Poor viz diving

[String]

I am eager to know how many of you dive in poor visabilty and ...what it is like

Its great

...do you get used to it?

Yes. You train and learn in those conditions so youre totally used to them and dont think of them as abnormal.

Why do you do it?

Because like all diving its fun. You dont need huge vis to enjoy a dive, even if 6-10ft vis you just look at whats around you, that small piece of wreck, the small pice of the gulley youre in. Theres just as much to see. Also as for "why" - if people here didnt they couldnt dive at all as it rarely if ever reaches 20ft ay any time of year. You'd miss some fantastic dive sites and wrecks not diving and would need to find a new hobby.

Do you get claustraphobic, ever?

Nope.

 

[Cacia]

Gosh, I really liked reading these. It's really like an entirely different experience. I think you have to be a much better diver, in a lot of ways. I can tell you this, I wouldn't get away with half the stuff I pull. Dropping things, not navigating, not caring where my buddy is (I can see his boubles 200 ft away ). Do you think I would dare crawl into a wreck with low, low viz?? Never. It would freak me out. I bet I would huddle at the bottom of the mooring line and sit there until my air was almost gone. Honestly, I cannot imagine going into wrecks or caverns or wandering off too far if I couln't see. Sounds very diifficult. I loved all these descriptions, thanks.

 

[Rick Murchison]

You asked about the Gulf...
When folks ask what to expect in the Gulf, I generally say something very non-committal like "With the Gulf, you never know." From day-to-day the visibility out to about ten miles can vary from zip to 150 feet, but average is about 20-30 feet. I've seen crystal clear to less than a foot on a single dive. Sometimes visibility changes are in layers, sometimes they roll through like fog banks. The only way to tell is to jump in and go see.
Another "in general" thing is that the vis improves the further out you go, and once you get out to the "blue water" it's consistently good. At the Flower Gardens, for example (100 miles off shore) the vis has been superb - I'd say in excess of 150 feet - every time I've been there. The same goes for the offshore rigs, and by the time you get out 20 miles or so you can usually count on excellent vis. (With the exception of that piece of water just east of the Mississippi delta, where you may have to go further - on the other hand, off Grand Isle - if it's still there after Katrina - you hit the blue water pretty quick).
Bottom line... the Gulf is always a bit of a crap shoot, but every dive will have some totally fascinating thing to see and experience
Rick

 

[TheRedHead]

I get agoraphobic when the vis is really good. I was DM in a pool that was so clean, I could have counted the 1 inch tiles on the walls, from the center of the pool. I had the urge to scream through my reg and try to find something to hide under.

There are also sulphur layers that I swear absorb light. They form a distinct layer that is clear, but dark- like diving in tea. The beam from my light goes about 2' and then seems to stop. It's a very odd feeling- I had to shine my light on my fins just to check the vis- and I could barely see them, but not from the haze.

Then there are the rare days when the vis is good, and you can see all at once, all the images that you'e been piecing together in your head.

Personally, Good vis is great, but I don't mind cr@ppy vis.

I was very much struck by your description of the green water. I also found it riveting. Almost like sensory overload. I can see people either being compelled or repelled by it. I think some OW students are so shocked in the conditions that after initial training they never again dive. Because this is not like our brain's mental image of water - it's totally alien to the mind.

 

[chepar]

I get very uneasy when the viz is even 20 ft and usually call the dive if it is a deep one.

Same here - it's unusual for me when the vis is less than 20-25 feet and when it is, I get rather anxious. I usually end up becoming so nervous that I'll lose track of my buddy, most of the dive I'm watching them, rather than anything else on the dive.

I think I am rather spoiled by the regular vis conditions here - a normal day is about 65-80 feet.

I once did a dive where the vis was maybe 12-15 feet - it was a shallow 35 foot dive with a lot of sediment and crap floating around. It just wasn't a good dive - too much anxiety.

 

[Courtneyf82]

these last few weeks have been really stormy, i went on the 23rd and the vis was like 1-1/2 ft at the breakwater. I usually dont mind but you have to swim with your hand in front of your face so you dont smash it. thats always fun

 

[cummings66]

I normally dive with 5 - 10 feet of vis. I think the best I've ever seen was maybe 30 feet and depth doesn't make any difference at all except that you see even less the deeper you go. No big deal, you just get used to it. The way it is around here, if you want to dive you just learn to deal with poor vis and that's it. I've dove when I couldn't see past my elbows so many times that when I can see more than 10 feet I'm elated and will take a pic. Of course they just don't have much color, even at 20 feet most color is gone.

I won't say I don't get spooked once in a while. Probably about a month ago I was diving with my buddy at my side whom I could barely see, but I could reach out and touch him. Every so often I'd see him twitch, then suddenly I found out why. He was hitting things. I was moving ahead and suddenly my face was in the mud, didn't even have a clue there was a hill there until I hit it.

We had a good time diving, even if we didn't see anything.

 

[dherbman]

I am eager to know how many of you dive in poor visabilty and ...what it is like...do you get used to it? Why do you do it? Do you get claustraphobic, ever? Is this the norm for certain areas like Pacific NW?

My last low vis dive was in 41 deg water (surface temp), max depth 80', 2' surface vis and 0" vis on the bottom with a 20 minute bottom time. I was paid to do it. It doesn't bother me and I don't get claustrophobic, but I did experience my first occurance of severe vertigo.

My next low vis dive will likely be tomorrow. 2', but likely won't be deeper than 30'.

 

[jeckyll]

I've never gone when the viz is really bad (to me that means <3'). I'm not sure how I'd react in really good vis. The first night dive in 5' viz was tough, I got a bit turned around until I spotted my buddies fins. With the rain around here, the first 10 - 25 feet can get quite 'cloudy'. I've started 'meeting dive buddies on the bottom' at once we get through the first 20', but now try to match their descent rate to ensure consistent contact. I've found that can be tough with 3 people at first

Sometimes it can be very exciting. Saw a fish 'zip' through my light last night and knew something would be chasing it but couldn't see beyond 10 or 15 feet. Sure enough a seal came flying past me at less than 2 feet out of the gloom chasing the fish while hunting around our dive lights. Very cool!

I think you just adapt with a bit of time Some days I turn on my tank marker even on daytime dives as I've found that it can help.

Bjorn

 

[ScubaTexan]

yea,I bet you do get better skills...seems like its a whole different deal. so, is that gulf of mexico, like oil wells and things like that?

The ones I mentioned were freshwater lake and quarry dives. I did a couple last summer that were literal "peasoup" dives. I started out with six people (counting me) in my group, and by the time we had been in the water 20 minutes, I was still with one other. And I lost him a couple of times, but he was within 5 feet of me!

Rick is spot on about the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, the only dive I've ever officially logged in the Gulf lasted all of 20 minutes and consisted of me trying to get deeper than 20 feet without popping back to the surface like a cork. The viz was awesome in that time, though...