Spencermm
Contributor
How many dives per year would you say is necessary to maintain your critical dive skills?
# of dives to maintain skills?
- Thread starter Spencermm
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Depends on your level of skill - if your skills are poor, it shouldn't take many dives to maintain them.
DennisS
Contributor
RJP:Depends on your level of skill - if your skills are poor, it shouldn't take many dives to maintain them.
That's funny!
As an example: NOAA requires their divers to do a monthly proficiency dive.
103...104 in a leap year.
OP
Spencermm
Contributor
Hey Thanks- that helps!
Don't know about total number or dives, it would vary from person to person. For me it is more about length of time between diving than total number in a year. If I don't dive for 6 months I can tell a difference in my diving the next time I go. When I first got certified it was about a year before my first "real" ocean dives, that was a mistake and I should have taken a refresher or gotten some pool time in first. Also, it depends on the dive skills you are talking about. Many of the skills, like mask removal and air sharing, are not practiced reguarly by many people.
OP
Spencermm
Contributor
Jasonmh:
Thanks Jason- "length of time between dives" seems more logical now that I read your post. Thanks for the help.
Spencer
DennisS:
Sounds pretty good to me.
There is something to be said for how experienced the diver is though. A more experienced diver has built up greater repetitive memory and will retain their knowledge longer than the newly minted diver who has done the same skill just once or twice.
-B
As some have eluded to I would say it depends on where you are as a diver and how much diving you do when you get around to diving.
Let's say that you began diving and logged 100 dives in a year, locally, maybe on some vacations and at the end of the year you pretty much had your act together. Maybe you bagged AOW or even Rescue diver by then. You then wake up and decide you want to be a warm water wuss (WWW) and sell your 7mm wetsuit. That diver could probably make 10 dives every 6 months and do just fine. The diver won't be as sharp and will need to keep a close eyes on things since the instincts won't be as sharp, the routines won't be as fresh but he should still shine next to a rookie who is deemed perfectly suited to dive. I'd confine this scenario to open water recreational diving.
If our diver is freshly certified then I think it's like many skills, you need to immerse yourself in it and attain critical mass. Much (but not all) of diving is like riding a bicycle, you have to pay your dues before you can coast. If you get certified and make a trip or 2 a year and only dive part of the time then you will be forever starting over and while death is still unlikely proficiency will be a long time coming.
Pete
Let's say that you began diving and logged 100 dives in a year, locally, maybe on some vacations and at the end of the year you pretty much had your act together. Maybe you bagged AOW or even Rescue diver by then. You then wake up and decide you want to be a warm water wuss (WWW) and sell your 7mm wetsuit. That diver could probably make 10 dives every 6 months and do just fine. The diver won't be as sharp and will need to keep a close eyes on things since the instincts won't be as sharp, the routines won't be as fresh but he should still shine next to a rookie who is deemed perfectly suited to dive. I'd confine this scenario to open water recreational diving.
If our diver is freshly certified then I think it's like many skills, you need to immerse yourself in it and attain critical mass. Much (but not all) of diving is like riding a bicycle, you have to pay your dues before you can coast. If you get certified and make a trip or 2 a year and only dive part of the time then you will be forever starting over and while death is still unlikely proficiency will be a long time coming.
Pete
in_cavediver
Contributor
Here's a different way to look at it. Instead of looking to 'maintain profiency', look at it as doing some training dives prior to 'real' dives.
For example, my wife and I are planning a trip to a local quarry to refine our lift bag skills prior to this summers wreck diving. When we go cave diving, our first dive down there is an orientation and workup dive. After that, we will start doing more serious dives with deco or stages.
That said, you should dive at least once or twice a year to maintain some basic level of dive profiency irregardless of dive trips.
For example, my wife and I are planning a trip to a local quarry to refine our lift bag skills prior to this summers wreck diving. When we go cave diving, our first dive down there is an orientation and workup dive. After that, we will start doing more serious dives with deco or stages.
That said, you should dive at least once or twice a year to maintain some basic level of dive profiency irregardless of dive trips.
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