A suggestion for new divers

[Crush]

Having just returned from a dive off Catalina Island with some relatively new divers, I'd like to make a suggestion to new divers...

GO SLOW!!

It is not a race.

I was part of an insta-buddy trio. They were nice fellows. However, I perceived that they had some degree of imbalance in the water owing to constant hand-finning and occasional kicking of the bottom. It seems to me that to make up for this instability they wanted to fly like torpedoes through the water, letting fluid dynamics keep them in trim. Being an old fart, I found it very tiring to keep up with them (however my air consumption was identical to theirs while we were all racing along). Once both of them were on the boat and I was still in the water (wanting to burn off some air) I had one of the best (solo) dives of the day - I crept along at a slow pace, hovered, and watched the wildlife emerge. In those 15 minutes of slow diving I saw far more than I did in the previous 30 minutes of sprinting.

Summary: new divers - consider diving slowly. Buoyancy may be more challenging, but that will teach you something. Later, with buoyancy under control, you will see WAY more than if you sprint about...

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Dive slow: see more creatures, feel more relaxed, use less air, dive longer, improve your buoyancy. Dive fast: go faster. Slow diving pros far outweigh the cons.

Diving recreationally is about the journey, not the destination (cliched, I know).

 

[FuzzyNutz]

I met a couple at a beach bar once that said sometimes they like to go under and find a spot to stay put... then watch the show that goes on around them. At least by my own experiences, I'm always amazed when I look at something for a few minutes and all of a sudden you realize something else you haven't noticed is there... sometimes even watching YOU!! The slower you go, the longer you'll stay, and the more you'll see!

 

[freewillie]

Not to mention better air consumption. More things to see, longer bottom time. What's not to like about diving slow.

Oh yeah, if you haven't quite dialed in your buoyancy diving slow exaggerates the floating or the sinking. But, you can continue practicing bad technique racing along or you can work on your buoyancy by diving slow. As you improve I guarantee your experience will improve too!

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Exactly. I think Debbie and I are the couple referred to by PansSiren, or certainly could have been. BTW, Crush, Debbie and I are each 59. Does that make us "old farts?" Scubasnobs, yes, but old farts?
DivemasterDennis

 

[Insta-Gator]

Sounds like these guys will improve when they lose some weight and dial in that trim. Hovering over a spot isn't as easy as it looks if you aren't dialed in. They'll come around....over time and with positive suggestions from experienced divers.

 

[FuzzyNutz]

I think Debbie and I are the couple referred to by PansSiren, or certainly could have been.
DivemasterDennis

I'm only asking because that would crazy if it WAS you!! ...it was at La Hatch in Cozumel last summer, and they stayed at Villa Blanca... sound familiar?? They did say they were on scubaboard, but I can't remember their names for the life of me.

 

[Crush]

Exactly. I think Debbie and I are the couple referred to by PansSiren, or certainly could have been. BTW, Crush, Debbie and I are each 59. Does that make us "old farts?" Scubasnobs, yes, but old farts?
DivemasterDennis

I am 40, which makes me a young punk on SB but, in real life, you start to notice that you are past your peak... I suppose that I was an old fart compared to the other two divers.

 

[acteg]

Agree Agree Agree. When I first started, it wasn't just about buoyancy, it was also about my natural competitive behavior, that caused me to torpedo through my dives. Now I like to just take in the scenery and not worry about trying to see everything.

 

[MMM]

I was drift diving in Boyton Beach Florida many, many years ago and the DM with me said that I "was like a shark - I never stopped moving". I thought it was a compliment at the time. Now I know better. We ended up a gazillion miles away from everyone else and waited about 45 minutes for the boat to pick us up. With better buoyancy, I can slow down and enjoy the scenery. It is a bit tougher it you are drift diving, but not entirely impossible.