Do you have a minimum viz or temp for a dive?

[Jarrett]

What enjoyment do you get out of a 2 foot visability dive? Is it more like a challenge thing where you can be proud of the accomplishment afterwards or is there something enjoyable to do in a 2 foot viz dive? I can't see it.

I guess at this point, scuba is all about what I can see underwater. If there's nothing to see, then I'm not interested.

 

[serambin]

I don't have a dry suit and anything below 60 is too c-cold for me. I'd rather fly fish in those waters. As to Vis, I don't have a lower limit, but to be honest I lke to actually see something and not dive by feel, so i gues about 10' would be the breaking point.

Stan

 

[Boogie711]

The warmest I've ever dove was 70 degrees. If I can see my gauges, and its still liquid enough to provide propulsion underwater, I dive.

 

[dmmike]

Ya, I got some limits. After I cut a hole in the ice....... I guess that is my limit for cold, and for viz, as long as I can see my fins..... ok BC strap. Ok, Ok any temp, any viz........

 

[ScubaSixString]

What enjoyment do you get out of a 2 foot visability dive? Is it more like a challenge thing where you can be proud of the accomplishment afterwards or is there something enjoyable to do in a 2 foot viz dive? I can't see it.

I guess at this point, scuba is all about what I can see underwater. If there's nothing to see, then I'm not interested.

Thats your choice. But its a limitation you place on you. Nothing wrong with it, but if i didn't dive unless it was 80 deg, 80 ft viz and 80 ft depth, i'd NEVER dive. The last time things were that good was when i was at Vortex, and even then the temps were in the low 70s.

In many ways, i suppose its where you "cut your teeth". If you never dive in cold soup, you won't understand the allure. Me? I don't see the allure of only diving 2 times a year when you go to the bahamas. But then, i've never been....

 

[Cokedude]

I have dove in 38 F. water in a wet suit,This fall went and bought a dry suit so i would not have temp limits,as for vis as long as my buddy and I can see each other we dive .

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

The last time things were that good was when i was at Vortex, and even then the temps were in the low 70s.

68ºF year round for just about all the FL panhandle springs. Try Morrison next time, less people, less artificial, and a better chance for less visibility LOL IMO Morrison kicks the crap outa Vortex!

 

[ChrisA]

New to the sport and trying to define my personal limits on diving. I've dove in 68 degree water so far and was ok with it. Not sure how much colder I would like to go than that. But recently I did a dive where the viz was about 3-4 feet and didn't really enjoy it too much. Kinda like closing your eyes and swimming around in the pool. I think a lot of the enjoyment of the sport is being able to actually see something for me.

I talked to a rather knowledgeable diver lately who told me at this point he was an "80 cubed" diver. Needed 80 foot depth, 80 foot visability, and 80 degree water temp or he wasn't really that interested in going anymore.

What about you, do you have limits on what you will dive?

The water temps here in So Cal range between low 50's to low 60's 52F at depth is not uncommon and is OK if you have a 7mm wetsuit. So I go diving and the water temp is watever the water temp is. 68F is "darn warm" so warm that I'm uncomfortable in a 7mm suit.

As for viz. same thing ive been in dead zero viz (can't read gages) and would not do it if I knew it would be that bad. But if your interest is in macro photoraphy you can get good photos in water that is 5 foot viz. As for what can you see in 5 ft viz, lots if you know what to look at. Last week in poor viz we saw many small octpus, baby rays, zillions of various type of flat fish, ells, crabs, horn shark, scorpion fish and so on...

If you stop and look there is plenty to see in just a 3 foot square of botom, try it some day, spend 20 minutes in one spot. I'll see these cusp ells rooting around for food, what are they eating? and then I see a thumnail size baby octpus and a few sea stars the same size there are sea pens and crabs that bury themselves in the sand. Last week I learn about the tounge fish and now I can spot them on the bottom. The more you learn about the ecosystem the more you will see. Beginning divers don't see nearly as much as people who've dived the same site 100 times. "seeing stuff" is really an aquired skill. If you need 80 feet of viz to see anything you likely need to dive more often.

Once with a beginner I called a dive due to viz such that I could not see my fins. I couldn't trust him to stick with me. But other buddies I know are good in zero viz Much of the poor viz diving we do is in the shallows (above 40 feet) on the way to/from a thermocline. below the therocline is clearer water. I've seen it open up from near zero to 40 feet. So that's why dives don't get caled, we hope it will clear up with depth.

I've called dives do to high surf. and once I didn't and should have

 

[Vtdiver2]

New to the sport and trying to define my personal limits on diving. I've dove in 68 degree water so far and was ok with it. Not sure how much colder I would like to go than that. But recently I did a dive where the viz was about 3-4 feet and didn't really enjoy it too much. Kinda like closing your eyes and swimming around in the pool. I think a lot of the enjoyment of the sport is being able to actually see something for me.

I talked to a rather knowledgeable diver lately who told me at this point he was an "80 cubed" diver. Needed 80 foot depth, 80 foot visability, and 80 degree water temp or he wasn't really that interested in going anymore.

What about you, do you have limits on what you will dive?

As long as I don't have to drill a hole to get in the water, it's warm enough. I did my OW re-cert years ago in early April in 36 degree water. enguin:
As for vis, I prefer at least 5ft, but have dove many times in much less. C-Dawg

 

[ChrisA]

What enjoyment do you get out of a 2 foot visability dive? Is it more like a challenge thing where you can be proud of the accomplishment afterwards or is there something enjoyable to do in a 2 foot viz dive? I can't see it.
.

If the viz is 2 foot then there is plenty to see. Heck anything that is 1 foot from you mask or camera lens will be easy to see.

Actually here in So Cal many times when the viz closes down to under 5 foot we have a great dispay of bio-luminesent plakton. You can go down in the water at night and turn off the light and any disturbance in the water make it light up. Bubbles glow white. moving your hand leaves a trail, fin tips stirr up big glowingvotexes. The best is when a fish zips past, you can see it's glowing outline.

Lobster hunting is another good excuse for low viz nightdiving.