If you ask to see my logbook, you aren't gonna, unless I've dragged my laptop to the dive site . . . 
I now have 50+ total dives, which makes me a complete expert...
- Thread starter sabbath999
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OP
sabbath999
Contributor
Sas
Contributor
Why? If people are happy to dive the same location I don't see why they should vary the location. Some of the sites I've been to, I would dive 100s of times if I could (and hope to eventually)
Yes I love reading about people's dive experiences. My buddy keeps a (paper) detailed log and draws detailed maps of what we see so I like to read over them, especially after a few months has past as it is a good reminder of our dives
I have mine online though so anyone asking I have given them the link to that. 
DaleC
Contributor
I do this all the time, it's no big deal...
this on the other hand, I haven't done (ouch).
..or play golf in a really bad wetsuit?
Good thread my friend. I wish we lived closer so we could share a dive and some tofu.
ItsBruce
Contributor
This is a great thread.
I don't mind vacation divers if they recognize their limitations and don't put anyone else at risk. It is when they think they are experienced or good that I have issues with them.
Last year, I was at a resort and our group consisted of a DM, me and three others. The DM asked about our experience and recent dives. The three others explained how experienced they were, with between 10 and 20 dives ...though they had not been diving in a year they all professed to be completely comfortable in the water. I simply and truthfully said "My first dive was in late July, in a pool."
The other three were abominable. They made me realize why dive ops at resorts don't let divers carry knives: If I had one, I would have cut each of their air hoses.
The next day they did not return and the DM and I did a very enjoyable dive to some pinnacles at 120 fsw.
I don't mind vacation divers if they recognize their limitations and don't put anyone else at risk. It is when they think they are experienced or good that I have issues with them.
Last year, I was at a resort and our group consisted of a DM, me and three others. The DM asked about our experience and recent dives. The three others explained how experienced they were, with between 10 and 20 dives ...though they had not been diving in a year they all professed to be completely comfortable in the water. I simply and truthfully said "My first dive was in late July, in a pool."
The other three were abominable. They made me realize why dive ops at resorts don't let divers carry knives: If I had one, I would have cut each of their air hoses.
The next day they did not return and the DM and I did a very enjoyable dive to some pinnacles at 120 fsw.
I don't think there is anything wrong with diving the same site over and over again . . . if that's what you want to do. What you have to realize then is that you don't really have 100 dives -- you have one dive you did a hundred times.
Real diving experience comes from facing a variety of challenges. You CAN do that in a small number of sites, if you work at it. But diving in different places and under different conditions is a surer way to build a broad experience base.
Real diving experience comes from facing a variety of challenges. You CAN do that in a small number of sites, if you work at it. But diving in different places and under different conditions is a surer way to build a broad experience base.
ScubaSteve2000
Contributor
My local dive site has several different dive sites; over a dozen if you count sites you can only get to by boat. Walls, swimthroughs, structures, deep, deeper and my personal favorite; crazy-deep, dark and cold. Vis varies from arm's length to the other side of your mask.
OP
sabbath999
Contributor
In my very limited experience, I think that diving in the same spot over and over has many good things going for it... especially if you do what we do and do "training dives" to work on specific techniques.
We spend a lot of our time underwater doing this... both she and I are cyclists, and we are used to training 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week... that's just normal operating procedure for us. So training on specific skills underwater is rather second nature, and I think in the end it will make us better divers and safer divers.
Back in the 1980's, I had the opportunity to spend a half an hour talking with Geddy Lee, the front man and bass player for the rock band Rush. Really nice guy. Most of the conversation was spent talking about baseball (he is a BIG TIME baseball fan) but I did impose on him enough to ask one question about music that he had likely been asked a billion times before.
I asked Geddy what it takes to make it in the big time as a bass player (which I aspired to be). He said that virtually anybody with moderate talent could be an excellent player, and what he advised anybody who wanted to become one to do was "lock yourself up in a closet for two years, spend every minute you can practicing and get all the technical stuff out of the way upfront". After that, how far you rise depends on hard work, talent and some luck. Songwriting, he said, was something you either can do... or can't... but actually playing is more about hard work and dedication...
That's kind of like what diving in the same spot can be if you are trying to become good at the CRAFT of SCUBA, I think (with my NOOB brain at least).
In my NOOB brain (again, I claim to know absolutely nothing, this is just what I THINK), diving in one or two familiar locations doesn't prepare you to dive in other situations (the only way to learn about things like surge and currents is to dive in them) but nailing down things like buoyancy, air consumption, trim, etc. can be easier to do if you can just "set aside" all the different conditions you find in new spots.
Having said that, diving ONLY in the same places can lead (again, my NOOB brain surmises) to developing the bad habit of expectations... things are just plain different in warm salt water than cold water with limited vis.
Me, I will do most of my dives in cold fresh water because that's where I live. One cold fresh quarry is pretty much like any other cold, fresh quarry when it comes to technique. But I also plan to do as much clear salt water diving as I can afford.
We spend a lot of our time underwater doing this... both she and I are cyclists, and we are used to training 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week... that's just normal operating procedure for us. So training on specific skills underwater is rather second nature, and I think in the end it will make us better divers and safer divers.
Back in the 1980's, I had the opportunity to spend a half an hour talking with Geddy Lee, the front man and bass player for the rock band Rush. Really nice guy. Most of the conversation was spent talking about baseball (he is a BIG TIME baseball fan) but I did impose on him enough to ask one question about music that he had likely been asked a billion times before.
I asked Geddy what it takes to make it in the big time as a bass player (which I aspired to be). He said that virtually anybody with moderate talent could be an excellent player, and what he advised anybody who wanted to become one to do was "lock yourself up in a closet for two years, spend every minute you can practicing and get all the technical stuff out of the way upfront". After that, how far you rise depends on hard work, talent and some luck. Songwriting, he said, was something you either can do... or can't... but actually playing is more about hard work and dedication...
That's kind of like what diving in the same spot can be if you are trying to become good at the CRAFT of SCUBA, I think (with my NOOB brain at least).
In my NOOB brain (again, I claim to know absolutely nothing, this is just what I THINK), diving in one or two familiar locations doesn't prepare you to dive in other situations (the only way to learn about things like surge and currents is to dive in them) but nailing down things like buoyancy, air consumption, trim, etc. can be easier to do if you can just "set aside" all the different conditions you find in new spots.
Having said that, diving ONLY in the same places can lead (again, my NOOB brain surmises) to developing the bad habit of expectations... things are just plain different in warm salt water than cold water with limited vis.
Me, I will do most of my dives in cold fresh water because that's where I live. One cold fresh quarry is pretty much like any other cold, fresh quarry when it comes to technique. But I also plan to do as much clear salt water diving as I can afford.
crpntr133
lost, even with a compass
CAN WE MAKE THIS A STICKY???
I wish this was posted several months ago when several divers with less than 50 dives wanted to switch to doubles for really crazy reasons. And of course they knew all about diving doubles because they read about it in a book. They also knew all the danger associated with diving doubles.
On a side note I totally agree with the "PADI master diver" cert being a waste of money. But to each his/her own.
I wish this was posted several months ago when several divers with less than 50 dives wanted to switch to doubles for really crazy reasons. And of course they knew all about diving doubles because they read about it in a book. They also knew all the danger associated with diving doubles.
On a side note I totally agree with the "PADI master diver" cert being a waste of money. But to each his/her own.
potato cod
Contributor
Thanks for a nice thread, Sabbath!
You pretty much summed up many of my thoughts on diving. I will hit my 50th dive tomorrow and while that is a nice milestone for me, boy do I have a lot to learn! Most of my dives have been in gin clear tropical salt water in a variety of locations. I'm proud of my progress compared to where I started, but I am humbled by what I have not mastered at all. I will be getting started with more local diving this summer (quarry, great lakes, niagara river) to advance my goal to keep on learning.
SB has been a great place to ask the many questions that arise and it's great that there is so much support for new divers. Thanks to all!
You pretty much summed up many of my thoughts on diving. I will hit my 50th dive tomorrow and while that is a nice milestone for me, boy do I have a lot to learn! Most of my dives have been in gin clear tropical salt water in a variety of locations. I'm proud of my progress compared to where I started, but I am humbled by what I have not mastered at all. I will be getting started with more local diving this summer (quarry, great lakes, niagara river) to advance my goal to keep on learning.
SB has been a great place to ask the many questions that arise and it's great that there is so much support for new divers. Thanks to all!
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