Deep diving as a goal - the stigma.

[DevonDiver]

And this is where "YES" Bounce Diving comes in, you can even say it politely as short bottom time so your not requiring a whole lot of deco, Of course NOVA after 200 to 300' your deco is going to build up to longer bone chilling dives as akimbo described. So up to 200, practice a little longer bottom times as the goal can done be with a shorter deco, in order to reach comfort level.

I put this out there as I do not like to do long deco's either. I did however do a series of them a couple months ago and was just flowing in the shallows and seen some interesting stuff.

Deco being one factor. There's still a hundred other issues that can screw you at those depths, unless competent to deal with them.

I don't see bounce diving as a solution to anything, other than skimping some bucks on proper training and equipment.

 

[danvolker]

Bounce diving to deep depths is like getting on a motorcycle and going 160 mph on I-95 ...in shorts, sandals, tee shirt and of course, no helmet....you might get away with it a few times, but there are much safer ways to get to 160 mph.
The real bounce divers will probably think my motorcycle metaphor sounds like fun for them.

 

[watboy]

A good book is Into Thin Air, about the 1996 mount everest disaster where 8 climbers died. To me, there are a lot of parallels with that and with diving, especially deep diving. The crux of the book is that the climbers made poor decisions to continue the climb, passing many warning signs that they should have turned around. But when you set yourself a goal of hitting the peak, you've traveled half way around the world, and your hypoxic and not thinking straight, even the most experienced climbers made the wrong choice to continue. When you are close to your goal, exhausted and not thinking straight, its easy to ignore your training and experience. The book was required reading for my behavioral management class, and my prof ended the discussion saying that if the true goal wasn't to summit, but instead to return alive (most of the fatalities had far exceeded their personal altitude records), the outcome would have been different.

 

[GrimSleeper]

And this is where "YES" Bounce Diving comes in, you can even say it politely as short bottom time so your not requiring a whole lot of deco, Of course NOVA after 200 to 300' your deco is going to build up to longer bone chilling dives as akimbo described. So up to 200, practice a little longer bottom times as the goal can done be with a shorter deco, in order to reach comfort level.

I put this out there as I do not like to do long deco's either. I did however do a series of them a couple months ago and was just flowing in the shallows and seen some interesting stuff.

Marvellous. A very reasoned discussion on the dangers of chasing 'personal bests,' some good advice on how to decide whether deep technical diving is worth it for the OP, then a recommendation to 'just bounce it'. 200' bounce dives with no proper gas or deco planning are exactly the kind of thing that puts people in chambers, and often in wheelchairs.

 

[lowviz]

Marvellous....//... a recommendation to 'just bounce it'. 200' bounce dives with no proper gas or deco planning are exactly the kind of thing that puts people in chambers, and often in wheelchairs.

You new here? VDGM posted that.

 

[GrimSleeper]

You new here? VDGM posted that.

I know. But usually it's a bit more rambling. This one was so direct it kinda scared me!

 

[lowviz]

I know. But usually it's a bit more rambling. This one was so direct it kinda scared me!

I was just going to "Like" your post, but that reply is just freaking precious....

 

[flots am]

experience; what is so wrong with diving deeper for the sake of setting personal records?

Diving deep in SCUBA is trivially easy. A brand new OW diver could strap on a tank and some weight and drop off a boat over the Marianas Trench and break all sorts of records.

The trick is coming back alive and uninjured, which would not happen in the above case.

The reason deep dives are "records" is because not everybody who attempts to make or break one lives.

This is quite different from running, where attempting to break the record, but failing, just means you have to buy someone else a beer after the race. Failing at a deep record in SCUBA could mean that you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair, or just die. Even simply attempting to break your own personal record is risky if it leads you into situations you're not prepared to handle safely. For example, if your current diving range is in the 60' range, and you decide you want to see what things look like at the 130' limit of your No Deco table, you wouldn't be the first person to go deep, get narced, run out of air and simply never return.

The reason the class you took was called "Open Water Diver" is because it's based on you being able to safely ascend to the surface at any time, for any reason, with a minimal amount of risk. Once your dive exceeds the No-Decompression limit on your dive table or computer, surfacing becomes riskier, and the farther over the edge you are, the riskier it becomes. Very deep diving (in the 300' range, for example) requires exceptionally careful planning and execution, and enough training and equipment that no matter what happens underwater, you don't need to surface to resolve a problem. This is because if you ascend without executing the required decompression stops at the required depths, you'll die.

There's nothing wrong with gradually diving deeper and gaining more experience, but it should be done over a long period of time, with a good buddy and the proper equipment and training.

flots.

 

[spectrum]

First: a couple of thoughts, second: a couple of caveats, third: my question.
First: Yes, I am pretty new to diving. As you can see, I have less than 25 logged dives. Also, I don't plan to move into tech or deep diving anytime soon, but it is in my future.
Second: I realize that deep diving requires many things: training, skills, equipment, planning, experience (in no particular order). I am not asking how to go deeper or whether i should.
Third: I know this might draw a heated discussion, but please be civil. I am not trying to do something crazy and I love scuba diving for all of the same reasons that many of us do.
Third: My Question - I have seen time and time again, on this forum and in the many scuba books that I have read, that deep diving (i.e. deeper than rec limits, 200, 300 fsw, etc.), should be a means to an end, not an end to a means. But, what is wrong with wanting to dive deeper to meet person best records? In every sport/activity there are goals. If you run, you usually want to lose weight, run longer, or run faster. If you hike, you either want to climb higher or hike farther. I'm not trying to set a new world deep diving record and I'm certainly not advocating unsafe diving. But if your passion is to dive deeper as a goal, within your skills, training, equipment, and planning experience; what is so wrong with diving deeper for the sake of setting personal records? Every recreational runner knows that they are probably not the next Prefontaine or Usain Bolt, but they keep trying.

I think what you call stigma is the aftermath of experienced divers discouraging inexperienced divers who are jazzed with going deep. With limited training a deep dive to nowhere is a risky short waste of time dive.

Your plan to gain experience and advance though technical training is fine. I suspect that once you appreciate the logistics, cost of deep diving gasses and commitment to your buddy team you will find something of interest to focus your deep diving efforts on.

At this point in your diving progression you just need to let you interests unfold. You may be surprised to see where experience takes you.

Pete

 

[eternaljonah]

I like the idea of going deeper BUT i like the idea of Diving again tomorrow BETTER.

Sure both are possible but i have all my life to achieve the deeper goal and well tomorrow is tomorrow.....

happy diving be it deep or Less deep, it still underwater k: