I was catching up on some recent Dive Training magazines lately, and I could not help but notice the growing focus on diving that goes beyond the typical reef-dive-with-a-DM experience. We know about technical diving, which many people see as simply too much for the average diver, but there seems to be a growing interest in a sort of twilight zone between recreational sport diving and technical diving. It is a world that interests people who want to dive safely to depths that are still within recreational limits but are usually not often dived on typical resort vacations. It is a world inhabited by people who enjoy the simple swim throughs and sanitized wrecks common in basic diving and wonder how far they can push that gray area before getting into situations that require technical overhead certification. These are people who enjoy going out to local dive sites with friends, some of them requiring more challenging skills, without feeling the need for a professional to guide them and keep them safe. These are divers who want to learn the advanced propulsion and buoyancy techniques that allow them to glide though silty areas without creating a storm of visibility-reducing silt.
I am greatly interested in that world and the world of technical diving myself, and I am trying to gauge the interest in finding others who share that interest myself. One of the problems such divers face is isolation. It is hard to get the dives and the training you want when you are by yourself. Dive operators and shops have trouble meeting the needs of such individuals because it is not cost effective. With a group of similar-minded people, we could pool resources and accomplish more. Here are some benefits I see from group behavior:
1. Planning local dives to work on common goals and skills together.
2. Gaining access to Rocky Mountain advanced sites. Believe it or not, there are some sites that offer more advanced diving opportunities in the Rocky Mountain region that really call for groups rather than individuals. In some cases, they are more remote and call for team planning for travel. In other cases, they are not open to individuals. An example is Rock Lake in New Mexico, an advanced site that can only be dived if you are with a group led by someone with express permission to go there.
3. Planning advanced trips outside the area. If you go on a typical group dive trip, you will usually find a trip designed to appeal to divers with basic to average diving abilities. If you go by yourself, you will have trouble finding an operator who will give you an advanced dive by yourself without paying a fortune. There are sites in many places, including Florida, California, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, the Bahamas, etc. that offer really excellent dive opportunities that are difficult to get to if you are just a single diver with such an interest. If instead you plan a trip with a 6-10 like-minded divers, you can make a custom trip designed to fit your diving needs and desires.
4. Filling the training gap between recreational sport diving and technical diving. There is normally a big training gap between typical recreational sport instruction and technical instruction. I myself completed my AOW certification on my 9th logged dive, and after that the opportunities to extend my recreational training were really limited. I now frequently read ScubaBoard threads that essentially say, "OK, I did AOW and Rescue--what's next?" There are indeed opportunities for advanced recreational training in our area, training that bridges that gap, but many people don't know what those opportunities are. Even more importantly, it is possible under the right circumstances to customize your training to fit your precise needs--if you know where to go for it.
5. Taking trips that combine advanced training with pleasure diving. As an example, let's say the group decides to plan a trip to the Cozumel/Akumal area. Some of the divers would like to get Cavern Diver certification. That certification calls for the initial training to be done in shallow open water, and ideally some work should first be done in a pool. With proper planning, all the initial work can be done at home, and then the actual cavern certification dives can be done in the beautiful cenotes of the Yucatan. Something similar can be done in Florida, with divers splitting time between the ocean wreck diving and cavern diving. The Florida Panhandle has great wrecks (like the Oriskany) and great caverns, all just a few miles apart.
6. Getting expert advice on the kind of equipment needed for more advanced diving and even giving it a try. Ever wanted to know what it is like to whiz along behind a scooter? People in the group that own them will usually be glad to let you give it a try. Intrigued by what you hear about back plates and wings or canister lights? Someone will similarly be glad to let you give them a try as well.
7. Getting a better taste of what technical diving is all about in case the interest lies there. A mixed group of advanced recreational sport divers and technical divers would allow those who might wish to go the technical route the opportunity to see first hand if it is something they really want to do.
So, if this sounds like something you might be interested in, let me know. You can either post on this thread or contact me via PM. The only requirement is an interest in the topic. If you just got certified this week but think you will want to go in this direction in the future, that's just fine. You aren't advanced yet, but the group can help you find your path. There is also no reason that this has to be geographically limited. I live in Boulder, Colorado, but there is no reason people can't be part of this from just about anywhere. If the only thing you wanted from this group was the opportunity to be part of a group doing advanced dive in remote locations, you could live anywhere in the world.
I am greatly interested in that world and the world of technical diving myself, and I am trying to gauge the interest in finding others who share that interest myself. One of the problems such divers face is isolation. It is hard to get the dives and the training you want when you are by yourself. Dive operators and shops have trouble meeting the needs of such individuals because it is not cost effective. With a group of similar-minded people, we could pool resources and accomplish more. Here are some benefits I see from group behavior:
1. Planning local dives to work on common goals and skills together.
2. Gaining access to Rocky Mountain advanced sites. Believe it or not, there are some sites that offer more advanced diving opportunities in the Rocky Mountain region that really call for groups rather than individuals. In some cases, they are more remote and call for team planning for travel. In other cases, they are not open to individuals. An example is Rock Lake in New Mexico, an advanced site that can only be dived if you are with a group led by someone with express permission to go there.
3. Planning advanced trips outside the area. If you go on a typical group dive trip, you will usually find a trip designed to appeal to divers with basic to average diving abilities. If you go by yourself, you will have trouble finding an operator who will give you an advanced dive by yourself without paying a fortune. There are sites in many places, including Florida, California, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, the Bahamas, etc. that offer really excellent dive opportunities that are difficult to get to if you are just a single diver with such an interest. If instead you plan a trip with a 6-10 like-minded divers, you can make a custom trip designed to fit your diving needs and desires.
4. Filling the training gap between recreational sport diving and technical diving. There is normally a big training gap between typical recreational sport instruction and technical instruction. I myself completed my AOW certification on my 9th logged dive, and after that the opportunities to extend my recreational training were really limited. I now frequently read ScubaBoard threads that essentially say, "OK, I did AOW and Rescue--what's next?" There are indeed opportunities for advanced recreational training in our area, training that bridges that gap, but many people don't know what those opportunities are. Even more importantly, it is possible under the right circumstances to customize your training to fit your precise needs--if you know where to go for it.
5. Taking trips that combine advanced training with pleasure diving. As an example, let's say the group decides to plan a trip to the Cozumel/Akumal area. Some of the divers would like to get Cavern Diver certification. That certification calls for the initial training to be done in shallow open water, and ideally some work should first be done in a pool. With proper planning, all the initial work can be done at home, and then the actual cavern certification dives can be done in the beautiful cenotes of the Yucatan. Something similar can be done in Florida, with divers splitting time between the ocean wreck diving and cavern diving. The Florida Panhandle has great wrecks (like the Oriskany) and great caverns, all just a few miles apart.
6. Getting expert advice on the kind of equipment needed for more advanced diving and even giving it a try. Ever wanted to know what it is like to whiz along behind a scooter? People in the group that own them will usually be glad to let you give it a try. Intrigued by what you hear about back plates and wings or canister lights? Someone will similarly be glad to let you give them a try as well.
7. Getting a better taste of what technical diving is all about in case the interest lies there. A mixed group of advanced recreational sport divers and technical divers would allow those who might wish to go the technical route the opportunity to see first hand if it is something they really want to do.
So, if this sounds like something you might be interested in, let me know. You can either post on this thread or contact me via PM. The only requirement is an interest in the topic. If you just got certified this week but think you will want to go in this direction in the future, that's just fine. You aren't advanced yet, but the group can help you find your path. There is also no reason that this has to be geographically limited. I live in Boulder, Colorado, but there is no reason people can't be part of this from just about anywhere. If the only thing you wanted from this group was the opportunity to be part of a group doing advanced dive in remote locations, you could live anywhere in the world.
