What has changed in the Scuba industry in the last 10-15 years?

[Eric Sedletzky]

In my diving world nothing has really changed.
Same regs, same fins, same tables/computer, same dive spots, same kayak, new suit though.
15 years is not enough time.
40 years is enough time.

 

[cgblake]

What's changed... hmmm

1. Backplate and wing divers have been declared the best divers in the world

6. Tethering yourself to your buddy on a drift dive is best practice

Is holding onto your dive buddy in a drift dive best?
My first drift dive my buddy was holding onto me and I had an even worse time with my buoyancy.
That and his BC dropped a weight at 40ft and we both went for a ride back up without a safety stop.

 

[Tracy]

As an example most boats are equipped with VHF radios. For quite some time now, these radios were required to have ASC functionality. ASC can transmit a distress signal including GPS coordinates to nearby boats and the CG. That only works if the VHF is properly connected to a GPS device, or has an on-board GPS receiver. The vast majority of boats did not have their VHF and Chartplotters connected. It's still true today despite it being a lot easier to connect today. Just about all current VHFs and Chartplotters have NMEA 2000 at a minimum. That's essentially plug and play if the backbone is set up. Older models used NMEA 0183, which was admittedly more difficult as there was no color standard with 0183, so you had to look up which colors were for TX and which were for RX to connect.

I was annoyed to find my new MFD doesn't have an 0183 output. It is nmea2k only. My primary Icom is nmea2k, but I was going to use my old unit as a backup vhf. There isn't any way to wire it into the network.
I know nmea2k is the new standard, but I hadn't realized 0183 had been discontinued.

 

[Belzelbub]

I was annoyed to find my new MFD doesn't have an 0183 output. It is nmea2k only. My primary Icom is nmea2k, but I was going to use my old unit as a backup vhf. There isn't any way to wire it into the network.
I know nmea2k is the new standard, but I hadn't realized 0183 had been discontinued.

I wasn't aware that 0183 wasn't available anymore. My current display is a few years old and has both.

Not sure if it's worth it to network the older VHF, but there is an 0183 to 2K gateway that seems like it might work. Takes the 0183 wiring and connects it to the 2K network. Supposedly offers 2 way with broad compatibility.

NMEA 0183 Gateway

Connect NMEA 0183 devices to a NMEA 2000 network and vice versa easily.

www.yachtd.com

 

[Tracy]

I wasn't aware that 0183 wasn't available anymore. My current display is a few years old and has both.

Not sure if it's worth it to network the older VHF, but there is an 0183 to 2K gateway that seems like it might work. Takes the 0183 wiring and connects it to the 2K network. Supposedly offers 2 way with broad compatibility.

NMEA 0183 Gateway

Connect NMEA 0183 devices to a NMEA 2000 network and vice versa easily.

www.yachtd.com

It may still be available, but it isn't factory on the new Lowrance HDS12s.
It wasn't worth it to me. It is a backup vhf and my handheld has live gps.
I have a pile of old 0183 graphs, if I really needed it to work, I could just throw an extra graph on that side of the helm and wire them together.

 

[mcohen1021]

Is holding onto your dive buddy in a drift dive best?
My first drift dive my buddy was holding onto me and I had an even worse time with my buoyancy.
That and his BC dropped a weight at 40ft and we both went for a ride back up without a safety stop.

my drift dive training was done on a shallow river in texas so we could experience it easier. i have 30+ yrs of experience & held my wifes hand through her 1st dozen drifts as she did not have the river experience i had. yes i'd say that was best barring any issues like you had. i wasnt there but i would think he should have let you go when that happened.

 

[drrich2]

Started OW training late '05, certified early '06, so my observations are based on the past 16 years. Some of these points were noted by others.

1.) Solo diving has been clawing its way up to public awareness and respectability.

2.) Dive tables have gone from 'on the way out' (albeit with a lot of fussing by some die hards) to a rarely mentioned relic.

3.) I agree nitrox has become more common.

4.) Some dive destinations I used to rarely hear of have become better known, at least on ScubaBoard, judging from posts. Mainly Curacao, but St. Croix and the Cabo region of Mexico.

5.) I agree 80-cf tanks still dominate, but a number of providers at some varied destinations offer at least a limited number of 100-cf tanks (albeit some filled to around 3,000 PSI, not their rated fill pressure of 3,300 PSI, so for practical purposes more like 90-cf tanks), and a few destinations have really big tanks (e.g.: Jupiter Dive Center in Florida and Olympus Dive Center in North Carolina had 120-cf steel tanks).

6.) Dive computer interfaces have improved in terms of being more intuitive. Some now support Bluetooth and I've heard of some connecting wirelessly with smartphones.

7.) It seems physical log books used to be mentioned more often and presumed to be kept (though I think many people didn't). These days, not so much. Many people who want a log use a computerized log.

8.) Shark feeding/baited diving seems to've grown in public awareness on ScubaBoard, awhile many people still wouldn't choose to participate and many are still opposed, the degree of acceptance and tolerance has grown. It can now be brought up sometimes with automatically triggering a multi-page headed debate.

9.) In the wake of the Conception disaster, I am more conscious about liveaboard safety issues, particularly a backup exit in case a fire blocks the usual exit, and I think many other divers are, too.

10.) At least on ScubaBoard, I think awareness about the BP/W option has grown even for recreational divers not aiming for tech.; on the other hand, at many dive destinations, the jacket style BCD seems to rule.

11.) The recent closing of Guadalupe, Mexico as a great white shark cage diving destination is big, as it was pretty much the only game in town in the larger region. I never made it there.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

This reminds me: Greece opened up a Roman shipwreck as a dive site:

Underwater Museum in Greece is "the Parthenon of Shipwrecks"

The ancient shipwreck of Peristera, opens to divers who will be able to visit the famous shipwreck of amphorae from the 5th century BC.

greekreporter.com

With a fair bit of modern shipwrecks, a movement has started to promote diving on those modern wrecks:

Kea Opens Spectacular Shipwreck Dive Sites - Greece Is

Three shipwrecks off the Cycladic island’s coast are listed as underwater monuments, as a new framework for diving tourism makes great strides.

www.greece-is.com

 

[rx7diver]

I'm just starting to get back into diving after a 15 year break and I'm curious how things have changed ...

Like a couple of others who already replied, I continue to dive pretty much like I was trained (in 1986)--except, I now use slower ascent rates (30 fpm vs. 60 fpm) and carry a DSMB, and I use either a double-hose regulator (for shallow dives) or two complete single-hose regulators (on a Y-valve), depending. Oh, and I recently assembled a manifolded baby-doubles rig (LP50's) which I am really loving.

rx7diver

 

[broncobowsher]

SMBs went mainstream and are now part of basic training.

I don't think that was covered yet. Yes, they existed 15 years ago. But use has shifted from advanced training to basic training.