Tolerating low visibility

[jbd]

I can believe low... but no vis means you cannot see anything.. not your gauges, not your fingers.. nothing..I have to see that navigational skill to believe it. It is also black..

Exactly. Not able to see anything. Not guages, not the compass and not anything else.

What I did with the compass was start outside of the silted out area where I could actually see the compass and maybe a foot or two beyond. I set a heading and followed it into the silt cloud. I kept going, maintaining the same body position, until I came out of the silt cloud. If the compass was moving freely and still on the heading I set then I figured I swam a straight line. I have done this several times. I did have a time or two when the compass was "locked" when I emerged from the silt cloud and upon leveling it I had obviously gone off course

Depth was checked prior to entering the silt cloud and on exiting the silt cloud but there was no need to wonder if I had maintained depth because I knew that I had, based on my ears. Orientation to up and down was easy since I could feel the bubbles and tell which way the were going.

I have done another thing in similar silt clouds that helps with orientation. I do a vertical "headstand" and spin like a top until I am just plain stupid dizzy and then I go completely still and relaxed. Without any movement on my part, as I stop spinning my body automatically goes to a prone/horizontal position. From here, I always know that up is just one inhale away.

 

[jeckyll]

...
And there is plenty to see in low vis as has been said. Finding a 30 lb pike staring you in the face in 2' vis is exciting!
...

...as is coming face to face with a 4 foot Ling Cod, followed by a lions mane. Same dive, at times 5 foot at times 2 foot viz. It was more adrenaline than I normally like in my dives...

Sometimes though, diving in lower viz can be very enjoyable. I remember diving with someone from SB this April in a plankton bloom. Our first time diving together and the viz is 3 feet (I'm being very generous). We took it nice and slow and actually saw a fair bit of life and managed to stay within 3 feet of each other.

Of course, then I almost banged my nose into a sunken train axle with wheel, it just jumped out in front of me.

Some tips I've found useful:

1) A good compass not only tells you direction, it also tell you "tilt angle". Focus on it, forget looking at your bubbles. If you are in trim you can't see your bubbles anyways and I recommend against moving your head around fast to see where they go. One of the only times I felt disoriented was when I moved my head around looking for my buddy mid water in 5 foot viz at night. Your eyes and your ears may not relay the same message to your brain...
2) In a "Blue water" descent (or, really a brown / white / reddish water descent), face your buddy and ensure both of you turn your lights on before going down, even during a daytime dive. On the descent this will help keep you together. Just keep an eye on where their light is.
3) Use your depth gauge to ensure you don't descent too fast, it may be hard to tell in poor vis, especially at night (if you are in trim, keep your light and your wrist mounted depth gauge out in front of you and glance back and forth between your buddies light and the depth gauge).
4) If you're not feeling it, don't do it. Call the dive and come back if you are not going to enjoy it. Talk about this up front, it may take some of the stress away and help you enjoy it.
5) I've personally found narcosis to be more of a factor when it gets cold & deep and the viz goes "buh buy!". Just be aware that your response is unpredictable. I remember doing a dive with a buddy of mine, we were at about 100 fsw, in slight (very slight) current with about 5 foot viz on a wall that went to 300+. He got narc'd and a bit stressed, I felt fine. He's got 100's of dives including deep air deco dives he did when he started diving in the 80's. Still, he was the one who felt it, it's unpredictable.​

Remember, as long as you've got gas, everything else is just nuisance

Bjorn

 

[Tigerman]

Dunt bust my balls over this or start a whole "you shouldnt dive solo", cause Im well aware that its not at all recommended, but it depends wether Im diving solo or not...
If I have a buddy with me, I feel more comfortable than if Im diving solo in more or less all the aspects of diving that Ive been able to try.
I have aborted two solo dives this month for the very reason that the visibility was poo. Dives that Im sure I would have felt just fine with if I had a buddy.
It does concern me a bit that Im more confident when I dive with a buddy, altho it probably just means Im much more concervative when Im alone..

 

[WVDiver]

Poor vis is something you learn to cope with through experience. It may be unnerving in the beggining but soon it will become second nature. Just hang in there and keep diving, soon you will forget all about your present concerns. It helps to have a task to accomplish or something to keep your mind occupied.

 

[oab2]

I live in South Eastern Wyoming. 8 foot is really good visibility. Let's just say I am quite proficient at using a compass.

 

[charlesml3]

I hear you guys. I really do and I agree that diving in low vis would most certainly make me a better diver. However, I just can't subscribe to this idea that "all my local sites are mud holes so that's what I have to do."

There's a quarry here that I just won't get near. I'd rather save that money and put it towards my next trip to Cozumel or Bonaire. I know the diving there rocks.

Maybe I'm just soft? I can't deny that. I just don't like diving in water that's murky or cold. Murky AND cold is to be avoided altogether.

-Charles

 

[WVDiver]

I live in South Eastern Wyoming. 8 foot is really good visibility. Let's just say I am quite proficient at using a compass.

8' is a loooong way from poor vis.

 

[oab2]

8' is a loooong way from poor vis.

That was my point. When I get 8 ft it is a holiday. Being most of my diving are in lakes that are used for irrigation I don't ever see any thing better than 8'.

 

[Hoosier]

A low vis and simply dark (deep or no ambient lgiht) are totally different environment.

A LOW vis is a low vis that nothing leads you better. The high fancy canister light doesn't help that much, either. Even, Sun light can't penetrate the water in a low vis case, how other light beams can penetrate it?

Only methods you can perform in a low vis environment are a lost line and touch/contact drill.... That is, the experience and practice are only ways.

I am located in a famous muck diving environment. The worst site where I have been is just less than a half feet vis in a SUNNY HOT DAY. I had to dive a whole day for a data sampling. LOL~~~

Just my 2 bar..

 

[Tigerman]

Imagine a desert. Then paint it black and put it under water..
Thats basically what large portions of the lake near my appartement is..
It doesnt matter if you have silted it up or not, cause unless youre 3 feet from the bottomn, you dont even know where the bottomn is because its just uniform dark "sand dunes".. Then you look up and you can see all the way to the surface, even from 60 feet at times.. Atleast those days you know whats up and whats down, but knowing whats the direction you came from still is pretty much impossible without a compass or going up.. What I love about it is the fact that its very nice for practicing compass skills.. Cheating is close to impossible