How many dives does it take for one to be competent?

[alex_can_dive]

On average, how many dives does it take for someone to be comfortably self-sufficient?

(by that I mean, you can sufficiently navigate new sites, go wreck divings without being nervous, go night diving without getting lost, etc)

 

[DeltaWardog]

I'll let you know when I get there.

I would say I started to feel very comfortable, got a handle on my air consumption, and had what I consider good buoyancy control around dive 30. I was an air hog at first and dive 29 was when I switched from AL100's to AL80's and still managed to keep dives close to an hour. That only got even better with time and experience.

I would say I became 'competent' by the time I hit triple digits, so I voted 100. It probably would have come sooner but I am a vacation diver and my trips were often separated by years. There's a lot of 'coming back up to speed' for the first few trips when you do that.

I will probably look back in another 200 dives and think how much of a noob I was in 2021.

Of course, it will be different for everyone.

 

[Alekseolsen]

I believe that depends a lot. Personally, I believe what "kickstarted" it was a liveaboard arranged by my local diveclub.

I had roughly 30 doves in one year, then suddenly another 20 doves in a week, buddied up with techdivers for the full week. ( I don't know how a typical liveabord is, but I had 0 dives with DM this trip - I belive, as a fresh diver, you learn quicker without relying on a DM).

I do value the local knowledge of DM's, but especially with fresh divers, I feel like diving with them becomes a trust me dive quite quick

 

[MichaelMc]

It depends on the diver and how well they learn from their dives, training and practice.

With good natural ability and actively learning, the low end of your scale can get a person competent in many situations. I'd focus on buoyancy, propulsion and trim (balanced weight distribution). This will also make your dives more enjoyable.

Floating about learning nothing new, a person will likely never get past being an awkward and uncomfortable guest underwater.

 

[Soloist]

Number of dives is only part of the equation. For example, you may have 250 dives, but if they were all conducted at the local quarry you will be ill-prepared for an ocean drift dive. So it’s important to experience a diverse and wide variety of diving in different environments and conditions whether it be boat, shore, night, freshwater, saltwater, low visibility, cold water, warm water, anchor line, wreck and overhead diving to name a few. Continuation of training is also crucial starting with AOW, Nitrox, Solo Diver, Rescue, etc. with an instructor that is diligent and thorough. So there is a long nonanswer.

 

[Centrals]

Always expect the unexpected.
Complacency is dangerous.
Try to avoid: I should be fine. There is NO short cut to safety.

 

[Zef]

Number of dives means very little..better to focus on amount of time under water instead.

-Z

 

[clownfishsydney]

Some people are comfortably self-sufficient after only 10 dives. Some are after 100 dives. Some are never comfortable, let alone self-sufficient. From my experience, most of the people I encounter here in Sydney are comfortably self-sufficient after 50 to 75 dives.

Ones I encounter overseas, I would say a lot higher figure as they have been relying on DMs too much.

 

[SlugLife]

Competent at doing what exactly? For example, you need cave-dive training to do cave-diving, and even with 1000+ dives you won't be a competent cave-diver. As another example, I've done lots of dives in murky low visibility, but little-or-no dives in the ocean, rivers, or currents.

Number of dives doesn't equate to competence either. Are you practicing skills? Challenging yourself (safely)? Pursuing training? Learning continuously? Diving doesn't have to be a "work your ass off and become a master" hobby, people can enjoy it casually and safely, without ever really pushing themselves, so long as they stay within their limits.

There's also a certain amount of natural affinity, or personal limitations. For example, people who panic easily might still not be really qualified for basic diving after 100+ dives, but someone who is chill and handles stress well might be able to be throw into all kinds of situations and sill mange just fine.

I'd like to think I have some competency in some areas, but also a lot of other areas I can improve, which that improvement will help me have better dives. For example, better finning technique.

 

[Pat85]

Good question..I'm finding out....I'm not a natural, started slowly during ow training, but feel safe and confident, but also realize I still have to train and improve skills such as trim and bouancy and SAC. Which are a work in progress every dive.
Also, I imagine, that the circumstances in which you make your dives matter. I learned (am learning) SCUBA in the 'cold' Dutch waters, where I consider 2-3m of visibility an average day and anything above 12 degrees C is not cold Cannot wait to try some dives in warm seas with good visibility.