What to do in soup?

[Stujiro]

Here in the chicago land area we get used to low viz from our first open water check outs due to learning in quarries and lakes. 15 feet of viz is considered a real good day.

You get real good at underwater navigation working with a compass and as part of a buddy team.

 

[bs63366]

Ok, so it sounds like a concensus that working on skills is the best to do on a bad vis dive. Will have to plan on that the next time we head out to this site just in case. By the way the vis was less than 1.5 meters and you could not see the bottom, just the reel for the dive flag.

 

[overkillphil]

The thing about diving in very poor visibility (<1') is you learn to stay relaxed even when conditions are poor. I did a dive in what can only be described as YooHoo with a pretty good surge. After that dive, it really made me appreciate better vis!

 

[natew]

we do navigation dives and pratice our search patterens

This. Find something underwater, a large rock, a particular kelp plant, or whatever (a fish isn't a good idea). Take a compass reading, head a ways away from it and see if you can navigate back to it and find it again. Keep doing that increasing your distance each time until you get tired or fail to find it again.

 

[Dyno Bill]

The teams use blacked out masks to practice equipment drills. Could you do a ditch and recovery wearing a blacked out mask lense. That might be an appropriate drill for a cave diver. Not sure I could

 

[lowviz]

The thing about diving in very poor visibility (<1') is you learn to stay relaxed even when conditions are poor. ..............

That's pretty much it from my perspective. Adding to this post, there are special things to see if you look for them. It is a Zen thing. (presuming that a New Jersey wreck diver is capable of Zen anything. )

Stay safe,
lowviz

 

[Guba]

1.5 m is the low end of our "normal" vis in my neck o' the woods. The lakes and quarries I frequently dive typically have from 3-12 feet vis. 15 feet is good; 20 feet is stellar. Makes those trips to the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico truly spectacular!

And yet, my buddies and I generally have a blast every time we're in the water, no matter where we are!

 

[cloudflint]

If I cant see the gauges on my arm when they're held in a normal position i consider it to be "bad vis". Ive had some great dives in bad vis, you just have to really really pay attention to the small life near the bottom and get right in close with your torch. I often find that because the Vis is so bad i sometimes see things that i would otherwise miss because i am looking so closely at things.

Ive known a few guys over here who have had problems with good vis where they trained all winter in vis of a few feet then when summer comes and we get a really clear day they get vertigo and freak out

 

[FritzCat66]

A useful task on really bad viz dives like you describe is to spend your bottom time in the muck planning your next dive trip to Florida & the Caribbean. :cool2:

 

[divin'dog]

I dove just outside of Boston Harbor when the viz was about 1'-2'. Had to focus on my computer on the way down so I wouldn't get dizzy... nothing to focus on when it's that bad. When I got to the bottom it was still soup so I swam close to the bottom the whole time... Ended up getting several lobsters because they're all out in the "open" in their little holes in the sand. Their predators basically couldn't see them... except for me. I would come upon a lobster and we'd both be startled because we couldn't see each other until I was literally right on top of them... Really funny to see a startled lobster before I stuffed them into my bag. So I guess, that was making the best of a bad situation. For me soupy viz = lobster dinner.