Black Water Diver

[Jafo123]

I was talking with a young woman today about scuba diving when she told me her brother was a black water diver. It's supposed to be the type of diving he does in Minnesota. I had never heard of this. Can some one please tell me what this is. The search I did didn't turn up much of an answer.

Thanks

 

[Gary D.]

Close your eyes and don't peek.

Gary D.

 

[ClayJar]

Blackwater diving is similar to Braille diving, but it sounds cooler. Also, poor trim can stir up enough silt to turn even a spring into Braille diving, but it wouldn't be blackwater diving unless it's basically always viz-free.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Ever seen a river that looks almost black?
That's black water diving.

Sometimes it can be fun, depending on location. For example, in eastern NC, the rivers are full of fossils.

Diving in black water can be challenging -- plenty of entanglement hazards, flow, possible overhead environments. Remember that rivers especially have been people's trash dumps for hundreds/thousands of years. If you can think of it, it's down there. I would not recommend it for the faint of heart or the inexperienced. If you don't have good trim and buoyancy control you'll silt out what little vis there is (usually 2-3ft or less) in a heartbeat.

 

[Gombessa]

For a minute I thought it meant swimming around with a heavily-armored DPV and spearing civilian divers on sight.

Crap, did I just type that out loud?

 

[do it easy]

I think a lot of the dive sites in MN are old strip mines that have their own "limnology". I think they tend to get a sulfur layer that is like diving in black tea (no cream or sugar, lemon and honey are OK). It makes it look like HID beams penetrate for 2' and then STOP. The water isn't turbid, but it ain't clear, if you catch my drift. Also, I think the bottoms get covered in a fine velvetty, matte black precipitate that makes it hard to see- you can be 6" above it, shining your light at it, and it swallows up the light and makes it look like you are floating over a void of abyssal nothingness. nil.

 

[bleeb]

For a minute I thought it meant swimming around with a heavily-armored DPV and spearing civilian divers on sight.

Crap, did I just type that out loud?

I'm sorry. Now we're going to have to kill you for revealing that.

 

[spectrum]

I've been down in the bottom of a quary where you pointed your light and it disappeard. No back scatter no image, nothing.

Knowing of all the old cables and stuff down there it was about then that my buddy and I simultaneously concluded that no good could come from remaining.

 

[jd950]

I guess it could mean several things, none of which sound appealing.

 

[plumbcrazy]

Black water divers is just a website set up for some of the more tech guys around here, one of the dive masters at our local dive shop has it set up more for discussion. You may have talked to his sister. I don't recall anyone refering to themselfs as a black water diver. I have tried to find the site, but I'm not sure it is still there. If he is at dive club next week I will ask.

As to the term "Black Water Divers" the diving here does have bad vis but we usualy dive water that is a bit better than 5 or 10 feet, itsmore like 11 or 12.



RochesterScuba.org