Poor viz diving

[do it easy]

Cool! Where can I find this site? My dream dive!

theskull

I hear you- I don't think that there will be any diveable ice around here this winter, unless you want to do a shore ice dive.

 

[kjundvr]

I live and dive in Monterey on a weekley basis. Vis is this area ranges from <1in up to 100+ ft. On many occasions I have had to do research dives in the monterey canyon to a depth of about 130 with 0 vis. What has helped is the use of lights. I have a light that is attached to my guage, when in 0 or very reduced vis that light gets turned on. Strangly if you can read your guage in front of your face you can still see a bright light some distance away, I can not count the times that this has allowed me to find my buddy or vis versa. Also sometimes I break out the trusty rope. If in limited vis you are your buddy hold on either end of the rope you are always connected and can communicate through tuggs etc. However if using this technique NEVER tie the rope to yourself only hold on to it. Also as to your question reguarding kelp and low vis. I will not lie it sometimes gets interasting. When underwater the kelp is not as thick as it appears on the surface so even when vis is limited, say down to 3ft you can usualy spot the kepl and avoid it. Should you get tangled the thing to remember is to not panic, move slow and dont twist arround. As long as this is followed simply pushing gently in the direction you just came of lowering yourself in the water will allow the kelp to just slide right off. Hope this helps and always remember to dive what you are comfortable diving and the ability to cope with limited vis will come.

 

[NJScubaDoc]

The best viz I've encountered in my short career as a diver was around 15-20 feet, mostly viz is somewhere is between 5 and 10 feet. Getting used to conditons like this, for me at least, began when I was much younger and snorkled/free dove the jetties (technically they are groins) in NJ. I would always carry a net, to collect crabs and such, but also to use as a preventative measure in not swimming into a rock. Sometimes a wave would come, stir everything up, then you get no viz and it is a little nerve wracking but its something I've grown used to over the years. Once I finally took up scuba the low viz didn't bother me that much and I was quite comfortable. The worst viz I've encountered at depth though, was on a wreck in 80fsw where it was about 3 feet and dark as night...I owe my calmness during that dive to my experiences snorkeling in the surf.

Of course in March I'll be heading down to the gin clear waters of the carribean to get wowed!

 

[Cacia]

Divers really react adversely to 200 ft viz??

 

[alcina]

Yes.

 

[Cacia]

I live and dive in Monterey on a weekley basis. Vis is this area ranges from <1in up to 100+ ft. On many occasions I have had to do research dives in the monterey canyon to a depth of about 130 with 0 vis. What has helped is the use of lights. I have a light that is attached to my guage, when in 0 or very reduced vis that light gets turned on. Strangly if you can read your guage in front of your face you can still see a bright light some distance away, I can not count the times that this has allowed me to find my buddy or vis versa. Also sometimes I break out the trusty rope. If in limited vis you are your buddy hold on either end of the rope you are always connected and can communicate through tuggs etc. However if using this technique NEVER tie the rope to yourself only hold on to it. Also as to your question reguarding kelp and low vis. I will not lie it sometimes gets interasting. When underwater the kelp is not as thick as it appears on the surface so even when vis is limited, say down to 3ft you can usualy spot the kepl and avoid it. Should you get tangled the thing to remember is to not panic, move slow and dont twist arround. As long as this is followed simply pushing gently in the direction you just came of lowering yourself in the water will allow the kelp to just slide right off. Hope this helps and always remember to dive what you are comfortable diving and the ability to cope with limited vis will come.

yes, I had a kelp encounter at Ripper's cove (Catalina) and I think it haunts me a little. lets suffice it to say, the person trying to help me kept yelling "put the knife away"! I had missed the inservice on the bungee properties of kelp. thanks for a helpful answer to my post!

ps I never get seasick on the boat, but in very poor viz I get very queasy almost immediately.

 

[D_B]

Best viz I ever had (other than intro dive in Roatan) was in Catalina on our AOW maybe 60ft , kelp was no problem for us, with only a few openwater dives. If you get a strand or two stuck on you stop, lower yourself, backup, or have buddy take care of it. (it helps to remember that kelp is brittle, you can break it by bending in half) it was awesome floating through the forest, "flying" like in a dream I sure hope you get another chance to dive there again Catherine.

Worst viz was about 2or3 ft in LaJolla for our rescue class (red tide , plankton bloom) couldn't see my fins, sure, it made me a little uneasy desending and not seeing what was below me, had to hold on to my buddys webbing just to maintain contact with him , stayed very close together and used lights (made the missing diver training pretty realistic too.)
I guess normal would avarage about 10', up to 30' closer to shore and up to 60' (guess) deeper
I could see how someone used to much better viz, might not be able to get used to it being very much less and get claustrophobic , I trained here so I'm impressed when It's 30ft

DB

 

[Divmstr223]

I dive in poor vis quite often out here on the west coast (Cali) I've been all up and down the coast and I think the best vis I've seen is about 60ft up in Monterey and as poor as 2-4 feet at Laguna Beach. It really is something you get used to diving out here. I don't mind so much a poor vis dive, but combining that with large swells, surge, strong current, and 6-7 foot waves (if short diving) breaking on your head, it can make for a crapola of a dive. But as long as you are comfortable and trust your skills, there is no reason to feel uneasy in low vis waters. :14:

And like someone said before, 10-15 foot vis is a great day out here on the West coast....

 

[creamofwheat]

Divers really react adversely to 200 ft viz??

Mrrp. I'm going travelling later this year and to be honest, the thought of having really really good visability makes me nervous. when you are used to 15-20ft vis, the thought of anything 50+ is just weird.

it's just a matter of what you are used to i guess.

 

[grazie42]

First dive on a divetrip in good viz tend to be a bit disconcerting...I remember the start of a dive on one of my early trips...I was at 39ft looked up and got a bit scared as I usually don&#180;t see the surface until I hit 9ft...just for a second I was afraid that I&#180;d floated without noticing...it does feel a bit like vertigo...

Somehow I learn to cope pretty quickly though ;-)