Question What distance do you remain when diving off the sea floor?
- Thread starter Troglodyti 4.0
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Enough to avoid stirring silt or breaking corals. Frog kicking allows getting closer, and I occasionally see divers carrying too much weight, so they dive angled in a way the fins are on the seafloor and the head upwards unaware of the damage they are leaving behind.
Blackcrusader
Contributor
100days-a-year
Contributor
Depends.
On some deep dives I will swim close to the bottom against the current and then drift back to anchor 10 to 20 feet above the bottom.
If it's really fishy I'll kneel in the sand and whack everything in sight.
On some deep dives I will swim close to the bottom against the current and then drift back to anchor 10 to 20 feet above the bottom.
If it's really fishy I'll kneel in the sand and whack everything in sight.
Good question, especially when drift diving.
A good diver can hover pretty close to the bottom and not damage the reef or stir up the silt. When I have my camera, I get into a near-vertical position when getting really close to the reef so that I don't accidentally kick anything.
If the bottom is sandy and there is a lot of current, I can skim the sand. I put my hand flat on my abdomen, and I can feel the sand barely skimming the back of my hand.
Novice divers should stay further away from the reef because they are less aware of their body in space and have less control. I have seen a lot of new divers with a camera trashing the reef with their body and fins. A new diver with a camera has no business being within 10 feet of coral.
Frequently I see a big problem with some dive masters during drift dives.
A good dive master can hover very close to the reef, looking for small creatures, without using a lot of energy. The close distance means they are not moving so fast in the current and are using much less gas. If the divemaster has less experienced divers in the group, they should NOT do this.
The less experienced divers cannot hover close to the reef, so they are more out in the current. This means the expend a lot of gas kicking against the current to avoid drifting away from the divemaster. More gas consumption means a shorter and more frustrating dive for newbies.
Dive masters, are you paying attention?
A good diver can hover pretty close to the bottom and not damage the reef or stir up the silt. When I have my camera, I get into a near-vertical position when getting really close to the reef so that I don't accidentally kick anything.
If the bottom is sandy and there is a lot of current, I can skim the sand. I put my hand flat on my abdomen, and I can feel the sand barely skimming the back of my hand.
Novice divers should stay further away from the reef because they are less aware of their body in space and have less control. I have seen a lot of new divers with a camera trashing the reef with their body and fins. A new diver with a camera has no business being within 10 feet of coral.
Frequently I see a big problem with some dive masters during drift dives.
A good dive master can hover very close to the reef, looking for small creatures, without using a lot of energy. The close distance means they are not moving so fast in the current and are using much less gas. If the divemaster has less experienced divers in the group, they should NOT do this.
The less experienced divers cannot hover close to the reef, so they are more out in the current. This means the expend a lot of gas kicking against the current to avoid drifting away from the divemaster. More gas consumption means a shorter and more frustrating dive for newbies.
Dive masters, are you paying attention?
Blackcrusader
Contributor
This photo of me was taken in the springs, but is pretty representative of how close I am to the bottom on most all dives. I *do* back off from the reef if newer divers are around; I don't want to accidentally set a bad example/norm for them and risk them hitting something.
The best answer is high enough to not stir up the bottom.
I see too many divers, especially photographers getting too close to anything and then not knowing how to back swim, or swim in reverse, kick up the bottom after trying to turn around after taking their shots.
I see too many divers, especially photographers getting too close to anything and then not knowing how to back swim, or swim in reverse, kick up the bottom after trying to turn around after taking their shots.
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