Whats normal?

[tyesai]

tyesai


Lot's of divers enjoy a leisurely exploration, you just haven't been diving with them. Getting into a situation of diving independently with a known buddy as opposed to following a pack on a charter will be more rewarding. Spotting for a photographer is a nice way to dive as long as you are both on board with the objectives.

Pete

The buddy seems to be the hard part. I've been trying like hell to motivate people to go for the last 4 months and I found one guy who is a fanatic, but he has to keep his wife happy. He's a divemaster and dove constantly at his previous duty station as a side job and his wife isn't looking for him to start that up again, I think he would go twice a week if he could.

I'll expand my circle eventually, I'll just keep asking around, and diving with the dive shops till then. I find it less than optimal, but it is still a blast, beats not diving.

 

[rk288]

Have you taken any advanced diving certifications or AOW? That's a good way to slow down...PADI has a bunch of classes and specialities...

 

[Paladin]

I'm a leisurely diver. I have no interest in covering a lot of ground when I'm diving. My oldest son, however, has an irritating habit of taking off like a rocket. I call him the "SCUBA torpedo." I even made him an avatar to use on SB that depicts a torpedo with a dive flag on the side.

I'm working on slowing him down, though.

 

[Doc]

First, I've got 7 dives, so I don't know....

To me there is so much to see in a 10 foot area but the dive masters just take off, swim swim swim swim swim swim swim.....

A brilliant statement and observation from someone with such a very few dives.

You are entirely correct.

And... is it normal? For divers to speed off at high speed? Yes, it is unfortunately the norm.

Do what Walter said. It's amazing what you can see if you take the time to look.

Be abnormal. It pays off.

 

[DevonDiver]

There are several reasons why a DM might want to move at speed around a dive site. It could be because the site is sparsely furnished with attractions...and the DM wants to cover 'dead ground' between 2 attractions in the minimal time. It could also be because the DM has little empathy for novice divers or that they are inexperienced and do not understand their customers' needs. Most cynically, it could be because they are following a strict dive plan and wish to ensure that customer's air is depleted at an accelerated rate - thus forcing a swift end to the dive.

It's impossible to differentiate between these possibilities unless you talk to the DM and get some info. However, if they have given a comprehensive pre-dive briefing, then you should be clear about any issues regarding the dive site, pace and attractions to be seen.

However, there is no excuse for a DM leading a dive at a pace which is uncomfortable for their customers. Get their attention underwater and tell them to slow down. If they won't then you and your buddy might decide to just ignore the DM and continue at their own pace. If the DM leaves you behind, then you have every right to reprimand them upon return to the boat.

You are paying for DM services. As a customer, you have every right to demand how those services are provided. If the DM has a genuine need for doing things in a certain way, I am sure they would be able to explain that to your satisfaction.

To the OP... don't underestimate the large amount of task loading that you will experience as a novice diver. This is par for the course. As you gain more experience and comfort underwater, the basic functions of bouyancy, propulsion and awareness become more inate and require increasingly smaller amounts of your conscious attention. This results in having more mental capacity to actually look around and enjoy the dive. Have some patience until your core dive skills become instinctive... it is only at that point that scuba diving becomes a truly relaxing and amazing experience!

 

[tyesai]

To the OP... don't underestimate the large amount of task loading that you will experience as a novice diver.

And I did just that. Sixth dive, new equipment, used once, new computer ( Oceanic Veo 2.0 ) simple to use, especially in the living room, I couldn't find the exact combination of weights I wanted as I didn't bring mine, I feel like I was fairly overweighted as I sank like a rock, slight current, max depth of 25 meters, lets see that is 75 feet, a little deeper than I've gone ( I only saw 66 that day, for the certs we went to 50 or so, max ), my pressure gauge reads psig everyone else has one in bar, but the math is simple right, 200ish bar is 3000ish psi, 1500ish psi is 100ish bar, 70ish bar is 1000ish psi, 50 bar 750 psi = on the rope at the safety stop prepare to surface. Flash a T with your hands for a 100bar and a fist for 50, OK, got it. Previously we've just flashed numbers 2 5 0 = 2500psi, 8 0 = 800psi, but I got it, lets go!

Hit the water, swim to the buoy, little nervous but far more excited, give my new Spanish insta bud the OK lets go signal and I'm off, sinking like a rock. Get the descent rate slowed, bet to the bottom, depth is 66 feet, I'm good, feel good. Insta bud and I are staying close, he's ok, I'm ok, waiting for the rest of the people including the dive master to get to the bottom. Dive master is down and we are off, swimsiwmswimswimswimswim.

Checking air, looking around, we are off, swimswimswimswim, buddy wants to know how much air I got, what is 2000psi again in bar, and what did they want a T or something like that for 100 but was 50, to late were of swimming again and that ******* divemaster is going through a small swim through, it only looks like it is ten feet or so through, but I'm going over, signal to my buddy I'm going over he is cool with that, up and over we go, venting air, not enough, vent some more air, not enough, **** I'm sinking like a rock now, were the **** is my inflator hose, can't find it, can't find it, CRASH, silt everywhere, look behind me, some guy shooting video, he's gotta love me as I just kicked up enough sand to make a small beach, oh well, dive master is taking off again, time to swim.

Get turned around, checking air, insta bud and dive master asking how much I've got, a little low 1000psi, I thumb it, divemaster says I'm good, well I am, but were at 55 feet and I'm burning through this 15 liter tank like a forrest fire. Hang out for a few more minutes as I can see the buoy line and the boat, so I don't have far to go, look down, I'm at 800 psi, I'm done **** these guys, he looks at my gauge, says I'm good, I signal low air, thumb it again and head to the rope, start my ascent, nice and slow, all is good, hit my safety stop with another group of divers, the computer is counting down the three minutes for me, all is well.

Get on the boat with a smile, it was stressfull, more stressfull than I wanted, I never felt scared or in danger, I knew what was going on with my air, I knew what was going on with insta buds air, but he didn't understand how much I had, I was OK, but my partner wasn't to happy at the end of the dive, and the dive master took a little ribbing from the other dive master as when I got on the boat I only had 550psi left, he thought it was 55bar.

I'm going to the pool this week, I had a little harder time than I wanted reading my computer, and my time, and finding the inflator, and the deflator. I'm gonna go and get my trim/buoyancy hammered out as my bottom wants to sink constantly wich has me kicking up silt everywhere. Then I'm going to float, look at my gauge, put it back, look at it, put it back, look at it. Then I'm gonna go up 3 feet, use the butt dump, inflate, use the butt dump, inflate ect; ect; You get the point.

I say all that to say " I agree, don't under estimate task loading "

 

[DevonDiver]

Sounds like the DM was an a.r.s.e.

Glad to hear that you were proactive and took responsibility for your own ascent, when you air was low.

There is a golden rule, taught in tech diving, but is equally (if not more so) applicable to recreational diving....

Any diver can abort any dive, for any reason.

If someone wants to abort, then the DM should respect that - even if he doesn't understand the reason why. It's a basic safety and accident prevention measure, that is neglected in recreational diver training.

In this instance, the DM needs his hands slapped for the following reasons:

1. Not understanding your gauge before the dive (PSI, not bar).
2. Not respecting your decision to abort/end the dive.
3. Disregarding a low-on-air signal.
4. Not effectively briefing his dive plan.
5. Not tailoring his dive towards the ability and capacity of his customers (speed).
6. Not communicating effectively with his customers pre and during the dive.

All of these would be seen as pretty dismal errors in his DM course. Be aware that DM's are exceptionally variable in ability and professionalism. You should never assume to rely on one for your safety.

Don't worry about the task loading. Dive as much as you can, and as regularly as you can. Just like when you first learned to drive a car, that task loading soon becomes a thing of the past. Don't be in a rush to add more aspects to your diving (new gear, cameras etc) until you are entirely comfortable with your task loading at that time. At the same time, keep pushing your limits, whenever you reach a state of ease (and complacency) with your existing diving skill.

 

[tyesai]

Sounds like the DM was an a.r.s.e.

Glad to hear that you were proactive and took responsibility for your own ascent, when you air was low.

There is a golden rule, taught in tech diving, but is equally (if not more so) applicable to recreational diving....

Any diver can abort any dive, for any reason.

If someone wants to abort, then the DM should respect that - even if he doesn't understand the reason why. It's a basic safety and accident prevention measure, that is neglected in recreational diver training.

In this instance, the DM needs his hands slapped for the following reasons:

1. Not understanding your gauge before the dive (PSI, not bar).
2. Not respecting your decision to abort/end the dive.
3. Disregarding a low-on-air signal.
4. Not effectively briefing his dive plan.
5. Not tailoring his dive towards the ability and capacity of his customers (speed).
6. Not communicating effectively with his customers pre and during the dive.

All of these would be seen as pretty dismal errors in his DM course. Be aware that DM's are exceptionally variable in ability and professionalism. You should never assume to rely on one for your safety.

Don't worry about the task loading. Dive as much as you can, and as regularly as you can. Just like when you first learned to drive a car, that task loading soon becomes a thing of the past. Don't be in a rush to add more aspects to your diving (new gear, cameras etc) until you are entirely comfortable with your task loading at that time. At the same time, keep pushing your limits, whenever you reach a state of ease (and complacency) with your existing diving skill.

I'll dive with them again, they were nice and sociable, I enjoyed being around them. I was pretty pissed about the swim through's though. Thats really the only thing that got me a little flustered. I was thinking holly snikes batman, this guy can see me floundering around, he knows I'm as cherry as they come, and yet he wants to go through mini caves. ( thats what they are in my mind )

I take most of the responsibility for not making the conversions clearer, I'll mark my gauge with a grease pencil next time, 200 bar, 100 bar, 50 bar, to clear the confusion. Or maybe I'll just buy a metric one, I'm not leaving here anytime soon.

The speed isn't a physical issue, I'm in OK shape, I do intense cardio 4-5 times a week. I just didn't see anything, and in a small way, I'm ok with that for now. I don't want to hold other people up as long as I feel safe, just cause I'm still learning. If most others want to haul ass then I'll do that, till I specifically pay for someone to go and work on buoyancy ect; ect; I don't feel I can be upset.

The abort the dive / low air was no suprise. I've read enough to know what should be done and what almost always is done, this fell into the later category, but there was other people on the line already so I wasn't by myself, I just had to join up with another group led by another dive master.

Do you guys use and underwater slate? or is that just a crutch for poor hand signals?

 

[DevonDiver]

Slate can be a useful tool for conveying clearly more complex information. A buddy pair that regularly dive together can establish a system of communication that makes this unnessary. For insta-buddies, it help.

However, there aren't many situations where you would need more than the following:

Yes
No
Up
Down
Slow Down
Stop
Ok
My air is....
I am not ok
Stay at this level
Look here/there/at me
Come here
Breathing fast/exerted/tired
I am expressing my displeasure at you (translate this as you wish )

If in any doubt about communicating your air, beckon them towards you and signal for them to look for themselves. A good instructor/DM should do this anyway with novice or unknown divers.

Most of those can be displayed pretty instinctively, even if you haven't taken a scuba course.

 

[pieohpah]

Photographers don't move much. On the other hand, I've dived with a photo-buddy and when we both take photographs we don't really notice what's happening around us. But teaming up with a photographer is one way to take a slow dive.

A good idea is to talk to your buddy before the dive so you know each others wishes. It's best to have the same agenda.