POLL: How many dives per year do you consider a minimum necessary for skills not to degrade?

[divad]

I think most divers don’t have any skills and that they don’t need any dives to retain them because they have none. And that number you put out (24) is just that - a number, randomly plucked from your head with no quantifiable data to back it up.

But.......like,..............how do you really feel about it?

 

[Altamira]

I think most divers don’t have any skills and that they don’t need any dives to retain them because they have none. And that number you put out (24) is just that - a number, randomly plucked from your head with no quantifiable data to back it up.

That is an absurd statement, and I think you lost whatever credibility you thought you had. And, what exactly qualifies in your mind as most? Like 50.1%, or perhaps something higher?

 

[AfterDark]

That is an absurd statement, and I think you lost whatever credibility you thought you had. And, what exactly qualifies in your mind as most? Like 50.1%, or perhaps something higher?

 

[Esprise Me]

100% of strokes, perhaps?

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

I think most divers don’t have any skills and that they don’t need any dives to retain them because they have none. And that number you put out (24) is just that - a number, randomly plucked from your head with no quantifiable data to back it up.

Kudos to you for your edgy post.

12 months per year * 2 dives (average per outing) = 24 dives.

Monthly or quarterly terms are often used for currency/proficiency tracking.

 

[diver00011]

I would rephrase the question to "How often should you practice a skill to be sure you can still do it?"

The answer will vary based on the person and the activity in question.

I try to work through all my skills at least once a quarter. Anything that was a struggle gets extra practice for a few dives until I'm comfortable with it again.

It's also good for ensuring my equipment still works. On a recent drill I discovered I had been diving with a broken DSMB for several months. :-(

 

[bowlofpetunias]

This has been an interesting and thought provoking thread. We are all filtering our answers to our own experiences but please do not let it deteriorate into finger pointing and posturing.

 

[divad]

Re original post:

after a week of non-diving, I'm less proficient than I was a week ago, like drastically. I "need" to dive 2 to 3 times a week........and I'm not claiming to be proficient...... in any case......what was the question...Again?

 

[beester]

So for this poll to work we would need to define some skills and markers of proficiency and then cross reference them against no of dives needed per year to keep that level of proficiency.

The problem is (as already pointed out) that my idea of skills needed might be different than the skills of an OW diver, and even within my own range the skills depend on the dives I want to do (rec diving vs technical diving).

For me personally I would borrow the skill set of GUE Fundamentals as my baseline, since it's been the baseline for my diving for 10+ years. This means:

- Buoyancy: Hover without movement in mid water without sinking or rising.
- Trim: Without moving can keep my trim in a more or less horizontal position
- Finning: Able to use all appropriate propulsion and positioning finning techniques (frog, flutter, helicopter, backkick)
- Taskloading: Able to deploy an SMB from midwater without any effort and without losing buoyancy or trim.
- S-drill and Valve drill: able to perform these basic drills (S-drill proficiency in the souplesse and speed of the drill for V-drill check being able to still reach valves... mainly left post (shoulder operation... starts to get stiffer without use)).

For tech diving I would add other stuff...

The above I'm quite sure I will be able to do with a 1 year no dive hiatus, because it has become ingrained and as long as I don't change my gear, the platform will still be there. Only valve drill (left post) might need a bit of stretching (depending also on undergear).

Of course the skill set for an OW diver might be different, although in an ideal world it should be the same

 

[Altamira]

@beester. Thank you for clarifying your markers for proficiency. With the criteria for diving proficiency that you listed above, I suspect very few divers throughout the world have, or will ever achieve your markers for diving skills. Proficiency in the full range of kick styles alone would disqualify almost everyone (me included), I have seen on any dive boat. I wish there was a way to remove my vote because now I have no opinion as to the number of dives required to maintain your markers for proficiency. My vote was based on my perception of the average OW/AOW recreational diver's skill set.