signed up for advanced cert

[divinh]

For the deep dive, at least for me, it was shocking how little different it felt, so one takeaway I took from it is that you can get pretty deep, pretty easily, without noticing, if you don't watch your depth. Tropical waters, where it's crystal clear make the bottom not look so deep.

I also recommend taking the opportunity to try out the night dive while still under instruction. You might like it. Just like being out in countryside on a dark night, your eyes adjust and you see quite a lot without a flashlight. And if there are bioluminescent plankton about, it's like being in stars.

 

[inquis]

For the deep, make sure you add air to your BC as you descend. Little bursts as you go. Lessens the feeling of being out of control, as you can easily stop at any time with a larger breath. (Perhaps take note of this ability at a few shallower depths to "prove" it to yourself.)

 

[PoolsOpen]

I also recommend the Spiegel over the Duane for newer divers. You'll be at the deck in around 70 to 80 ft or so, and you will also be more protected in case there are any currents. You will enjoy it and it does not feel any different than 20 ft depth..
Wear gloves due to barnacles and fishing hooks on the down line.

 

[PoolsOpen]

Which dive shop are you using?

 

[lowwall]

Deep is easy in tropical waters. Physically it's no different from 20' except that it's easier to control your buoyancy since small height changes barely affect the volume of air in your BC.

Remember to take it easy, you will burn through air at a surprisingly fast rate if you are exerting yourself. And it may help to keep in mind that each breath has 4x the number of oxygen molecules you get at the surface. There is no reason to breathe fast. You can easily control the cadence by doing longer exhales.

And night dives are the best thing in diving. You should really give it a try.

 

[boulderjohn]

Everybody tells me I won't notice the difference between, let's say 40 feet and 100 feet. I hope so.

It is actually easier to dive at 100 feet than at 40 feet. Remember from the OW class the difference in gas compression and expansion as you get deeper. When you are at 40 feet, the air in your BCD will expand and contract as you change depths much, much more than it will at 100 feet. That makes it much easier to control your buoyancy at the deeper depths.

The most important thing to learn on the deep dive is related to that difference in pressure as well. You will go through your air supply much faster at depth than at 40 feet, so you have to be very aware of your current gas supply. Check your gauges frequently. Talk with your instructor about your gas planning, including especially how much gas you should have when you begin your ascent and how you can plan for that in the future.

The current on the Spiegel Grove is also a good learning experience. You will descend a mooring line, and there are several on the wreck, so you won't know ahead of time which one you will use and how the current will be going in relation to it. You want to be back at that same mooring line when you begin your ascent, and the current makes a big difference. If the current is going from one end of the wreck to the other, your turning point will be hugely different depending upon which way you are going in relation to that current.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I have run over 100 dives to the Duane and the Spiegel as a captain on Rainbow Reefs' 46 foot Newton boats and have done about an equal number on them as a diver. Both are fine for what you are doing. Currents vary day to day, hour to hour on both.

*IF* you tie to ball #6 on the Spiegel you will find the bottom of that line tied to the port side amidships in about 70 fsw.

You will hand-over-hand down the mooring line to the wreck being able to stop your descent immediately if you feel the need to.

Just enjoy the dive and as stated above you can call it off at anytime.

 

[CuzzA]

I seem to recall viz is generally better on the Duane. Of course that is never a constant. The Duane was more full of life on my dives to both wrecks. When I was there it was June and consequently this time of year generally has calmer water all around Florida and there was little current. I don't live there so can't say what is typical in KL based on the time of year.

Either way, both dives are going to be around the 100 fsw mark and I agree the SG has more places to hide, the Duane was just a cooler dive.

This trip was with Rainbow Reef in 2018. As you can see I'm off the line in the desent.

 

[boulderjohn]

The currents on both the Duane and the Spiegel Grove vary from ripping to zero. The same with visibility.

The dive shop where I used to work does regular trips to Key Largo for both instruction and fun diving, with different employees leading the trips. A friend of mine was there once to teach the OW students, who were, of course, not allowed to do the dive on the Spiegel Grove and had to stay on the boat. When they did that dive, he said not only was there zero current, his OW students could see them from the boat, and they could see the students from the wreck.

Now, I have never seen conditions like that, but it shows that anything is possible.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I seem to recall viz is generally better on the Duane.

That depends. I did a dive on the Spiegel where we tied to ball #6. This ball is about amidships, say around 250 feet from the bow and 250 feet from the stern.

On the way down the line I could see both the bow and the stern. Vis was at least 250 feet.
I have been able to see the bottom from the surface on both sites multiple times.