How to find your own style?
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BDSC
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freewillie
Contributor
You find your own personal style by trying different gear configurations and doing different dives and diving with different divers. The more you experience and the more diversity you have then you can adapt to what works best for your.
More training is never a bad idea. Nitrox is a very popular course after OW and has many benefits especially when deep diving and multiple dives over days like on a liveabord dive boat. Advanced Open Water gets you exposed to deeper depths and extra experience with navigation. Rescue diver makes you more aware of your surroundings and trying to avoid problems before they happen as well as responding to problems.
When I first started diving I thought I needed to explore GUE fundies. I thought maybe I'd purchase a back plate with wings and have a full Hogarthian style set up and long primary hoses with bungeed octopus. But after diving I'm just a simple recreational diver and my gear and diving profile reflect that. Back inflate BC, safe second integrated power inflator combo, split fins, and AI integrated hoseless dive computer. I do most of my dives on vacation and almost always through dive operators that provide guides. When I have time I will do a local shore dive but nothing deep and not very complicated navigation wise. I have no interest in doubles or caves or any overhead environment. My gear fits my style of diving and more importantly is what I like to dive.
As for relying only on a computer versus using tables that has been discussed multiple times in other forums. For my two cents we are changing in technology and while dive tables are useful dive computers are quickly becoming the gold standard for nitrogen loading. Tables are nice to guestimate how long you can stay at a certain depth but using computers you can safely exceed those calculations. My dive computer in my opinion is more accurate, more dependable, and easier to use than tables.
Bottom line is get out and dive. And enjoy yourself safely.
More training is never a bad idea. Nitrox is a very popular course after OW and has many benefits especially when deep diving and multiple dives over days like on a liveabord dive boat. Advanced Open Water gets you exposed to deeper depths and extra experience with navigation. Rescue diver makes you more aware of your surroundings and trying to avoid problems before they happen as well as responding to problems.
When I first started diving I thought I needed to explore GUE fundies. I thought maybe I'd purchase a back plate with wings and have a full Hogarthian style set up and long primary hoses with bungeed octopus. But after diving I'm just a simple recreational diver and my gear and diving profile reflect that. Back inflate BC, safe second integrated power inflator combo, split fins, and AI integrated hoseless dive computer. I do most of my dives on vacation and almost always through dive operators that provide guides. When I have time I will do a local shore dive but nothing deep and not very complicated navigation wise. I have no interest in doubles or caves or any overhead environment. My gear fits my style of diving and more importantly is what I like to dive.
As for relying only on a computer versus using tables that has been discussed multiple times in other forums. For my two cents we are changing in technology and while dive tables are useful dive computers are quickly becoming the gold standard for nitrogen loading. Tables are nice to guestimate how long you can stay at a certain depth but using computers you can safely exceed those calculations. My dive computer in my opinion is more accurate, more dependable, and easier to use than tables.
Bottom line is get out and dive. And enjoy yourself safely.
Just to observe that a simple Hogarthian setup works real well for basic recreational diving . . .
Shasta_man
Contributor
Of course, there is a separate opinion for each individual and rarely shall the two meet.
I suggest that the best method is to do some diving to get some experience before proceeding with more training. I think it's too early to absorb and apply new stuff. You have to get a bit of experience so you can have perspective on how others are doing things and following/breaking the rules. That said, be wary of more experienced divers who bend the rules and encourage you to.. It's easy for these guys to get complacent and get themselves in the "Near misses" section or worse. They've been doing it for a while and feel that because it hasn't happened, it can't, which our Accidents forum says otherwise. Until you know the difference, I'd say stick closer to the rules the Navy guy gave you aside from the rigorous memorization tasks. You do what you know to be right and let them do their own thing, whether that means hovering above them to be more shallow or even thumbing the dive early.
(Did that guy say he uses split fins?! The horror...)
I suggest that the best method is to do some diving to get some experience before proceeding with more training. I think it's too early to absorb and apply new stuff. You have to get a bit of experience so you can have perspective on how others are doing things and following/breaking the rules. That said, be wary of more experienced divers who bend the rules and encourage you to.. It's easy for these guys to get complacent and get themselves in the "Near misses" section or worse. They've been doing it for a while and feel that because it hasn't happened, it can't, which our Accidents forum says otherwise. Until you know the difference, I'd say stick closer to the rules the Navy guy gave you aside from the rigorous memorization tasks. You do what you know to be right and let them do their own thing, whether that means hovering above them to be more shallow or even thumbing the dive early.
(Did that guy say he uses split fins?! The horror...)
CamG
Contributor
Hello Kafka interesting observation on the style or philosophies we choose.
Your interest is infectious and I encourage you to read the GUE, DIR, Padi, SDI, INTD, etc. materials.
I can guarantee you will learn a lot, understand far more than you did before you began.
Never fear that you will not measure up thus give up before you attempt any training!
NEVER DRAW LINES OR SELL YOURSELF SHORT!
Keep a student attitude, open slate, ponder, be attentive when others are explaining their philosophies, respectful even if you do not agree.
I have been able to study, research, earn the respect of many divers even if we differ in philosophy we are just as passionate about diving and training.
In studying all or most of the diving philosophies I have learned far more and have a bigger picture of what diving means to more people.
The byproduct for me are some really cool skills , training tips, and principals to build my dive goals upon.
Thus my own style "philosophy" is born but remember to always be open flexible to change!
Take your time, relax, research and enjoy!
One thing I love about diving is the multitude of material to pour over!
Have fun many of the posters to your thread are incredible valuable resources.
Keep posting but by all means DIVE , DIVE, DIVE, AND DIVE SOME MORE!
CamG
Your interest is infectious and I encourage you to read the GUE, DIR, Padi, SDI, INTD, etc. materials.
I can guarantee you will learn a lot, understand far more than you did before you began.
Never fear that you will not measure up thus give up before you attempt any training!
NEVER DRAW LINES OR SELL YOURSELF SHORT!
Keep a student attitude, open slate, ponder, be attentive when others are explaining their philosophies, respectful even if you do not agree.
I have been able to study, research, earn the respect of many divers even if we differ in philosophy we are just as passionate about diving and training.
In studying all or most of the diving philosophies I have learned far more and have a bigger picture of what diving means to more people.
The byproduct for me are some really cool skills , training tips, and principals to build my dive goals upon.
Thus my own style "philosophy" is born but remember to always be open flexible to change!
Take your time, relax, research and enjoy!
One thing I love about diving is the multitude of material to pour over!
Have fun many of the posters to your thread are incredible valuable resources.
Keep posting but by all means DIVE , DIVE, DIVE, AND DIVE SOME MORE!
CamG
drrich2
Contributor
Two things I think affect some people's choices are what they're aiming at, and their attitude toward to starting with the end in mind vs. changing along the way.
Let's look at a practical example. Dave gets his OW and plans to do regular recreation diving. He sees the threads advocating BP/W over jacket BCDs, various types of paddle fins over split fins (e.g.: for frog kicking & back kicking), DIN regulator valves over yoke valves, tables vs. computers only and AI vs. tech. capable computers (mainly the Petrel, which is much loved but has no air-integrated option). But he goes on some charter boat trips in the Caribbean &/or Florida, notices the majority are diving jacket BCDs, yoke valve reg.s, don't mess with tables, some have air-integrated computers & like it, and many use split fins and a lot of people like them.
Dave picks up a mainstream setup along those lines; perhaps a Sherwood Avid jacket BCD, lower end Atomic Aquatics regulator (z series), Oceanic Pro Plus 3 console AI computer, split fins and doesn't mess with tables. A few years later, if Dave goes into technical diving (e.g.: deep decompression diving in doubles, or cave diving), or is driven to optimize his setup (e.g.: GUE Fundamentals training, DIR style diving), he'll switch out some of his gear when the time comes.
It is my subjective impression the majority of divers don't get technical cert.s or go DIR.
Daniel, on the other hand, gets his OW but already has a dream of deep wreck diving in doubles, or cave diving, and loathes having to 'buy over.' Plus he'd like to maximize his experience by training from the start in the type of gear he'll always use, and save money by 'starting right.' Daniel might get a BP/W, a DIN regulator that's environmentally sealed & considered a 'cold water' reg. unlikely to malfunction at real low temp.s, a Shearwater Petrel dive computer (from what I understand tec. divers generally don't 'ride their computers' and so Daniel may stay conversant with tables) and a set of paddle fins that enable not just flutter kicking but frog-kicking & back-kicking, which he'll need in some environments.
Daniel could use all his gear in regular recreational diving even if he never went tec. or DIR. His horizontal trim might be better with BP/W, he could swim along the bottom using a frog kick to cut down on silting, and he could use a DIN-to-Yoke adapter to use his reg. on the ubiquitous yoke valve rental tanks of the Caribbean. But Daniel may need someone to help him get that BP/W setup optimized for a good fit, whereas Dave didn't need as much customizing (the issue of whether this is a significant drawback with BP/W has been debated elsewhere).
Neither approach is wrong. You can find plenty of threads on the forum supporting that Daniel's way is so much better than Dave's. Yet there are probably reasons Jacket >>> BP/W and in the U.S. & Caribbean Yoke >>> DIN and split fins are so popular. Some think those reasons are bad.
Whichever side you choose, enjoy the debates, learn a little here & there, but don't let 'the other side' prey on your insecurities. Dave and Daniel can both have a good time diving, even as buddies.
Richard.
Let's look at a practical example. Dave gets his OW and plans to do regular recreation diving. He sees the threads advocating BP/W over jacket BCDs, various types of paddle fins over split fins (e.g.: for frog kicking & back kicking), DIN regulator valves over yoke valves, tables vs. computers only and AI vs. tech. capable computers (mainly the Petrel, which is much loved but has no air-integrated option). But he goes on some charter boat trips in the Caribbean &/or Florida, notices the majority are diving jacket BCDs, yoke valve reg.s, don't mess with tables, some have air-integrated computers & like it, and many use split fins and a lot of people like them.
Dave picks up a mainstream setup along those lines; perhaps a Sherwood Avid jacket BCD, lower end Atomic Aquatics regulator (z series), Oceanic Pro Plus 3 console AI computer, split fins and doesn't mess with tables. A few years later, if Dave goes into technical diving (e.g.: deep decompression diving in doubles, or cave diving), or is driven to optimize his setup (e.g.: GUE Fundamentals training, DIR style diving), he'll switch out some of his gear when the time comes.
It is my subjective impression the majority of divers don't get technical cert.s or go DIR.
Daniel, on the other hand, gets his OW but already has a dream of deep wreck diving in doubles, or cave diving, and loathes having to 'buy over.' Plus he'd like to maximize his experience by training from the start in the type of gear he'll always use, and save money by 'starting right.' Daniel might get a BP/W, a DIN regulator that's environmentally sealed & considered a 'cold water' reg. unlikely to malfunction at real low temp.s, a Shearwater Petrel dive computer (from what I understand tec. divers generally don't 'ride their computers' and so Daniel may stay conversant with tables) and a set of paddle fins that enable not just flutter kicking but frog-kicking & back-kicking, which he'll need in some environments.
Daniel could use all his gear in regular recreational diving even if he never went tec. or DIR. His horizontal trim might be better with BP/W, he could swim along the bottom using a frog kick to cut down on silting, and he could use a DIN-to-Yoke adapter to use his reg. on the ubiquitous yoke valve rental tanks of the Caribbean. But Daniel may need someone to help him get that BP/W setup optimized for a good fit, whereas Dave didn't need as much customizing (the issue of whether this is a significant drawback with BP/W has been debated elsewhere).
Neither approach is wrong. You can find plenty of threads on the forum supporting that Daniel's way is so much better than Dave's. Yet there are probably reasons Jacket >>> BP/W and in the U.S. & Caribbean Yoke >>> DIN and split fins are so popular. Some think those reasons are bad.
Whichever side you choose, enjoy the debates, learn a little here & there, but don't let 'the other side' prey on your insecurities. Dave and Daniel can both have a good time diving, even as buddies.
Richard.
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Lot's of good advice from experienced divers. Here and there differing views. My diving is usually very simple. Shallow solo dives searching for shells. I have done deep dives, down to the 130' limit and took the Deep course. Also PADI Wreck course among others, though I have no plans to penetrate a wreck. DM course polished up my skills and gave me a bunch of info. that all is very interesting. And assisting with classes has been fun and enlightening. Very little of any of the above really comes into play on my "usual" dives. I have a handful of times found myself in somewhat uncomfortable situations--currents, cramps, etc. (though nothing really serious, knock wood). I have been able to stop, think, and choose the best course of action. I guess I'm saying that it's probably a good idea if you keep your knowledge and your "total" experience somewhat ahead of the "usual" diving you do. I read the basic dive mags and spend way too much time on SB. But it's amazing what you can learn here--then you talk to an "instabuddy" on a boat and see there is a lot of stuff they don't know. So to find your "style" it boils down to what kind of diving do you want to do.
Your dive computer should do basic planning. Set the mix percentage and it should give you your MOD and max time at a specific depth. During the dive it calculates in real time, providing a far more accurate view of NDL, PPO, and dive time. I dive Nitrox on drift dives in Florida, so I first want to know what the depth of the reef is. If it's 90 ft, I made sure my Nitrox mix allows for a deeper MOD than 90. I know from experience that my target bottom time is around 45 minutes, so I pick a mix percentage which provides the most allowable bottom time at depth and has a MOD still exceeding the depth of the dive site.
My computer assists in this prior to the dive, so I'm not just relying on my computer. I also have a backup computer with the same algorithm as my primary.
Great post! You are already ahead of a great many new divers in that you have observed there is more than one "style." Some new divers get into a routine and never expose themselves to anything else--they just don't cross paths with divers of other styles and don't care to read about anything else that might be out there.
As for "how" to find your own style, my thinking is that it will come naturally with time to a person like you. You may adopt some practices and not others. There's no need to adopt an all-or-nothing approach, such as the DIR system, unless of course you decide that's exactly what appeals to you. Since you seem to find PADI's oversimplifications unsettling, I suspect you will start learning from other sources. Your post demonstrates that you know what's out there. The only real answer to your question is the answer you already know: You have to go out and sample what you can and adopt what seems to make sense for you.
As for "how" to find your own style, my thinking is that it will come naturally with time to a person like you. You may adopt some practices and not others. There's no need to adopt an all-or-nothing approach, such as the DIR system, unless of course you decide that's exactly what appeals to you. Since you seem to find PADI's oversimplifications unsettling, I suspect you will start learning from other sources. Your post demonstrates that you know what's out there. The only real answer to your question is the answer you already know: You have to go out and sample what you can and adopt what seems to make sense for you.
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