Steve_Dives
Contributor
Any diver can call any dive for any reason at any time. It was the right decision to postpone the dive.
To dive or not to dive?
- Thread starter Coll
- Start date
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It was a training dive and had objectives. At that level (and in general) a night dive should be done in good conditions. Doing it in poor visibility makes it impossible for the instructor to do his (her) job.
There is a place for stretch goals but you don't want things to get out of hand. One day this past summer my wife and I got to a local beach site and the surf was more aggressive than we expected. I expected to move on or even go home but she said she wanted to tackle it. We talked strategy, got out there and worked our plan. It was spectacular daylight, a lovely Maine summer day and there were plenty of people around. Even out at depth the bottom was stirred up so we cut it short as we were beginning to get seasick even down 20 feet. The surge wasn't that bad, the bottom motion compounded it. We made a good exit to plan and called it a good dive.
Pete
There is a place for stretch goals but you don't want things to get out of hand. One day this past summer my wife and I got to a local beach site and the surf was more aggressive than we expected. I expected to move on or even go home but she said she wanted to tackle it. We talked strategy, got out there and worked our plan. It was spectacular daylight, a lovely Maine summer day and there were plenty of people around. Even out at depth the bottom was stirred up so we cut it short as we were beginning to get seasick even down 20 feet. The surge wasn't that bad, the bottom motion compounded it. We made a good exit to plan and called it a good dive.
Pete
coreypenrose
Contributor
You made the right call dude. I'm assuming your checkout dives would have been done at one of the usual spots in Monterey for that sort of thing and, trust me on this, diving one of those spots with lousy vis and moderate strong isn't fun - it's miserable.
OP
Coll
Guest
Once again, thank you guys for all the opinions, that's what I come here for 
By the way coreypenrose, yeah the called night dive was going to be the metridium fields at breakwater I believe.
By the way coreypenrose, yeah the called night dive was going to be the metridium fields at breakwater I believe.
As an Instructor if I had any doubts about the ability of all of the students to safely exicute the dive I would not have let it go forward.
Unless your instructor knew you guys would thumb it I'm surprised he put it to you to decide. If anything had gone wrong it would have been the Instructors neck.
Done well, the night dive for AOW is challenging enough without throwing in marginal conditions.
When there is doubt about a dive there is no doubt... it should be thumbed.
Unless your instructor knew you guys would thumb it I'm surprised he put it to you to decide. If anything had gone wrong it would have been the Instructors neck.
Done well, the night dive for AOW is challenging enough without throwing in marginal conditions.
When there is doubt about a dive there is no doubt... it should be thumbed.
coreypenrose
Contributor
Once again, thank you guys for all the opinions, that's what I come here for
Yeah, I figured as much. That's a fun dive, with a lot to see, but the water inside the bay recently has resembled mocha because of a red algae bloom. Now, it's possible to get under it, but who knows if you'd have been able to get deep enough on that particular dive.
So, yeah, on that dive you wouldn't have seen much of anything while you were being bounced around in the surge. You made the right call, dude.
OP
Coll
Guest
You're telling me! My gf finally got a day off and we were gonna do two dives, got to the site and promptly went back home to bed!
jumbo
Guest
The other side,
It seems to me that "advanced' diver cards are given out like credit card applications. No disrespect to Coll or others in the same situation, but this term "advanced" thats pushed by dive shops and cert agencies is just rubbing me the wrong way lately.
The only way you can improve your diving ability is to challenge yourself in the water, you cant read about it, cant write it on a white board, and you cant talk about it on the web. The conditions you described could loosly be described as advanced, around here its called good conditions. If the group doesnt feel up to a dive like that maybe its time to log 50-70 more dives in perfect conditions. Now the instructor, school, shop wont tell you that because its a paycheck for them, and of course the instructor cant push their students for fear of the possible repercussions.
It seems to me that you guys missed out on a perfect chance to challenge yourself, build confidence and ability. The very fabric that would make up an "advanced diver'.
Just my rant
JUMBO
It seems to me that "advanced' diver cards are given out like credit card applications. No disrespect to Coll or others in the same situation, but this term "advanced" thats pushed by dive shops and cert agencies is just rubbing me the wrong way lately.
The only way you can improve your diving ability is to challenge yourself in the water, you cant read about it, cant write it on a white board, and you cant talk about it on the web. The conditions you described could loosly be described as advanced, around here its called good conditions. If the group doesnt feel up to a dive like that maybe its time to log 50-70 more dives in perfect conditions. Now the instructor, school, shop wont tell you that because its a paycheck for them, and of course the instructor cant push their students for fear of the possible repercussions.
It seems to me that you guys missed out on a perfect chance to challenge yourself, build confidence and ability. The very fabric that would make up an "advanced diver'.
Just my rant
JUMBO
Just some thoughts from a most inexperienced diver;
This is a question that should never be asked, as it is never wrong to thumb a dive. Many others have already correctly stated that anyone can call a dive..no questions asked. I thumbed a dive very similar to the conditions you outlined. We were already in the water and my buddy was a very experienced and well trained diver. The viz was maybe 2 foot, at night, fair surge. After our second trip to the surface to re-group, I called the dive. The experience and training of my buddy really showed itself. All I got was an "OK, let's head in". Later we debriefed and the only thing that was said about me calling the dive was the respect he had for my ability to do it. That's class.
This is a question that should never be asked, as it is never wrong to thumb a dive. Many others have already correctly stated that anyone can call a dive..no questions asked. I thumbed a dive very similar to the conditions you outlined. We were already in the water and my buddy was a very experienced and well trained diver. The viz was maybe 2 foot, at night, fair surge. After our second trip to the surface to re-group, I called the dive. The experience and training of my buddy really showed itself. All I got was an "OK, let's head in". Later we debriefed and the only thing that was said about me calling the dive was the respect he had for my ability to do it. That's class.
coreypenrose
Contributor
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