Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced

[netwayne]

I have a subscription to a popular diving magazine (Scuba Diving) and see that they will rate dive sites (not talking about wrecks) according to the necessary skill level a diver should have. For those of you who have dove the sites they have rated, do you feel their appraisal of the sites and the skill level needed is fairly accurate? I am a new diver (less than 20 dives) and do consider myself a beginner. I feel like I have taken to diving pretty well, am in good physical condition, have experienced less than favorable ocean diving conditions and do take an overall conservative approach to diving but wonder if a site that is deemed to need "intermediate" skill lever should still be out of my reach?

 

[Alex777]

My experience with ALL rating systems in magazines, guide books, etc., is that they are too subjective and too dependent upon the conditions the author experienced to be helpful. (I am speaking here of warm-water tourist destinations only.) Your best approach is to simply discuss the prospective dive site with a local DM. FWIW, you sound like an "intermediate" to me.

 

[BDSC]

My experience with ALL rating systems in magazines, guide books, etc., is that they are too subjective and too dependent upon the conditions the author experienced to be helpful. (I am speaking here of warm-water tourist destinations only.) Your best approach is to simply discuss the prospective dive site with a local DM. FWIW, you sound like an "intermediate" to me.

My thoughts exactly. While you may not have all that many dives under your belt, you seem to indicate you are pretty comfortable with diving and have already "experienced less than favorable ocean diving conditions". So I would do just what Alex777 said and discuss the dive/dives with a knowledgeable DM.

Then do the dive and cheat death one more time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BDSC

 

[robint]

ditto, it all depends on you and your fitness level and abilities. My husband and I got certified together in 2000. He was a skilled diver from about dive 5. Honestly, he just "got it" from the start. I, on the other hand, was a bit nervous of my skills and rightly so at first. I felt a bit more relaxed and confident around dive 60-70. We are all different and the number of dives doesn't determine our skill level. Now, 8 years later he is a fantastic diver and an instructor, I am a photographer/videographer and an average diver. He does things I will never be able to do due to size and physical abilities (I am a 5'3" tall woman, small build).

So take those ratings with a grain of salt. I have been on dives that others rated at Adv and thought they were pretty easy (I may have done them on a good day when conditions determined it). I have also done dives that were called Intermediate that I thought were pretty rough for me. There is also a huge diffference in a Caribbean "easy" and Tropical Pacific "easy" and a cold water "easy".

robin

 

[Guba]

Yup, it's a subjective scale. All the magazine editors are attempting is to give divers unfamiliar with that site some idea of what to expect. That should be a starting point for someone considering that site so that he/she might start formulating good questions to ask the charter/guide/divemaster before booking the dives. If the ones who dive there often suggest more experience/training is needed, then follow the advice. But even if those sources say it's a go, by all means don't forget the ultimate mantra..."if at any time you are uncomfortable with what you hear, see, or suspect make the wise move and thumb the dive".
The open ocean is no place to try to prove how daring you can be.

 

[Alex777]

PS: As far as the Cayman Islands are concerned, ALL boat dives with dive ops are actually "Beginner" dives because if the conditions are marginal at 1 site they will simply go to another site. There are some "Advanced" shore dives, but you are unlikely to even be told about them unless you make persistent inquiries - they are not advertised anywhere.

 

[netwayne]

As usual, some good advice bestowed upon me by my fellow divers on the Scubaboard.

Thanks for taking the time to post!!

 

[TSandM]

I've never compared the ratings to any dives I've done, so I don't know how they pertain. But I find it much more useful to read a review that discusses the specific hazards or challenges to a given site. For example, in researching our trip to Tahiti this fall, I've found descriptions of sites that mention depth and currents as specific hazards. If you know what the challenges are, you can be much more accurate in assessing your ability to meet them.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

If you go to Bonaire they have guide books that describe the entry, dive site, surface swim, currents etc... They also use the subjective Easy---Intermediate---Advanced deal.

 

[b1gcountry]

I've never compared the ratings to any dives I've done, so I don't know how they pertain. But I find it much more useful to read a review that discusses the specific hazards or challenges to a given site. For example, in researching our trip to Tahiti this fall, I've found descriptions of sites that mention depth and currents as specific hazards. If you know what the challenges are, you can be much more accurate in assessing your ability to meet them.

Lynne-
Sooner or later, I'm going to disagree with you on something, but I was thinking the same thing. You may be an advanced diver with a lot of experience, but freak out on an otherwise easy dive with low vis (if that's something you're not comfortable with.) Saying a dive is easy, medium, or hard doesn't say much, unless you are saying what problems are encountered on each dive.

Tom