How deep do you usually dive?

[MikeFerrara]

String ... this forum is for new divers. I would not, under ANY circumstance, encourage a new diver to go to 120 feet ... much less stay there to the point where deco stops are required.

Please remember who you are talking to. Downplaying the importance of proper training and experience before doing deep, deco diving is a good way to encourage someone to get themselves in a lot of trouble.

You are right that it isn't all that difficult ... provided you have the skills to properly plan your profiles, manage your gas, and maintain your buoyancy on the ascent ... while dealing with any unexpected issues that might arise (since surfacing to deal with them won't be an option). For those who haven't yet developed those skills, it could be an incredibly dangerous thing to do.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Everything is easy once you know how.

I don't think we can talk about 2 day classes conducted while kneeling on the bottom and decompression diving in the same breath.

If the typical entry level taught divers something about decompression theory and developed solid skills doing a few minutes of decompression wouldn't be such a big deal especially since divers would understand the difference between a no-stop dive and a no-decompression dive (which doesn't exist).

There's a recent post on this board from a diver who finished his OW class but was concerned that he had troubles balancing while kneeling.

A couple weeks ago I was at Peacock springs and cavern divers were sitting on the bottom to do their safety stops.

If this tend continues we'll have to build sidewalks on the bottom at all the dive sites and staged decompression is certainly out of the question.

 

[String]

I was replying to the guy that stated although he'd dived a lot he didnt want to go below 120ft not to the original poster in this particular instance

 

[gj62]

Kind of an odd attitude and resitrctive yourself to remaining to within NDLs is a bit mystifying. There is nothing difficult about performing stops at all. You can quite happily stay at 120ft for longer than 12 minutes provided you are capable of holding buoyancy at 6m for a few minutes.

It does not make you any less of a diver. I'm trained for it and have done it a few times, but after 20+ years of diving I have rarely had the urge or desire to do deco diving.

I certainly think it is more involved in terms of risk and experience than you put forth. I fly a twin plane. I can do it very easily now, but would never recommend a new pilot to think they could do it without the proper experience and training...

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Sometimes people get too hung up on depth. I recently had someone ask me why, on a particular dive trip, I restricted my dives to only 80-90 fsw. He couldn't comprehend why someone with my experience wouldn't want to go deeper ... nor the simple concept that I was diving with a less experienced dive buddy who didn't feel comfortable going any deeper.

When I tried to explain to him I just didn't have the desire to go deeper on those dives, he told me he thought I had a fundamental fear of diving ...

... go figure.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[QuoVadis]

I was replying to the guy that stated although he'd dived a lot he didnt want to go below 120ft not to the original poster in this particular instance

Hey string, I appreciate your views but you have obviously missed my point entirely...

 

[Rick Inman]

Kind of an odd attitude and resitrctive yourself to remaining to within NDLs is a bit mystifying. There is nothing difficult about performing stops at all. You can quite happily stay at 120ft for longer than 12 minutes provided you are capable of holding buoyancy at 6m for a few minutes.

Note to kokoyo11: Any deco requirement is exactly as diving in an overhead environment, not for recreationally trained divers.

I made a dive at a local lake last week that is rarely dived because of it's shallow depth, but seemed like a good place for me to take two new guys on their first night dive (and besides, one of them owns a NICE house on the lake). After the sun set, we found TONS of fish, like bass, crappy, perch, shiners and catfish in the shallow weeds at 13'. And THAT is where we enjoyed most of the dive. The best place to dive is where the stuff is. I only have a dozen or so dives beyond 100' and never have once been bored.

 

[gj62]

Note to kokoyo11: Any deco requirement is exactly as diving in an overhead environment, not for recreationally trained divers.

I made a dive at a local lake last week that is rarely dived because of it's shallow depth, but seemed like a good place for me to take two new guys on their first night dive (and besides, one of them owns a NICE house on the lake). After the sun set, we found TONS of fish, like bass, crappy, perch, shiners and catfish in the shallow weeds at 13'. And THAT is where we enjoyed most of the dive. The best place to dive is where the stuff is. I only have a dozen or so dives beyond 100' and never have once been bored.

Had a similar experience in FL a few weeks ago. Did one deep dive - a wreck - in 100' of water. The other dives were with my son - a newly certified diver and spent 8 dives in less than 25' of water. We dove Flagler's Barge in 18' of water - never saw so many fish in one area before.

I forget the actual %, but for marine life, the amount in the first 30' far outstrips the rest of the depths combined...

 

[String]

Hey string, I appreciate your views but you have obviously missed my point entirely...

Clarify then if i did ?

My point is simple if what you want to see is at that depth then you dive to that depth. In some areas there maybe pretty fish shallow and they maybe what you want to see so fair enough, dive it.

However, here you cant see up,down,left or right in mid water and its rare you'll see any fish at all unless you're on or near the bottom.

I prefer wreck diving and wrecks tend to live on the bottom. Shallower wrecks are more broken up by storms so deeper dives are usually better dives.

You dont have to limit yourself to 12 minutes bottom time - for a qualified diver decompression isnt a mythical black art, isnt dicing with death and is something you do and put up with in order to get a good dive in.

The basics are taught here at our first course level, its a mandatory dive (or at least mandatory to simulate a deco dive) for the second level qualification. Result is people understand it, arent scared of it and dont shy away from it.

 

[getwet2]

Hi,

I was just thinking about it and it doesn't seem as though people dive that deep. I always thought that you would dive deaper than 80 feet... Please correct me if I'm wrong but do most only dive this far?

Usually between 60' - 100'

 

[scubabob123]

I agree with the posts that only you can make the decision of what depth you are most comfortable with and what compells you to dive there. Here in the North East literally all of your dives will have to be at least 80FSW since it's mostly wreck dives. But my favorite dives are in the FL Keys where I can spend an hour at 20-40FT checking out the corals and other life.
It's your choice.