How long before it's all really dialed in?

[WillieJustice]

More experienced divers have different advice about how long it takes before everything is internalized to the point it's just natural and you don't have to think about it. I'm curious to know what people here say about it and what it means.

I assume it will take me longer to get buoyancy and trim completely sorted because my diving is both tropical in either a shorty or rash guard and cold water in a drysuit. I just bought a drysuit that has very different buoyancy characteristics than the rental I used before. At this point, I have a bit over 30 dives in the last 14 months since I got certified. About half are tropical in different neoprene suits and half are cold water. Only the last two (31 and 32) are in the new drysuit. My guess is that about a dozen dives in the new drysuit will get that pretty well sorted. Tropical dives are close to sorted, although ditching neoprene and just going with a rash guard will put a bit of a complication in that. That's probably TMI. I'm curious to know what others' experiences with dialing it all in have been.

 

[MB NZ]

Everyone is different and there are so many variables, but it started to come together at around 100 dives for me. Get in the water at every available opportunity.

 

[WillieJustice]

Everyone is different and there are so many variables, but it started to come together at around 100 dives for me. Get in the water at every available opportunity.

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

My standard rule of knowledge for diving is at 50 dives you are starting to get a clue. At 100 you realize at 50 you were still clueless.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I agree with the above but some kind of magic happened for me at around 250.

 

[G&J]

I was always comfortable in the water, doesn't mean I always knew what I was doing! Took quite a few years. And I probably still need shake off rust after longer hiatus.

 

[WillieJustice]

Sounds like there's lots of practice needed. Aw, what a shame. I have to dive more.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Dialed in simple warm-water traditional BC, Al 80 and wetsuit diving around 100 dives. The next phase was single Al 80 with BP/W and long-hose primary donate configuration. That took another 50 or more dives. Then doubles and drysuit. That was a big step and took another 100 or so dives to really dial that in. Actually, at well over 500 dives I’m still working on improving.

 

[34109411]

more proficient after 150 dives

 

[dlofting]

Don't know exactly but we were on our second trip to the Philippines, somewhere around 200 dives and someone commented that my wife and I looked "so comfortable in the water"....so that was probably it.