New diver heading toward my first ocean dive. Advice?

[GregA2k6]

Hello all,

I will be leaving for Australia in about a week and my wife and I will be joining some friends on a 3 day liveaboard out of Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef to start off our trip.

I have 11 dives so far, all of them up in the mountains in a dry suit. My bottom temps have been quite cold (from 41F down to 34F last weekend!) Generally the visiblity of my dives have been in the 10 to 15 feet range. My deepest dive was around 45 feet.

I am definitely going to be limiting my depth to a 60 foot maximum as per the recommendation for new divers but I was curious as to what else I should try to be aware of. So far I am thinking about the following new things I will need to account for:

1. Current! (not much of that in my local mountain lakes)
2. Watching my depth. (most of the places I have dived aren't too deep anyway so it is often impossible to go deeper than the plan)
3. Water Clarity (I understand that your depth and distances can be deceptive in clear water if you aren't used to it....gotta remember to keep an eye on my depth!)
4. Distractions! (the lakes I dived in were basically devoid of any life forms! I imagine it could be very easy to lose focus when there is visibility and marine life swimming around!)
5. Buoyancy (since I am going to be on a reef, I have been really focused on my buoyancy. I spent my last 4 dives in a very shallow (20 foot) mountain lake pretending I was over fragile coral, making sure I never had to touch the bottom)

Any other suggestions to an ocean newbie?

Thanks for any tips!

Greg A

 

[cleung]

Just tell the divemasters that you are new to all this. If they have groups led by divemasters, even better so you don't have to worry about navigation. You will find the warm water diving to be a nice change with less weights and more marine life. Yes, you will have to watch your buoyancy. Don't make drastic changes to the air in your BC so you won't end up shooting up to the surface. Have fun.

 

[Sue Sue]

Wow Greg, Australia, a livaboard, Great Barrier Reef !!!! You really know how to do it up right for your first ocean dive !!! With the info you posted it sure looks like you have given your trip some thought and that is a great start. In addition to the Great Barrier Reef advice you can get from your fellow scubaboarders, I would say once you are onboard just keep an open mind, ask questions, take your time and enjoy ! Just be prepared for that first look at the Big Deep Blue....it can be overwhelming. Looking forward to a trip report upon your return. Congrats and Best Wishes !! Sue Sue

 

[dbulmer]

Greg,
You'll have a great time - just look forward to the dives. A bit of advice for you.

1) Don't forget that you ultimately are responsible for your safety - I was stupid enough to go out of air once by blindly trusting a DM and not using my head.

2) Plan your dive and then dive the plan - practice using the tables even if you have a computer

3) Don't drink and dive - keep well hydrated.

4) Remember buddy checks - even if others don't seem to be doing it you do it.

5) Have a great time - all that training in the cold and altitude is going to pay off !

 

[scubadobadoo]

Great advice here! ALso, remember that if you don't have a dive guide, you don't have to stray that far away from the line to see a lot of things. Small patterns to and from the line over and over again. Have fun!

 

[Spratman]

Wow! I envy you!! My instructor in Cancun told me if I did nothing else diving, I HAD to do a Great Barrier Reef trip. That is on my wish list!

Good luck and have a great time!

 

[Skinsfan1311]

Relax!

 

[scubabrn]

Know your equipment, dont take anything you havn't used before and I mean anything. The smallest malfunction can cause a lot of stress. Mine was an $8.00 watch that the top current kept unlatching while I was on the grannyline going to the moring line. Be prepaired for waves and currents, trust your training and relax.

 

[Dave_Rapp]

Three day liveaboard from Cairns. Nice one. Be aware that if you are renting equipment the gauges will be metric (Metres and Bar) instead of Imperial (Feet and PSI) so be aware of the difference, especially if renting gear over there.

Otherwise while on the reef look for the small things and you won't miss much.

 

[IwakuniDiver]

Wow, sounds like a great trip.

I'd say judging from your post that you're going to be just fine since you sound like the type of person who's receptive to new informaiton.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you was already mentioned but it's incredibly important for people that aren't accustomed to warmer climates. Hydration is key as well as get plenty of rest before the dive and lay off the booze until you're done diving. Alcohol will dehydrate you immeasurably faster and trying to equalize with a hangover is near impossible. (yeah, I learned that one the hard way.)

You are going to have a GREAT time! Diving with less weight, less exposure suit and having 100 foot of vis with tons of marine life is what most rec divers live for.

Have fun!