How lucky are we?

[on_two_wheels]

I was on a boat this weekend and we're heading back to the dock. We were discussing a couple of the dives with a diver that was visiting from the east coast. One of the dives had a strong current. I went out on a given azimuth and turned back. I cut 4 min from the return time due to current and STILL ended up 50+ yards on the other side of the boat. On another dive, visibility was about 20 feet.

So while we're talking about it the subject of dive vacations came up. The lady asked a couple times, "Have you ever been diving in ______." First time I simply said no. The second time I told her, I haven't been diving anywhere outside of CA. Her response was, "Well, if you can dive here you can dive just about anywhere."

I must say, that conversation made me feel pretty good. I still consider myself relatively new/inexperienced, even as I approach the 100 mark. So to hear a visitor say that made me think, "Yep...I can dive here and do it well." We are lucky to not only have great diving here in CA but also challenges on every dive that make us better divers, whether it be strong currents, surge, entanglements (kelp or otherwise) or low vis and the complications that entails. We are some lucky divers.

 

[Codyjp]

We aren't lucky because of the difficulties of our diving, more so we are lucky because of the vast array of wonderful diving we have available to us.

From kelp to corals we've got nearly all of it. After a few days at a tropical location I really start to value what we have. It is special and I think that if it was easier it wouldn't quite be as enjoyable. The west coast is special, but you've certainly got to work for it!

Thanks for reminding us how lucky we really are!

 

[on_two_wheels]

We aren't lucky because of the difficulties of our diving,

I'll agree to disagree. I'm lucky to have learned and continue to learn in an environment that isn't "ideal." Makes me a better diver. I'm not the type that always takes or wants the easiest training....just want the best. I'm lucky to have experienced enough current, surge, surf, low visibility, kelp forests, etc that I'm a much better diver for it. Better at dealing with small problems, better at navigation, better at finding the hidden creatures, etc than if I wasn't forced to learn those skills. I'd say that the challenges So Cal brings to divers makes me a better diver...thus, I'm lucky to dive here often.

Of course, I did say "not only because of the great diving". We're just lucky in more than one way.

 

[fnfalman]

I'd take a high current, bad viz SoCal dive any time. I remembered the times when I sat out of a dive because the sun was high and I wanted to feel its ray, or the condition was marginal and I didn't want to deal with the hassles of high current or surge.

Nowadays I'm sitting in Idaho wishing that I could have those dives back.

I haven't dived anywhere else in the world either but I snorkeled quite a bit (not the same, I know) in Malaysia and saw some pretty stuff. I just felt naked without the towering giant kelps.

 

[Leejnd]

I have to agree that we divers are very fortunate to live in SoCal - for a number of reasons, including the fact that the diving here tends to be more challenging than in other parts of the world. I've actually had that thought many times.

I've been very lucky to have been able to dive in some of the top dive destinations on the planet: Belize, Bali, French Polynesia, Galapagos, Costa Rica, Mexico, among others. Naturally, when on a dive boat, y'all get to talking about where you've been diving. Almost without fail, when I say that I'm from SoCal and do most of my diving here, I get the same response: well if you can dive there, you can dive anywhere! And...yup...I agree.

The diving here IS more challenging than most of the popular dive destinations around the world. Cold water, low vis, currents, kelp. And, I think equally important: the practices of our local dive boats are very different from most dive destinations - here you are on your own. At pretty much every other location I've dived, the standard practice involves going out on dive boats with DMs who lead the dives, and you are expected to stay with the group. You aren't even given the option of going off on your own. And on most of these boats, the crew handle everything - including your gear (which I usually decline - I'd rather handle my own, thankyewverymuch). But this is what most divers seem to be used to.

That's why tourists here in SoCal can be disconcerted when they get out on one of our boats, and discover they are NOT catered-to and babysat. WHAT? I need to change out my OWN tank? You mean I have to do my OWN navigation? How am supposed to get back to the boat?? :shocked2:

When I've signed up to do advanced-level dives in other locations, once I tell them that I'm a regular diver in SoCal they never even question whether I can do the dive. And every time I've done an "advanced" dive somewhere else, to me it's seemed no more difficult than just an every-day dive at home, in terms of the level of challenge.

Anyway, so yeah, I agree we're pretty damn lucky!

 

[fnfalman]

Not to mention that SoCal diving chicks are HOT!!!

 

[on_two_wheels]

I have to agree that we divers are very fortunate to live in SoCal - for a number of reasons, including the fact that the diving here tends to be more challenging than in other parts of the world. I've actually had that thought many times.

I've been very lucky to have been able to dive in some of the top dive destinations on the planet: Belize, Bali, French Polynesia, Galapagos, Costa Rica, Mexico, among others. Naturally, when on a dive boat, y'all get to talking about where you've been diving. Almost without fail, when I say that I'm from SoCal and do most of my diving here, I get the same response: well if you can dive there, you can dive anywhere! And...yup...I agree.

The diving here IS more challenging than most of the popular dive destinations around the world. Cold water, low vis, currents, kelp. And, I think equally important: the practices of our local dive boats are very different from most dive destinations - here you are on your own. At pretty much every other location I've dived, the standard practice involves going out on dive boats with DMs who lead the dives, and you are expected to stay with the group. You aren't even given the option of going off on your own. And on most of these boats, the crew handle everything - including your gear (which I usually decline - I'd rather handle my own, thankyewverymuch). But this is what most divers seem to be used to.

That's why tourists here in SoCal can be disconcerted when they get out on one of our boats, and discover they are NOT catered-to and babysat. WHAT? I need to change out my OWN tank? You mean I have to do my OWN navigation? How am supposed to get back to the boat?? :shocked2:

When I've signed up to do advanced-level dives in other locations, once I tell them that I'm a regular diver in SoCal they never even question whether I can do the dive. And every time I've done an "advanced" dive somewhere else, to me it's seemed no more difficult than just an every-day dive at home, in terms of the level of challenge.

Anyway, so yeah, I agree we're pretty damn lucky!

Having never been diving anywhere else, I had no idea so much of it is guided and controlled to that extent. I might actually be offended when I go.

 

[Leejnd]

Having never been diving anywhere else, I had no idea so much of it is guided and controlled to that extent. I might actually be offended when I go.

Well that's a generalization - there are certainly places where it's not - but it's pretty common at tourist destinations. And there are many "vacation divers" who've never dived any other way!

I was actually quite startled the first time I encountered it, which was in French Polynesia. I was on a small cruise ship that had it's own dive op, and we dove off zodiaks that would take 6 or 8 divers out to the dive site. When they explained that we were all going to stay together and follow the DM, I was like, HUH? Hey, I'm certified, I've got a buddy, I know how to navigate - why can't I go do what I wanna do? But that's just not how they do things there. I got to know the dive crew pretty well over the course of the cruise, and they explained that many of the divers are vacationers who rarely dive, some not for years. So they just feel safer with everyone staying together.

Our next vacation brought us to Belize, where we were on a larger boat - 12 divers. I thought for sure THERE we'd be able to go do our own thing. But no - they broke us up into two groups, each with our own DM leader. Here they were a little more lax - they let a few of us go either ahead of or behind the group, but we had to stay within view of the DM (with viz of 100+ ft, it wasn't too hard!).

The problem with these DM-led dives is that your bottom time can be limited to the SAC rate of the biggest hoover in the group. This does NOT sit well with me - when I'm paying over $100 for a 2-tank dive, and I end with 1500+ in my tank each time due to gas-suckers, that is just not a good value.

The good news is that there ARE dive ops out there that will allow the hoovers to head back to do their safety stops on their own, while allowing the rest of us to finish our dive. That is really the way it should be handled, IMO. When we were in Costa Rica a couple years ago, we had 8 + the DM. Everyone had a buddy, and when someone hit the turnaround spg they and their buddy were pointed back towards the boat so they could do their safety stop on the line, and the DM continued with us. My husband finished his tank before I did, and was sent off to the line with another buddy team. The DM then continued on alone with me for another 10 minutes - it was great!

I now make a point of emailing with any dive ops that I'm considering using on vacations, to ask what their policy is on that. If they say that the dive ends when the first person in the group breathes out their tank, I won't use them. We've got a trip to another region of Costa Rica coming up in December, and I've chosen Rich Coast Diving. They have assured me that they allow you to use your full tank, and won't make you end the dive if others in the group finish before you. That's a big reason I chose them, because some other dive ops in the area are well-known for ending the dive based on the fastest hoover in the group.

Just a little advice for when you start doing dive travel!

 

[Selchie in LB]

Thanks LeeAnne for the good info. I too have only experienced So Cal diving. Here on a boat they check to see if you have a dive buddy, OK, you and you, see ya. Take roll call when you get back that's it. If I spend my money for vaca diving and am told you dive with a group (like back in certification class), no way! Unless there is a compelling reason, such as strong currents or really awesome sights that I might miss. Besides even here I am learning to appreciate taking it slow and looking for the various sea life. Some times it is best to wait for it to come to you!

 

[Leejnd]

Thanks LeeAnne for the good info. I too have only experienced So Cal diving. Here on a boat they check to see if you have a dive buddy, OK, you and you, see ya. Take roll call when you get back that's it. If I spend my money for vaca diving and am told you dive with a group (like back in certification class), no way! Unless there is a compelling reason, such as strong currents or really awesome sights that I might miss. Besides even here I am learning to appreciate taking it slow and looking for the various sea life. Some times it is best to wait for it to come to you!

I too strongly dislike the whole DM-babysitter thing. But unfortunately, in some regions there's just no other way to dive, unless you charter your own boat! If you book a trip on a dive boat there, you're GOING to end up with a babysitting DM. Take it or leave it.

Now, don't get me wrong - there are some great benefits to having a local DM with you - they know the cool spots, they know how and where to find the cool critters, they know what areas to avoid due to hazards, etc. And I understand why they do it this way - in some of these areas, the vast majority of divers they get are once-a-year vaca divers. If they left all those people to their own unpolished nav skills, it would be a total cluster-f*** out there, and we'd be reading about a lot more lost divers.

But for those of us who are used to self-sufficiency, it's just annoying.

That's why it's really important to talk to your dive op in advance. I've had lengthy discussions with the owners of the shop we're using in Costa Rica in Dec., and they fully understand that we are experienced divers used to diving on our own. We WILL have a DM, and we WILL be with a group, which may or may not include noobs/vacationers, but they assure us they will allow us to venture off from the group to some degree (I'm gonna have my camera, and if I see something cool to photograph, I am NOT going to miss the shot just to keep up with a group I don't even want to be with!) They also assure us they will NOT make us end our dives until we're ready, and the DM will take responsibility for anybody who finishes their gas before we do.

But don't go out there thinking they're going to let you head off on your own. They won't. Best to just be prepared.