3/4 mile too far to swim?

[Mr Carcharodon]

I had a diver tell me, he wants to do a shore dive, but the spot he wanted to dive is 3/4 of a mile off shore, and wanted to swim out to it, then dive it, and then swim back. He said he was a strong swimmer. I thought "Get a Boat" but sometimes I forget thats not an option for everyone.

I could see someone doing it in perfect conditions, but even then I think it would be tough.

But I only drift and boat dive, I maybe have shore dove 2 times.

I told him that to me that seemed a little extreme to me, and I think it would be too much.

I know the spot he is talking about, it never gets deeper then 25 ft. in Lake Erie

But like I said, I really don't know, and was wondering from the shore divers, if I steered him in the wrong direction, or is 3/4 of a mile really not to extreme?

I have done a shore dive where we started with a swim of about 3/4 mile out. We swam back underwater and did the last part as a surface swim. The dive was followed by a hike 200 feet vertically back up to the top of a cliff. I will admit I was tired when we I got back to the car but my dive buddy asked if I wanted to do a second dive! I declined that offer. Really going beyond 600 yards, out and back, makes for a long dive. But in the end 3/4 of a mile may be possible for some people. Probably a good idea to creep up on this sort of distance though. Has your friend done 1/4 and 1/2 mile swims before? Also I assume in Lake Eire there are no currents, but you had better know that for sure before you go.

By the way you can find some really cool dive sites in hard to get to locations, but renting a boat may be a better option.

 

[Michael Folise]

For what it is worth my daughter (15 yr. old) and I do a shore dive in Hawaii off the beach from our condo. The dive site is probably 200yrds. from the entry. It takes us about 20 min. to reach the area towing a small inflatable dive bouy, locate the site, tie off the bouy, etc. Sometimes a slight current. The water is shallow (20-30 ft.) so we are under for about 1.5 hrs. By the time we get back to the beach we have been in the water swimming for about 2-3 hours and we are tired. 3/4 mi. seems really far in comparison.

 

[floridanewbe]

Way to far

 

[fisherdvm]

As I understand, the wind and waves on lake Erie can change very quickly. A 3/4 mile swim is not too bad with swim trunk... But snorkel, tank, and fins, it is nearly impossible, even with a light chop. Navigation is even more difficult, consider lack of any reference point when you are snorkeling, or swimming on your back with the scuba gears.

 

[John_B]

Old thread, guys. Like, over three years old. LIT hasn't been on SB in almost a year-and-a-half.

I'll go out on a limb and say he probably thought the better of that dive -- a long time ago. :mooner:

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I had a diver tell me, he wants to do a shore dive, but the spot he wanted to dive is 3/4 of a mile off shore, and wanted to swim out to it, then dive it, and then swim back. He said he was a strong swimmer. I thought "Get a Boat" but sometimes I forget thats not an option for everyone.

I could see someone doing it in perfect conditions, but even then I think it would be tough.

But I only drift and boat dive, I maybe have shore dove 2 times.

I told him that to me that seemed a little extreme to me, and I think it would be too much.

I know the spot he is talking about, it never gets deeper then 25 ft. in Lake Erie

But like I said, I really don't know, and was wondering from the shore divers, if I steered him in the wrong direction, or is 3/4 of a mile really not to extreme?

I do these types of dives a lot. I usually go solo because very few other divers are interested and I don't want to talk anyone into it. For the same reasons, he shouldn't be trying to talk you into it.

Going that far offshore requires a different mindset. There's no one to come to your aid. You have to be completely self-sufficient and willing to accept the added risks.

I go out as far as a mile and then spend almost 4 hours on the bottom. A lot can change in 6+ hours in the water. I've gone in on a beautiful morning and had the weather turn, big seas, strong current, water spouts, lightning etc.

Bottom Line: When it hits the fan, your buddy can't save you, or swim for you, he will probably have to abandon you. That's why these dives are best done solo.

 

[Sinbad the Diver]

sounds like an opportunity for a new diving toy. A surface propulsion vehicle with a built in anchor line. I'm thinking of something like one of the original jetskis, but with a lower profile so you could lay on it the entire time....maybe even outrigger racks to carry spare tanks. Mount a gps relay antenna or a direction finder to help navigate back to it and to find your dive site. Obviously there are significant risks of someone comming along and taking it as abandoned or just being a thief. Doubt there is a significant market for it, but an enterprising local dive op with a McGuiver type owner could probably rig something up for rental if the proper conditions existed.