Have you reached a Diving "Plateau. "

[Manatee Diver]

Having an interest in marine life will add to that. There were several divers on Scubaboard a few years ago who took GUE Fundamentals together. For a year or two they posted reports and videos of their dives. The only things they talked about were their trim and frog kicks. Once they had "perfected" diving" they soon dropped out and found other interests. There was nothing to keep them interested in diving other than showing each other what perfect divers they were.

This is actually a topic of conversation at the dive site and a couple of instructors enlightened me why they think that cave divers are often active for a few years and then they quit. To them the reason for that is that technical diving often attracts type A personalities, people that simply want to be the "peak" at whatever they do. So many people go into diving for that reason, and when they reach whatever peak they desire, they get bored and quit.

And why are so many of those people with DIR agencies like GUE? GUE often advertised as the "peak" agency for technical diving, with the highest standards for certification and their divers are doing the big expeditions.

 

[Marie13]

I did SDI solo this past weekend. Fun and challenging.

 

[ATJ]

I'm not sure of the definition of "diving plateau". I have no interest in doing any more courses so from that aspect I have probably plateaued.

Having an interest in marine life will add to that.

My interest is in the organisms I see on each and every dive. The challenge to find new ones as well as relocate the ones I have seen on previous dives.

For example, we have 6 regular seahorses, a female (Helen) with two males (Little Richard and Tiny Tim), another female (Lily) with a male (Tom Thumb), and an individual female (Nadiah). Sometimes they are hiding and it takes time to find them. Other times they are out in the open.

There's a black Painted Anglerfish that I first saw in July 2019. He's grown and is still around. He can be a challenge to find.

There are pygmy pipehorses which are a challenge to find in the first place but when I do find them, I can visit them dive after dive.

There are Weedy Seadragons. It is their breeding season at the moment. Sometimes I can come across one of my regular males with a new brood of eggs and then watch him over the next 6 weeks while those eggs develop and hatch. It is also the joy of finding juveniles, including a recent find one one that was only days old.

We have an endemic species of anglerfish which are incredible at camouflage. There's the challenge of finding them.

I enjoy each and every dive so much so that I dive every weekend. In fact, I didn't miss a weekend for over 6 years until I was unwell last year and missed around 12 weekends in total. I'm now back to over a year without missing a weekend.

 

[skippy311]

Once I get my compressor there will be no more plateaus.

 

[Ojai Diver]

Having an interest in marine life will add to that. There were several divers on Scubaboard a few years ago who took GUE Fundamentals together. For a year or two they posted reports and videos of their dives. The only things they talked about were their trim and frog kicks. Once they had "perfected" diving" they soon dropped out and found other interests. There was nothing to keep them interested in diving other than showing each other what perfect divers they were.

I should be more clear--it was not doing a frog kick that drew me to dive, or keeps me going. My point was that there are better ways to access the ocean. Like Tincup and his golfswing ("perfection unobtainable") we can always do better at what we do.

But for me the draw has always been the ocean, the always changing colors, the chance to see a world so various, and as different from ours as if it were on another planet, in another galaxy. Plus the companionship of others who are also turned on by seeing what I am seeing.

 

[Ojai Diver]

Not at all being critical, just curious--why did you all kneel in the sand? A particular reason--just to rest? I was taught skills kneeling, as did a huge % of divers, but I can't think of a time I purposely knelt on the bottom. I suppose there may have been a couple or a few times for some reasons I can't recall.

For sure this originated in training, as others have noted. But this would happen regularly when somebody saw an urchin, or anemone or whatever. Looking back on those early years is like looking back on one's infancy. There is a tactile obsession: grab this, poke that, all while kneeling. If one person sees something interesting, everybody kneels around him. This behavior was ubiquitous.

I wasn't that comfortable with that behavior even back then, but I absolutely cringe at it now. I really think that the consciousness of divers has been raised over those early days.

 

[TMHeimer]

For sure this originated in training, as others have noted. But this would happen regularly when somebody saw an urchin, or anemone or whatever. Looking back on those early years is like looking back on one's infancy. There is a tactile obsession: grab this, poke that, all while kneeling. If one person sees something interesting, everybody kneels around him. This behavior was ubiquitous.

I wasn't that comfortable with that behavior even back then, but I absolutely cringe at it now. I really think that the consciousness of divers has been raised over those early days.

I can see that. I don't think I really ever knelt on the bottom to look at something. Not out of concern for the environment (you really can't do much--I emphasize "much" to avoid getting slammed by others) harm by kneeling here in Nova Scotia), but it's just something that never occurred to me to do (I was taught on knees, as mentioned). I almost never dived with more than one buddy, and usually solo.

I have been told by several instructors here that they have seen multiple divers look for a spot to kneel to clear their mask. Reason being that's the way they were first taught. Never occurred to me to do this and I am amazed that some do. Seems more work to find a good spot to land than to clear the mask.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Wow, great stuff and certainly not shy of you!

I think when you have the presence of not moving and being non threatening many marine creatures are fine with your being there.
Even after being bitten and coming all the way out into the side of the reef wall I could have stayed longer. But I was abandoned. I actually regret not staying another few minutes.

 

[Sifossifoco]

Well, I have been reading for a while, but I suppose this is a good thread for my first post and introduce myself a bit...
I have been diving since 2004, so probably not a very long time. I was living in London by then, and did my OW on a holiday in Jamaica. It was a weird course where everyone dropped off after a German woman panicked after jumping in the water for the first dive, and I was the only one left. Then I did the AOW in Egypt, definitely not a great course with an Italian instructor that could not care less, and Nitrox in the Maldives where also I wasn't particularly lucky with the teaching. Nevertheless, I kept diving at AOW level for years, and only on holidays. No gear of my own, very basic skills, but I liked it. I did think that was my plateau, till one day unpredictably I moved to the Caribbean. I finally bought my own gear, met a good instructor, and went from AOW to being an Instructor myself. When I became DM I thought I finally knew how to dive. I never worked as an instructor, and only certified few friends. Diving to look at animals and wrecks was my interest, not teaching. At this very point though, I thought I reached a plateau again. The dives where repetitive, and my buddies not exactly experienced. One day I saw a rebreather, and decided to start a new adventure. Everybody I knew told me I was going to die, and I had to realize how little 'normal' divers know about rebreathers. Going with my feelings, I tried three rebreathers, got certified on two and bought one. So far, I love diving with my rebreather, but I understand why it will never be a mass production thing. My old buddies look at me with horror and curiosity, but none of them is particularly interested in my next adventure. I do not know if I will go past the level where I am now, but I do know that if I feel comfortable there is more ahead of me, so I am not at a plateau yet. Most of my dives are calm and recreational, enjoying fishes coming as close as I have never seen them. I could start photography, or prepare for the Andrea Doria. Or maybe just slowly get more experience and buy another rebreather. I am not looking for a specific destination any longer, as it is the journey that I am enjoying the most.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Well, I have been reading for a while, but I suppose this is a good thread for my first post and introduce myself a bit...
I have been diving since 2004, so probably not a very long time. I was living in London by then, and did my OW on a holiday in Jamaica. It was a weird course where everyone dropped off after a German woman panicked after jumping in the water for the first dive, and I was the only one left. Then I did the AOW in Egypt, definitely not a great course with an Italian instructor that could not care less, and Nitrox in the Maldives where also I wasn't particularly lucky with the teaching. Nevertheless, I kept diving at AOW level for years, and only on holidays. No gear of my own, very basic skills, but I liked it. I did think that was my plateau, till one day unpredictably I moved to the Caribbean. I finally bought my own gear, met a good instructor, and went from AOW to being an Instructor myself. When I became DM I thought I finally knew how to dive. I never worked as an instructor, and only certified few friends. Diving to look at animals and wrecks was my interest, not teaching. At this very point though, I thought I reached a plateau again. The dives where repetitive, and my buddies not exactly experienced. One day I saw a rebreather, and decided to start a new adventure. Everybody I knew told me I was going to die, and I had to realize how little 'normal' divers know about rebreathers. Going with my feelings, I tried three rebreathers, got certified on two and bought one. So far, I love diving with my rebreather, but I understand why it will never be a mass production thing. My old buddies look at me with horror and curiosity, but none of them is particularly interested in my next adventure. I do not know if I will go past the level where I am now, but I do know that if I feel comfortable there is more ahead of me, so I am not at a plateau yet. Most of my dives are calm and recreational, enjoying fishes coming as close as I have never seen them. I could start photography, or prepare for the Andrea Doria. Or maybe just slowly get more experience and buy another rebreather. I am not looking for a specific destination any longer, as it is the journey that I am enjoying the most.

Very cool introductory post. Welcome to Scubaboard. So pleased to have you join us and I'm looking forward to more of your contributions.