Low Viz scare ya ?

[Tigerman]

Ive been diving where I litrally couldnt see the bottomn even when holding my hand on it.
It didnt scare me, but it was kinda surreal to be able to see your hand, feel the bottomn and not seeing what the hand was touching. Thats what black bottom, clear water, local lakes can do for ya..

Ive also dived visibility so bad that you couldnt see another diver a meter away from you. Only reason I continued that was because I knew it was better vis deeper down. Not because it was scary, but because I dive to see stuff

 

[DevonDiver]

Low Viz scare ya?

Surprisingly... no.

 

[offroadr1]

i havent logged enough dives to have much of an opinion on low visibility. the lowest i have seen so far is about 10ft or so. but what gave me pause for the first time was when i was in the quarry and navigating along the wall, observing landmarks etc, i decided to just turn to the right and have a look out across the open water. viz was about 30ft that day. it was a very odd feeling to not see anything in any direction and just feel alone and insignificant in the middle of nowhere. that made me me checkup for a moment, but i'd imagine that ill get used to it with more dives.

 

[DeeperOut]

You might consider doing some guided dives or take a class in conditions that you find challenging. Practice is the best medicine. As for the positive---nothing helps with buoyancy and proper finning like having five feet of silt on the bottom below.
Every now and then, we find ourselves in situations when the visibility does not allow to see gauges when held to the mask. Bubbles go up and provide a reference as to speed of ascent...

 

[DennisS]

I guess my question with most low vis diving is what's the point? Without something to see or do, I would not find it enjoyable.

I have enjoyed looking for fossils in black water. Mostly if the vis is bad, I dive another day.

That's pretty much my attitude. I don't find low vis scary, it just sucks. I'll drive by the beach and check out conditions, if the viz is good I'll go for a dive. If the visibility is bad, I'll go do something else. Looking at green/brown water where I have to put my nose 3 ft off the bottom to see something is not my idea of fun.

 

[graham_s]

I don't have a problem with low vis.
I learned to dive off North Wales.
My second qualifying dive for my Novice II was in about 2' of vis.
I couldn't see the strobe on my buddy's shoulder, and my buddy was on the other end of a 2m buddy line.
It certainly sharpens up your nav skills.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I like low vis diving. It is the perfect time to work on skills. Buoyancy, trim, navigation, etc..

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Texasguy]

Got certified in muck. Still diving there. What is good visibility?

 

[FinnMom]

Our club gets paid money for cleaning swimming beaches, typically places w/ 3-10" vis and only with a really good light. It was good experience, taught me how incredibly much a cloud of dirtier, cloudier water can look like a living, moving thing. When someone walks nearby as you are cleaning the bottom it can really look like something black comes from that side and reaches right up to your face. It startles you but good the first few times! Once you are used to it it's a funky & fun illusion.

Bad vis (for example less than 3') no longer scares me for any poor reason, but it can still worry me for good reason. I appreciate how hopeless it might be to find my buddy if something should happen to him, how possible it is to get caught up in something I can't see & how possible it is to even inadvertently get into an overhead environment. If these are real possibilities, they are worthwhile concerns.

I think it takes experience not be bothered by low vis, but it shows prudence to appreciate how it might have a very real influence on safety.

 

[charlesml3]

Well, no, low vis doesn't scare me. It annoys me and diving in low vis just isn't fun. Therefore, I avoid it.

I save my pennies and dive the Caribbean a couple of times a year. 80x80x80 for me. 80 degrees outside, 80 degrees in the water, 80 feet of visibility.

-Charles