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

[Scraps]

I suspect the correlation coefficient between number of dives and competence is positive but low, especially in the first few hundred dives.

I also suspect you will get very different answers by asking divers to rate their competence at x hundred dives and by asking divers with twice as many dives to rate how good they were at that lower number.

We don’t know how bad we suck until we get good enough to realize how bad we used to suck. But even then, we don’t know how bad we still suck.

 

[Lorenzoid]

My advice is to alternate or rotate doing a lot of diving just for fun, doing some additional training (getting mentoring would count), and doing some dives where you focus on practicing skills. Each of these three things helps reinforce the others. Synergy. Or something like that.

 

[rongoodman]

Part of it is who you dive with and model yourself after. 100 dives with divers trained by GUE or other tech agencies will probably produce a much different result than 100 dives with random vacation divers. Wanting to look like "those guys" in the water can be a big incentive.

 

[diver0008]

About 100, I'd say.

 

[arew+4]

If competence were reducible to number, it would be something like....

Number of times the sh!t hit the fan/ number of times you escaped unscathed, multiplied by the number of times it was your fault.

Ideal score = 0

 

[Stoo]

About 100, I'd say.

I think "competence" develops in stages. A new diver may become competent as a "new diver" in a handful of dives... 60' max, no deco, simple OW dives. Then they take their diving up a notch in complexity, so their competence "reboots" to minimal, but increases as more of these more complex dives are successfully completed. And this can repeat over and over and over. A highly capable OW diver with hundreds and hundreds of dives would die (figuratively and perhaps literally) if they were suddenly faced with a 300' cave dive, to use a ridiculous example.

 

[markmud]

My advice is to alternate or rotate doing a lot of diving just for fun, doing some additional training (getting mentoring would count), and doing some dives where you focus on practicing skills. Each of these three things helps reinforce the others. Synergy. Or something like that.

I think Lorenzoid got it. @Capt. Jim Wyat was right on.

I think a diver who continues training, dives in different environments (including warm and cold), and who dives alternately with a DM and alone, can become competent in RECREATIONAL diving in 100 dives.

A diver who dives their 40 foot deep quarry 100 times is probably not a competent diver.

cheers,
m

 

[Ayisha]

It's pretty impossible to choose a number of dives where someone becomes really competent, and all-around competency at that.

Some people look really competent right out of open water, while some people may not look competent even after 500 dives.

The best way to increase our own competency is to dive more, dive in different environments, practice skills, keep observing and learning, set up our own equipment, be familiar with all components of our equipment, be proficient at using a compass and navigating, and "dive up". Try to dive with divers you want to emulate, and maybe ask for some tips that might help you improve.

 

[alex_can_dive]

Thanks, all. It does look like a long road.
I was hoping to get out of this “noob” title soon, having invested time in doing at least 1 or 2 dives/week.but it doesn’t seem progress is fast

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I was hoping to get out of this “noob” title soon

Enjoy the journey and you will reach the destination...