Depth Awareness

[MADiveGirl]

Don't get me wrong, I check my instruments meticulously so knowing my actual depth and air isn't the issue. It was a comment made by another diver about 'their feeling' at depth that got me wondering whether you could really know how deep you were without deferring to the instruments.

Did they actually mean they could accurately feel how deep they were without knowing from their gauges (which as others have already said, is near impossible), or did they mean that they just didn't feel comfortable *knowing* they were that deep? Meaning, it was a mental thing - being that deep was freaking them out a little? That's what I would take it to mean if someone told me they didn't like the feeling at a somewhat deeper depth. Given that I'm contemplating my first over 70ft dive soon, I will admit to feeling a little creepy about it. I know it won't feel any differently physically, but mentally? That's getting to be a long way down (up?)......

 

[kotik]

Okay, I found a physics article that mentions how air pressure can affect the speed of sound. It seems that pressure does have some effect-a little if the gas is totally dry, but quite a lot if it's humid (I'm thinking exhaled air would be pretty humid). So, maybe it's more than just narcosis talking to me?

 

[Queequeg]

So the question to the experienced divers out there is do you know how deep you are without looking at your gauges (or without site knowledge)? If so when did this skill develop?

Thanks

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I channel Ramtha...a 35,000 yr old Lumarian warrior...and he tells me how deep I am. Kinda nice of him really.

 

[emoreira]

Just the sound of your bubbles will indicate you that you are deep or shallow without any specific accuracy. If you are navigating in a bottom that goes deeper and deeper you will notice that the sound of your bubbles will be sharper.

 

[Insta-Gator]

I learned that if I'm deeper than 4 ATA my belly button changes from an innie to an outie.




(just funning ........... )

 

[4dawgma]

Deep subject. Must consult Magic 8 ball........it says 'ask again later'

 

[paolov]

this discussion is getting DEEPER nearing off topic

 

[TSandM]

I did an interesting short dive today, which reminded me of this thread.

It's a long story, but I ended up in the water as a DM, with the assigned task of partially inflating an SMB, attaching it to some weights, and leaving it as the "unconscious diver on the bottom" for a Rescue class to find. I was discombobulated on gearing up, and ended up in the water without a depth gauge. (No buddy check, because I was solo diving ) I looked at what I was there to do, and decided that a) I knew the depth where the hydrillia ended; b) I knew where the thermocline was, and c) I knew where the target was where I wanted to drop the gear. So I did the dive without the gauge. I was thinking, as I did it, about how I knew where I was, both depth and map-wise. It all had to do with natural navigation -- I knew the depths of various things, from having been there recently, and I could follow a depth contour by watching where the thermocline was.

So your buddies who appear to "know" where they are in the water column, are probably doing something similar.

 

[paolov]

but the Question came with a qualifier ;

...or without site knowledge

hence familiarity with location was to be excluded in the answer with impunity hehehehe

 

[dumpsterDiver]

In a given location, deeper means colder and darker. It also means a bigger, scarier number on the depth gauge. Any combination of those can make the depth seem scarier.

Not always. I have dove many times when the cold water was on the surface and the warmer water was below..