And I thought I was getting burnt out...

[fuzzybabybunny]

The last couple dive days I felt really really tired at the end of the day and didn't have nearly the enthusiasm that I used to have. I understood more and more why most people only do 2 dives a day. I was getting tired of lugging this heavy-ass gear around, changing out tanks, driving to the shops to get a refill, hiking down to the beach, getting on/in my suit, etc. Maybe it was also all the nitrogen loading in my system that was getting me so tired.

45 dives in a month and a half. During this time, there was not a single weekend where I didn't drive from San Jose up to Monterey.

I had thought for sure that I was burnt out. I started out wanting to do 6 dives a day. Then it went down to 4. Now it's more like 3. After 2 I generally am lukewarm about doing a 3rd, but still do it anyway.

Now I'm sitting in Ohio and can't wait to get back in the water. Damn quarries are closed, but I'm going to Florida soon and will want to dive the hell out of it. I realized that as far as Monterey is concerned, what keeps me wanting to go back is my pursuit of continual improvement. I want to keep working on buoyancy, keep working on trim, get an underwater camera and record myself, etc.

My question is, what do you do to keep from being burnt out?

 

[pacificgal]

We pace ourselves

 

[TSandM]

Man, I have NEVER done six dives in a day in cold water! And on the trips where I have done four a day, after three days, I'm BEAT.

The folks I know who are die-hard Monterey divers often do one long dive in the morning, and then go do something else for fun in the afternoon.

But even pacing oneself, there can be days when hauling all that gear around, and pouring oneself into a drysuit AGAIN, can be less than enticing. The things I do to avoid burnout: Dive with fun people! If I'm on the fence about the dive, knowing I get to do it with somebody who is fun to spend time with AND fun to dive with can preserve my momentum.

Vary sites! If you aren't careful, diving the same site all the time can turn into a routine tour where you no longer SEE what you are looking at. It's like artwork that's been on the same wall for too long.

Practice skills! We often have less life in the water in the wintertime, but the viz is often good, so I set up winter dives to play with stuff, like running line, or doing bottle handling drills. Having a specific purpose will also increase my momentum, and doing skills tends to be a way to do a lot of laughing during the dive.

Take a Reefcheck class, or get involved in REEF. Diving to contribute data to science is also a good momentum builder.

Offer to be a "big buddy" to somebody new. I don't know if you have enough experience to feel comfortable doing that yet, but escorting someone new around your favorite site is a great way to recapture how you felt when you saw it for the first time.

And finally, as my friend HBDiveGirl puts it, "bring your own fun". Another friend, airsix, says, "You will never have a bad dive in Puget Sound, if you look at what's there and not what isn't." I think the same thing is entirely true in Monterey. Buy some critter ID books and start looking at the little stuff -- look at the crabs, or the sponges and algae. Learn about why they live where they do, and what eats them and what they eat. Building layers of understanding of what you see enormously enhances the experience of getting to see it!

Hope you find some of these ideas useful. But none of them is going to make doing six dives a day in cold water any easier

 

[tkdgodess]

Longer dives and fewer per day. The most I do is 3 a day for some courses, and usually bottom time is 35-45 mins max. If I"m diving with good buddies for fun we may do 2 and try and squeak an hour each dive, and now I'm learning doubles it's going to be alot longer, like 1 dive for 2 hours. That's enough. I did 6 once, when mapping a brand new site for my dm project. I slept alot after than. Make sure you eat enough calories and drink enough water too.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Thanks for all the ideas! I came into Scuba with the mindset that I would rack up the number of dives like no other and be in the 100s in no time. Now that I look at my bottom time, energy level, logistics, and enthusiasm, I don't see this as the case.

I'll probably be a low dive #, but high (bottom time / dive # ) ratio kind of diver.

I'd love to find someone that can match my slow pace and air consumption. I like to just putz around - my long freediving fins are great for slow cruising - plus I just like to sit in one spot and stare at things and watch as things pop out for me. Add photography into the mix and you've got a super slow, long dive that I don't think many divers would have the patience for.

Some of my best dives have been with REEFers who go really really slow everywhere they go. I see a lot and we spend a lot of time underwater. And it's very relaxing.

 

[kanonfodr]

It's not a contest, it's scuba diving .

Even here in the comparatively "easier" waters of Oahu I find myself ready for lunch, a beer, and video editing after a pair of nice hour-long dives. Or sometimes we will just make one really long dive. And it's okay to call it after one "normal" dive if you just aren't feeling like it (like I wasn't this weekend).

but 6 dives in one day? My hat is off to you! My limit is 3, but I did 5 days of 2 dive days in a row once. I managed to crawl into work on time that Tuesday, but BOY it was tough!

Peace,
Greg

 

[kathydee]

6 cold water dives in a day?! I'd be exhausted! Think my max was 3. Have done 5 in a day on warm water vacation but always come back feeling quite waterlogged!

I do keep a pretty high dive count though, over 200 this year, 190 last year...

To keep things interesting I mix it up. Dive with beginners, dive with packs of beginners, dive with advanced divers, look at critters, learn new skills, practice these skills. Focus on one skill, focus on one critter, learn the names of new critters, help others with skills, help others with equipment, explore new areas, try new equipment, dive different times of the day, dive at night, dive in most weather and many conditions, travel to other places, dive with many new partners, coordinate dive events, help out with dive projects, dive off of boats, shore dive, dive in caves, dive in swimming pools, muck dive, wreck dive, dive into Scubaboard, take classes etc, etc, etc..... Just picked up a little camera which should keep me amused for a while. Basically, I just try to learn as much as I can.

Most important it's not a race to rack up a higher dive count, there is no finish line. I'm not in a rush to get anywhere & hope to dive for a very long time ;-).

 

[gcbryan]

You aren't burned out due to diving with less than 49 dives (I hope) As everyone has mentioned though doing 6 dives a day would do in anyone.

I frequently just do one a day unless there is a particular reason to do more. Enjoy the dive rather than racking up dives. It is common (I did it) and understandable to do more dives per day when you are just starting out as everything is new and you feel like you really need the experience.

Learning more about the marine life is a common way to really enjoy the dive regardless of where you are.

Six dives a day...just reading that made me tired

 

[Divebum Don]

Fuzzy, that's a uniquely competitive mindset fer jus' startin'-out divin'. I was trained as a volunteer research diver, and Dr. Bob Givens (God Bless His Soul) taught us to bring a magnifiyng glass on EVERY dive. Spending an entire cylinder on a square meter of marine environment can be awesome!
...an' I love SCUBA in long fins too ;~)

Be Safe Out There!

 

[ChadK]

I feel you fuzzy, I hardly ever get to dive. 25 dives in almost 8 years! When I do dive I want to dive from sun up to sun down. I also usually drive quite a ways to get to where I am going.

I cant wait to start diving more!