Have you reached a Diving "Plateau. "

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Boston Breakwater

"Outlaw." Solo Diver
Messages
522
Reaction score
512
Location
Brunswick, Georgia.
# of dives
None - Not Certified
Hello. I've come to the conclusion that my diving has reached a "Plateau."
I'm diving Blue Grotto Williston, Florida. this weekend. It's my Zen place. I like to go down to the bottom (103 ft.) sit on a rock, shut my lights off, and meditate for 20 or 30 minutes.
Last time I was there, a couple of weeks ago, sitting on "My." rock. I had a revelation, or ephinany (If, you will.)
At my age, my diving at this point (Probably.) won't advance to any greater degree.
I won't ever be a Saturation Diver, or Welder....or Commercial Diver of any kind. I've never had an interest in rebreathers. I am not a Cave diver. (Never will be.) Even with the type of diving I do, I don't stray to far away from ambient light.
I consider myself a Deep (which too me, is a relative term.) Wreck diver.
My "Plateau." 140 fsw for 30 minutes. Period.
I no longer have the desire, or need to go deeper.
I won't discuss "Doubles." or equipment, or anything needed to conduct a "Deep." dive of this nature.
Quite simply, a majority of the wrecks that I enjoy are in 120 to 140 ft of water.
I'm very comfortable at these depths, and it's something, I really enjoy.
It wasn't planned, it wasn't a goal of mine. it just seemed to fall that way. Is it coincidence?
Is it really even important?
So, the question is...if it applies? What is your "Plateau."
Cheers.
 
I went pro and then tapped out. Finished my IE, worked for a few weeks and then left. Alarm bells were ringing when half of the IDC was about sales and trip pricing etc. I understand the sales and marketing of continuing education, but I did the instructor training for the knowledge and the challenge. I found it was focused on the business of diving and that the biggest leap for skills and knowledge is actually at DM level. I actually left the sport because local sport diving just didn't interest me anymore, I had plateaued.

Going technical is what brought me back, for the opposite of your reasons. I really enjoy getting to wrecks with history, rather than those placed for dive sites. Always something new to learn and integrate, skills to refresh and refine.
 
Yes. I finished my card collecting about 10 years ago (aside from that free SSI Sci. of Diving cert. recently offered here). Got a number of specialties including PADI Deep & MSD. Did some deep diving from charters--mostly on the FL panhandle in winter--the 3 month "snowbird" thing. Got my DM and did 4 summers of assisting OW courses locally. Since, we haven't gone South much (last time 2017), so my diving has consisted of very shallow shore diving (10-35') here in NS and every summer for 7 weeks in the NY area (not this time obviously). Have gotten on speaking terms with some of the larger rocks at the sites (uw and on shore). Yes, I have reached a plateau.
 
I haven't reached my plateau yet, and I hope I never do. When I was a new diver I just wanted to swim from one rock to the next, checking out the marine life. I gradually began diving deep reefs and wrecks about ten years after getting certified. For twenty years, my goal was to find the UB88, the Holy Grail of Southern California wrecks. I finally found it in 2010 and made a few nice dives on it.


Most of my dives these days involve finding new reefs and documenting the life on them with underwater photography. Merry and I are involved in the Giant Sea Bass count. We have photographed more than ninety unique individuals on a small artificial reef.

I hope to be diving for at least thirty more years. Who knows what I'll be doing then, but I will still be enjoying it.

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Yeah I reached my plateau years ago now I'm in my "twilight" years of diving. I'm not as strong as I was I get winded easy because I can't run anymore MD orders after getting 2 replacement knees. Worst of all a little voice inside my head keeps telling me I haven't got too many dives left before I'm forced to quit.

The whole thing is very distressing and depressing. Having dived all my life I can't imagine what life will be like not being able to dive. I know a nice problem to have, some people have to adjust to being sightless or confined to a wheelchair, I'm concerned about not diving, old A-hole!

Does DAN have a support group for old bold divers that are too old to dive but still bold enough to want to?
 
Yeah I reached my plateau years ago now I'm in my "twilight" years of diving. I'm not as strong as I was I get winded easy because I can't run anymore MD orders after getting 2 replacement knees. Worst of all a little voice inside my head keeps telling me I haven't got too many dives left before I'm forced to quit.

The whole thing is very distressing and depressing. Having dived all my life I can't imagine what life will be like not being able to dive. I know a nice problem to have, some people have to adjust to being sightless or confined to a wheelchair, I'm concerned about not diving, old A-hole!

Does DAN have a support group for old bold divers that are too old to dive to still bold enough to want to?
I saw in Bali diver that couldn't walk himself (wheelchair)carried to water and bcd place in water to him. Then he went to dive. Must have been 85+ old. So there is a way!
 
I saw in Bali diver that couldn't walk himself (wheelchair)carried to water and bcd place in water to him. Then he went to dive. Must have been 85+ old. So there is a way!

Yeah I'm not the sort that likes to be carried around, I'm a VERY independent sort, part of why I enjoy solo diving so much just me and nature. Who knows maybe some time out of the water would change my mind? Hopefully the choice is still a long way off. Let's see 85 that's only 19 more years!
 
Yeah I'm not the sort that likes to be carried around, I'm a VERY independent sort, part of why I enjoy solo diving so much just me and nature. Who knows maybe some time out of the water would change my mind? Hopefully the choice is still a long way off. Let's see 85 that's only 19 more years!

I did some dives with a 72yr old in Malta last year, he was still going strong. My Dad is in that category too. Probably go down a tank size soon to reduce the dry weight, but nothing too drastic.
 
Interesting topic. Thanks.

Finding that a particular type of dive appeals to you and sticking with it may not constitute a "plateau."

I'm too old to embark on a contest with myself to see how deep I can go, but I am interested in learning more about what I can see at the depths I am willing to go to.

Lately, it has been occurring to me more and more how little I know about the fauna and flora I regularly see on my local dives. I have my own mental categorizations, but my knowledge of species names is sketchy and my knowledge of their behavior and life cycle is practically non-existent.

Then there is the matter of proficiency. My buoyancy, fin work, air consumption, and skills will always need work.

As long as my dives continue to have purpose, such as learning more or getting better at diving, I don't think I'll consider myself to be at a plateau--even when I'm not physically able to do as much.
 
I worked as a pro instructor 5 years, 1985-1989.
Since quitting, at beginning of 1990, I am beyond the plateau, I am on the descent slope...
 

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