Shore dive with new diver: Do you mind short and shallow?

[TGreene]

Do you mind short and shallow?

When I saw the thread title, the first thing that came to mind was, "That's a helluva way to describe your dive buddy!"

I've not been diving for quite a year yet (92 logged dives), but one of my most memorable dives was spending about an hour or so just drifting around in 8-10 feet of water, while hudreds upon hundreds of small fish hovered all over me, nipping me everywhere and trying to eat my wetsuit. Whereever I went, they stayed right with me. It was just really a lot of fun!

 

[princessaprilia]

...

When I look back at a dive and dream about it when I finally hit the pillow, it's usually about one special moment during the dive that is burned in my mind. That moment could have been in the first ten minutes which means the rest of the dive is moot.

...

What a nice way to sum up a dive day.

Makes me want to come dive with you. Thank you.

 

[dhuskins]

. . . for those of you who are no longer "new divers", would you mind doing a shorter and shallower dive than usual, to accomodate a new diver?

Sixty feet is fine with me. My favorite locations have routinely been in the 45 to 60 foot range anyway. And since watching fish behavior for 30 minutes is better than not watching fish at all, I don't mind short dives.

 

[CamG]

Greetings TSandM and I do just as you have many times. I have come to enjoy many dives with starting divers and have had the pleasure of observing them grow into great divers. In this process I have grown as a diver who has many others to call for a dive when I need to. Depth and time are not always good ways to evaluate the success of a dive. I have had some really great dives that were short and others that were over an hour but not under 30'. It really just depends on the dive but more important is who it is with! I love to share diving with others and welcome new buddies. I will usually recommend doing a simple planned depth and time dive for a new dive buddy to give them a chance to get used to me and I to them. I welcome the opportunities and have made some incredible friends.
Mentoring relationships are really important to new divers and I try to pass on what was mentored to me. Passing it on is a goal that I hope to always live out!
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

 

[vixtor]

I would say that doing shallow shore dives is the best way to firmly hook into diving the friends that you just convinced to do the OW training

And when they go from liking it to a real addiction, you just made a new available buddy for future dives.

 

[instructorbisch]

The opportunity should be mentioned. We are lucky to be in a place in our life that allows ud to have that 60' 30 min experience. It sure beats working OT.

That being said, 60' 30 min is still a respectable dive, even if it was a charter.

 

[Greendiver]

To all of you experienced divers who have taken the time to dive with rookies like myself, thank you. If it were not for a mentor doing "rookie" dives with me, all my gear would still be in "like new" condition! I realize that it may sometimes be trying but each dive I have learned something that has made me a better diver for the next time.

 

[TSandM]

I dove with a new diver yesterday, and she looked at me and asked, "How many dives does it take before this is FUN?" Helping shorten that process is worth a few dives I don't do for myself.

 

[Blackwood]

I'm not a huge fan of short, but I quite like shallow.

 

[Blackwood]

I'm not a huge fan of short, but I quite like shallow.

That's what she said?