljunkie
Contributor
I go deep, relatively speaking, recreational, non-tech #'s to collect fishies cuz thats where the pretty ones live.
Wrecks here are located deep as well.
I wasn't comfortable at first going deep, but after time, you get used to it, and you know to keep all the factors going mentally to make it a safe dive.
its not for everyone to go deep, but the more experience you gain the better off you will be.
Wrecks here are located deep as well.
I wasn't comfortable at first going deep, but after time, you get used to it, and you know to keep all the factors going mentally to make it a safe dive.
its not for everyone to go deep, but the more experience you gain the better off you will be.
Rich Keller
Contributor
I do most of my diving above 60' unless I am in the water to work on something deeper. I would much rather spend a couple of hours at 30' where the light is better, the dives are more laid back and where about 90% of the life in the sea exists. I go shallow diving to relax not work.
the wrecks at 30' have been pounded to rubble piles by waves, ice, and blasted for navigation. If you want to see more than a lifeless flat mud bottom, you need to venture a bit deeper. Our "good" diving begins in the 80' range, and the "great" stuff lies 110, 130, and beyond. If you want to see it.....
fishi
Contributor
Ironically the best dive in Niagara Falls is only 25 foot deep. They dive in the Niagara river about three miles above the falls, and it is a blast.
To answer the question why do you dive so deep? Everybody has a different comfort level at depth. The divers that are comfortable at depth are the lucky ones. They can choose between deep dives or the shallow dives without being influenced by fear. I think that is the difference between the people that ask this question and the people that think it is a really strange question to ask.
Like some others who have replied, I'm not sure I understood the question. It sounds to me like it has something to do with thrillseeking--that is, diving to a depth that the diver perceives as being "deep" solely for the challenge of it, as opposed to diving to a depth at which some articulable objective is located. If that's it, I have a couple of things to add.
First, I dive to whatever depth the objective of the particular dive is located. I enjoy nothing more than a shallow coral reef, and when that's the objective I'm tickled. The less effort with the biggest payoff, the better! If it's deeper, like a wreck, I'll dive deeper so long as it's within the limits of my training and experience.
But I refrain from chastising the thrillseekers. People do it all the time in other sports. Some get injured. I just wish thrillseekers would separate themselves more from the rest of us divers. It seems to me that in some other sports, the people who intentionally "push the limits" more readily admit that's just what they're doing--trying to set some sort of record. But from time to time I hear things from supposedly recreational divers that to me sound a lot like thrillseeking under the guise of seeking some objective. If you're going to dive to the bottom the wreck mainly because the idea of being that deep excites you, please just admit it rather than claiming you're fascinated by seeing where the wreck meets the sand. Then, if you get injured, we can say you admitted to thrillseeking. Maybe what I'm trying to say is that I think the thrillseeking divers who won't admit it reflect badly on the rest of us.
First, I dive to whatever depth the objective of the particular dive is located. I enjoy nothing more than a shallow coral reef, and when that's the objective I'm tickled. The less effort with the biggest payoff, the better! If it's deeper, like a wreck, I'll dive deeper so long as it's within the limits of my training and experience.
But I refrain from chastising the thrillseekers. People do it all the time in other sports. Some get injured. I just wish thrillseekers would separate themselves more from the rest of us divers. It seems to me that in some other sports, the people who intentionally "push the limits" more readily admit that's just what they're doing--trying to set some sort of record. But from time to time I hear things from supposedly recreational divers that to me sound a lot like thrillseeking under the guise of seeking some objective. If you're going to dive to the bottom the wreck mainly because the idea of being that deep excites you, please just admit it rather than claiming you're fascinated by seeing where the wreck meets the sand. Then, if you get injured, we can say you admitted to thrillseeking. Maybe what I'm trying to say is that I think the thrillseeking divers who won't admit it reflect badly on the rest of us.
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