How Many Dives Does It Take?

[Kicker1866]

I am a newbie on this board and a newbie diver (21 logged dives). In reading this board and different threads I have noticed that people with as many as 200 dives have still been referred to as "inexperienced" or a "relatively new" diver.

I know the number is arbitrary to a certain degree. A well-trained, very safe diver may argueably be a better diver than an unsafe diver who has splashed 200 times.

My question is simply.....if there is a quantitative number of dives which is generally makes a diver "experienced".....what is that number?

Just curious......

 

[StreetDoctor]

No. If you have 500 dives in a swimming pool (or quarry) I think you have less experience than someone with 50 dives in the ocean or great lakes. Quality not quantity

 

[Hetland]

also depends on the time involved. 200 dives over a twenty year period can't (usually) match 200 dives in a year or two.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

It's what you learn from each dive experience and observation that makes you a better diver. Some gain nothing but bottom time, and repeat the same mistakes or oversights again and again. I sense that is not the case with you.

Make every dive a learning dive!

 

[aquaregia]

All of my dives have been comfortable, shallow shore dives by my house. The idea of diving in current or from a boat where I can't swim to shore scares the daylights out of me. Lack of variety is one of the (many) reasons that I feel extremely inexperienced.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

In short, no, there's no quantitive number...

At 750 dives(7 years) and at this point, a decent amount of technical training, and even some exploration under my belt, I consider myself average as I'm still learning on nearly every dive. If you consider yourself experienced at 200, you're probably blowing smoke up your own ass.

 

[Thalassamania]

I tend to thing of scientific divers with 130 foot card as, "experienced." That's 100 hours of training with 12 training dives and 48 additional supervised dives, and about an equal number of non-supervised dives.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

Is that something out of the official Scientific Divers training manual or something?

I dove as a research diver for five years for the State of New Jersey in conjunction with the NJ State Aquarium at Camden and we never used any program like that. May I ask where you are quoting that from?

 

[Thalassamania]

Standards of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences and any and all organizations whose use of those standards gives them access to the OSHA exemption for scientific divers and thus defines membership in said community. I didn't realize you had a science background. What are your scientific interests?

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I was at an event were a couple were introduced as being well traveled having traveled extensively over 20 years. She spoke to me after and said.. "Well compared to you we aren't very well traveled" (they have traveled a bit around Australia)

I said.. "No I am not well traveled.. I have only been to 12 countries

Spoiler

only two continents but only traveled much in Canada, Western USA and Australia)

... I have some friends who are well traveled"

I mentioned this conversation to my friends.. who said.. "No we aren't well traveled

Spoiler

they own homes in 3 countries on 3 different continents and spend part of every year touring Europe in their motor-home. They are officially classed as "Residence of the World" because they do not stay in any country long enough to qualify as permanent residents altho they do have citizenship in one country

We have never been to the Antarctic and there are probably at least 12 countries we haven't been to... we have friends who are ...well traveled "

Divers are the same... some will claim experience based on little but being a legend in their own minds... some will always point to others who they think are more experienced...

What really matters is the experience and skill in the type of conditions you will be diving. When it comes to diving.. take no one's self evaluation... watch them in the water and come to your conclusions.