Rec Diving Then vs. Now

[Rich Keller]

rx7diver, I started diving in 1970 so I have seen a lot of change. Most of the equipment divers today think they cannot dive without had yet to be invented. I also define recreational diving differently then most. A simple rule of thumb when I started was you could not run into decompression problems diving a steel 72 [the standard tank at that time] if you stayed above 60'. So that for me was the bottom limit for sport diving at the time and even now I rarely use scuba below 60'. That also had a lot to do with the area I was diving in, on a good day you could only see about 6' so at 60' it was black. Most of my sport dives then and now were in the 30-40' range. The top 30' contains something like 80-90% of all life in the sea, that is also where you will find the best visibility, maximum amount of light and need the least amount of equipment. When I go diving I am going to relax not push some kind of limit, some of the things I see sport divers doing you would have to pay me a thousand dollars a day to do. For example I do not do penetrations of any type nor do I make decompression dives on scuba. I usually dive with the minimum amount of equipment required to do the dive safely and I am sure my definition of "safely" will differ greatly from most. The biggest change I see in the dive shops and courses is the push to buy more and more equipment. This is a self regulated industry and in my opinion that is a good thing but I fear the shift away from safety to sell more equipment may some day bring that to an end. Nitrox is a perfect example. The deeper you go as a commercial diver the lower the percentage of oxygen was in the mix so by 700' it was down to just a few percent. When nitrox came out it was pushing the idea of a higher percent for deeper dives and as this was a direct contradiction to what I was doing I called the Navy Experimental Diving Unit to find out about it. I was told nitrox was invented by NOAA for use in shallow water during decompression stops not for use in deep water. They said the increased risk in using nitrox far out weighed any benefit from using it at depth. Nitrox for the shops meant a whole new class of equipment they could sell and new courses for you to take. That was where the industry changed for the worse in my opinion, profits took priority over safety at that point.

 

[dmoore19]

It has been said 1000 times or more that a good instructor will teach you the right way. My experience in training (PADI) was, in my opinion, good. While a good instructor will teach you the things you need to know, it is imperative that you take it upon yourself to perfect the skills and review and maintain the knowledge that was imparted. It is a divers responsibility to continue learning by taking the courses that are available and practice. It is your responsibility to be safe.

Read or re-read the OW manual you purchased for your OW class, the information is in there. I experienced the way to clear my mask, I was taught how to check my buoyancy, I was told to check my gauges frequently, I was tested on a CESA, I was shown how to breath using my buddy's octo. I was shown and tested on proper ascent rates, I was told and practiced clearing my ears, I was shown and practiced using the EDRP, I learned to read the tables and the results of ignoring the possible consequences. These are the basics, if you read the manual you know bad things can happen.

After that it is up to me to become proficient using the information I was given. It is ridiculous to blame others for your mistakes. I refuse to except the idea that when entering the underwater environment that people don't think about what the risks are. It is evident as soon as you take your first breath off that reg underwater that there are risks when compared to standing on dry ground and breathing, if someone can't see the risks and have a desire to mitigate them through training and practice perhaps they shouldn't dive.

When you first start driving you are far from an expert. You learn by doing, all of this after you have been tested and trained on how it is done. Experience perfects driving and diving skills. It is a matter of taking personal responsibility for your own safety.

The methods of teaching have changed, the equipment has changed and become more reliable but the requirement of personal accountability has not.

 

[diver 85]

In '85, it was blow & go then, 60' per minute(actually stay below your smallest bubbles), no computers & a knife vs shears---other than that the same------basically

 

[Splitlip]

I did my OW in '73 with NAUI and AOW with PADI in the late 70's. OW water was done with no BC and the advanced I used a borrowed horse collar.

As has been said before, the training was much more involved, detailed and with emphasis on fitness. I took a PADI AOW in 1999 as a refresher and monitored my daughter's OW PADI OW couple years ago.
Lot's off difference between the '70's and now. Skills like a 60 ft free accent with 2nd stage in my hand, mask clearing skills in OW included recovering the mask after the instructor snatched them from our faces without warning, etc.

For years lots of BCD's have gotten more complex and gadget enhanced with cumberbuns, padding, pockets , retractors, multiple d-rings, multiple dumps, zippers etc. The new divers receive a lot of good advise here when selecting a BCD to try for fit and dive it first if possible.

Whereas when I was certed the simple plastic backpack fit everybody by adjusting the one piece harness. (two in some cases if we added a buckle at the shoulder) Today the simplicity and efficiency of that type of rig is making it's way back into the rec realm with the ever increasing popularity of backplates and wings. Where they were once seen as tools for tech divers only, BPW's are now being marketed by recreational BCD manufacturers.

Zeagle, Scubapro, Oceanic (Hollis) and Aqualung (Apeks) are all manufacturing BPW's

 

[scjoe]

Has LA County relaxed its standards through the years? Had PADI/NAUI/SSI basic OW classes become easier?

I don't know if the agency has relaxed its standards, but times have changed in terms of who is in the classes and who is teaching. I think this has an impact on how the class is conducted. My class was all male, under 30 years old and made up almost exclusively of lifeguards, surfers and former high school or age group swimmers. Those that didn't come from those groups were former D1 athletes. The instructors were former military.

If you get rid of all the military barking in one of those SEAL training shows on TV, that is kind of what our class looked like. A lot of reg recoveries after getting tumbled, having your mask ripped off, etc. There was probably more of an emphasis on emergency out of air ascents than today and a lot more practice in buddy breathing. There was certainly more emphasis on watching depth. We didn't use BCs.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Halemano, with my original post I was really hoping to learn how a person's personal approach to recreational diving--i.e., how a person actually conducts his recreational diving--has changed in the last ~20 years. I really didn't intend for a diver to discuss training or equipment, except perhaps to help explain how/why his personal approach has changed over time (if in fact it has).

....

I keep reading this thread with interest for those posts which address my original intent. I'm learning quite a bit! Much thanks to those whose responses address my original post.

Thanks,

Ronald

Since this thread is back on the first page, I will attempt to post on topic.

The real reason I became a certified diver in '92 was just that I wanted to spend more time with the white tip reef sharks who spent their days lounging in the caverns and lava tubes of Tunnels, on the North Shore of Kauai. My cavern breath hold dives were rarely more than a minute in duration.

Today, most of my recreational diving includes caverns, lava tubes and white tip reef sharks.

In '01, I fairly seriously investigated diving with less bubbles; completing 21 Draeger Dolphin rebreather dives. Rebreather diving is way more expensive and time consuming than recreational scuba. :shocked2:

I prefer to spend the big bucks on camera equipment, and perhaps dive scooters; to get to far away caverns / lava tubes and take better pictures of the white tip reef sharks.

Other than the Suunto Viper that has been on my high pressure hose for nearly 10 years, my approach to recreational diving is pretty unchanged, but has expanded beyond just caverns, lava tubes and white tip reef sharks, to include some non overhead spectacular photo op's.