How do you get better, when you're always following a group leader

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

@KCB, I'm also based in Maryland. I dive fairly often out of Morehead City, NC. The visibility is better and the temps warmer than off our shores. It's a pretty easy drive (6 hours from the eastern shore of MD). Their offshore sites are fairly advanced dives (typically 110-125'). They do have some inshore sites at around 70'. They don't hold your hand there in NC, so the inshore sites would be a good place to hone your skills without following a DM.
 
I'm taking down notes, about where to dive in Maryland, and North Carolina, I also spent a fair amount of time in Norfolk, Virgina as well.
 
I'm taking down notes, about where to dive in Maryland, and North Carolina, I also spent a fair amount of time in Norfolk, Virgina as well.

There is a boat that runs out of Virginia Beach now as well. From what I've heard, they run a pretty good operation. The water off VB is still darker and colder than the Carolinas. For me, diving out of VB would still require an overnight in a hotel (I'm not willing to leave my house at 4:00 am to catch a boat), so I just make the 3 extra hours to North Carolina. Feel free to PM if you want to chat about more details.
 
Thanks guys, All very informative answers, pretty much everyone said what I thought they would, just dive more, which i don't have an issue with, I'm game for pretty much anything, I've done Thailand, Roatan, and Honduras, now I'm in Guam. My long term goal is to dive more, dive deeper, and dive more wrecks. I'm always looking for ways to impove myself in the water.
Guam is a great place to meet your goals. Find a decent buddy and do some shore diving.
 
At some stage, shallow solo diving (with all the solo redundancy) can do the trick because there is absolutely no pressure/expectation/group burden on you, just spend 90mins working on your diving in a confined spot.

If you don't feel comfortable with this or don't have access or the desire to purchase redundancy gear, find a likeminded buddy that can just hover around with you practicing various skills on your own, within a few fin kicks of each other.
 
I'm taking down notes, about where to dive in Maryland, and North Carolina, I also spent a fair amount of time in Norfolk, Virgina as well.

Hey KCB, notwithstanding what I wrote earlier about the value of diving without a DM, wreck dives in North Carolina are definitely not the place to work on your basic dive skills. I've done about 20 dives there in recent years, and it's fantastic diving, but the conditions can be very demanding. Aside from the depths, there are also strong and unpredictable currents, low visibility, lots of fishing line on the wrecks themselves. Also, surface conditions can turn on a dime. If you get blown off a wreck by current, you may ascend to find that seas have picked up and that your dive boat can no longer see you. So, definitely not a place to work on basic buoyancy and navigation skills.

I think a much better alternative if you are in the mood for a road trip would be the Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach. A lot of the factors described above -- currents, visibility, fishing line, etc., are also present, but it's 20 feet max, it's an easy entry/exit, there are a lot of other divers around, and the marine life is absolutely world class. I've seen everything from frog fish to octopus to eagle rays at the bridge. You can easily do a 90 minute dive there, stretch it up to 120 minutes if your air consumption is good, and work on everything from buoyancy control to navigation at your own pace. The only real challenge (aside from finding a parking spot on the weekends) is to make sure you don't drift out to the boat channel. It's a fantastic place to develop your dive skills.
 
@nippurmagnum isn't wrong about the challenging conditions in NC, and I agree the BHB and other sites in South Florida can be a great place to hone your skills in less demanding conditions. There are two wrecks off Morehead City, NC though that are doable for the novice diver (both around 70'). The JJF tugs are super easy to navigate. The Indra is more "fallen apart" these days, making navigation more difficult. The crew runs a line down the wreck though making it easier to navigate and find your way back to the anchor line. You can see a good bit of the wreck without leaving sight of the line. Don't get me wrong, I love South Florida diving, but for those located farther up the east coast, NC is drivable for a long weekend.
 
Thanks for the North Carolina and Maryland diving suggestions, it’s going to be a while before I get back to those areas, to dive and when I mean a while, I mean maybe Christmas, (I have a traveling job) so probably at that time a year I’m looking at finding a pool, or just saying screw it and go do another long distance dive trip, actually I might end up in Subic Bay, PI later this year so I’m excited about that.
 
Thanks for the North Carolina and Maryland diving suggestions, it’s going to be a while before I get back to those areas, to dive and when I mean a while, I mean maybe Christmas, (I have a traveling job) so probably at that time a year I’m looking at finding a pool, or just saying screw it and go do another long distance dive trip, actually I might end up in Subic Bay, PI later this year so I’m excited about that.

As you should be! When you are on guided dives, focus on your breathing and bouyancy. Let the guide be in your periphery.

From the outset, be sure you are weighted properly. Try to use your breath and not your BCD to ride you up and down.

Be the ninja. Be the guy in Matrix.:wink:
 
I am a good diver and before I pass my sell by date hope to be a really good diver. Have 1000+ and now an interest in an an op and two kids who are awesome divers. Daughter ran an op and is a really good instructor. What do I still learn every single time—what I want to emulate or what I definitely don’t want to. For me still every good dive is one where I get wet and learn something. I have yet to have one where I learned nothing whether it was because of the DM or myself. Where has your diving been. Maybe you are not exposed to a higher level. There is something to be learned on every dive and your skills will be better than some but lacking for all of those who are just so much better. Emulate the food and learn something from every single DM you are in the water has something positive or negative to pass along.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom