How long is a diver a newbie?

[BekaLynn]

Ok, so I was just wondering something... I see lots of people post (myself included) that they are a newbie still... At what point did you consider yourself to no longer be a newbie? :blinking:

 

[Walter]

It was about 80 or 90 dives for me, but whenever I make a new type of dive, I'm a newbie in that situation. I broke 1400 dives in the Great Lakes, but I was a newbie in those conditions and I looked to those with more experience in the Great Lakes for advice.

 

[BDSC]

I guess it's different for everyone but I'd say around the 50 dive mark is when I felt very comfortable in the water and was at the point I'd try about anything within reason and not be afraid.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I'll always be a newbie There is always something more for me to learn, and that is one of the real cool things about diving.

But yeah, what Walter said, I started to feel very comfortable in my "home" waters somewhere between 50 - 100 dives, I don't recall now. I'd be very "uncomfortable" diving in dark, cold water, so in that respect I'll remain a noob forever

 

[diver 85]

Till he/she becomes an oldie.......& that depends on ALOT of factors.....

 

[daniel1948]

It's a relative term, which means there are no hard and fast rules. You're a newbie as long as you feel like one. At some point you'll realize you are not a newbie any more, and you'll be unable to remember just when that happened.

 

[masterof0]

Being a noob myself, I can't give you a hard number at which I will no longer consider myself a noob. But I can relate it back to other areas of my life where I made that transition. I don't think it can be equated to dives or years, but a "gut feeling." I will no longer consider myself a noob when I can do the fundamental skills with having to "think" about it (bouyancy control, ascent, descent, safety stops, etc)...A lot of this depends on how often I get to dive. If I can dive everyday for the next 3 months, I will get there in fewer dives than if I make the same number of dives over the next 10 years.

Definitely a good question...

 

[rstofer]

Somewhere around 50 dives you think you have this diving thing under control. You're pretty good in your usual environment.

Then somewhere around 100 dives something will jump up and bite you in the a$$. In my case I blew an o-ring at 60' on a night dive in pretty high current on my 100th dive. Not life-threatening but attentiion getting. I still don't know WHY it blew and whether something I did or didn't do was a contributing factor.

So, perhaps after 100 dives or so you might not be a newbie in your usual environment doing your usual dives. Anything outside that comfort zone and all bets are off. You're back at square one.

Absolutely nothing I knew about diving the warm waters of south-east Asia translated to diving Catalina and Monterey. The wetsuit, the heavy weights, variable buoyancy, cold, dark; I had none of these in Malaysia or Thailand. About the only thing I knew for certain was how to rig the tank. And I didn't do that right either! I was still trying to use the Al 80 I brought home.

There's always something to learn.

Richard

 

[Scubadad1]

I don't think you can put a time limit or a number of dives as to when you're not a newbie anymore. Attitude and experience count so I agree with those who say that a new dive experience put you back to level one. I had done a 1000 dives before I used a dry suit so when I went into one I was a complete beginer. If I was diving in cold murky waters I have no experience at all so I would need to start very cautiously and watch my own limits.
Agreed - there is always something to learn.

 

[Standingbear56]

While there are many factors, for me personally, an noob is generally considered a diver with <50 dives / hours bottom time. This is just my personal opinion as there are no hard fast rules.