skills developed in poor conditions

[fjpatrum]

I'm a newb but the differences I've seen so far have to do with diver confidence and buddy behavior. I think if you're comfortable with your own skills in warm water you should be in cold water as well, but that is often not the case. I find, for me, I have to consciously think more about controlling my breathing in cold water (especially diving wet) and slow down in general. In warm water it's just easier to be physically comfortable and thus mentally comfortable.

Buddy diving in clear water tends to make people complacent about buddy distances. Too complacent, in my opinion. Diving in poor viz you really need to be aware of that distance and keep it reasonable.

If you're a conscientious diver trying to be a good buddy you can certainly do well transitioning from warm/clear to cold/low viz but I think it's generally easier to go the other direction. It's certainly possible to transition either way, though, especially if you plan for it in advance.

 

[nimoh]

I think buddy skills are very important in low visibility.

In 100' of visibility, if you take your eye off your buddy for a few minutes, you can easily look up and find them, but you can get separated quite easily in 15' of viz, and situational awareness as antattack mentioned above is key.

It doesn't really even compare to a night dive, since you will be able to see each others lights more than 100' away from each other, while in low viz, even the range of lights is severely limited.

 

[randini]

It's not that the skills are all that different, just the situation. Cold, murky water with currents requires a different type of situational awareness
than diving in calm, warm, clear waters. After learning in warm, clear waters, diving in cold, murky waters may add stress that may put you out of your comfort zone.

Diving in Chile would fall in the cold murky category and should be good practice for going back to the UK.

If you learned in warm clear waters and have not dove in a while, I definitely recommend that you do a skills review with an instructor or divemaster before getting in the water in Chile.

 

[shmuggy]

A lot of people will not dive in cold water and will avoid strong current when they can. The problem with cold water is that you need so much more exposure protection and thus, more weight which means you will have to exert more to get back on the boat, and move around before the dive and it can be hard to move freely with all that rubber on you. I don't see any reason why you can't try wearing more wetsuit and weight than you need for some warm water dives to get the feel of it. As for current, it can pop up on any dive and it is a good idea to be confident enough and strong enough to deal with it- I am sure you will encounter some strong currents on warm water dives and you can see how you feel about how well you deal with it.

 

[Guba]

I agree with just about everyone else who posted, but especially with TomZ. The factors that challenge us while diving can quickly be distilled as stressors. Anything that adds stress or complexity to diving can rapidly boil out of control, and that's when bad things tend to happen. It's one's ability to handle the stressors that determines that person's comfort and ultimately enjoyment during a dive. When I was fairly new to diving, I joined an "expedition" that required a review and acceptance process. I was accepted, but it was recommended by the project managers that I get more ocean dives in before our trip. I did so, and it was a great experience. While aboard the vessel, I questioned the team leader about the recommendation, and the following conversatin ensued...
Team Leader "Well, we just want to make sure that divers fully understand the rigors of ocean dives."
Me: "Where I dive, I usually can't see my fin tips, I dive with every stitch of neoprene I own on, finding the exit point without a compass is basically impossible, and lights are pretty much required for any dive below 15 feet."
Team Leader: (perplexed gaze).
Me: "Here, vis is over a hundred feet, I'm diving in a shorty skin, I can see the boat from just about anywhere I go, and at 80 feet it's broad daylight. What are these "rigors" of which you speak?"

Concerning "simulating" conditions, I agree with the others, too. Use gloves and learn how to compensate for the loss of dexterity. Night dives with reasonably low power lights (safe ones...just short range) can partially mimic poor vis conditions. Try increasing (gradually) your task load by trying activities such as REEF fish counts or taking photographs. During all of these activities, though, maintain buoyancy, situational awareness, and all "normal" routines such as air and depth checks. Take it one step at a time, and it would be great if you could do so with an instructor or experienced mentor.

 

[dbulmer]

The only things I'd add to what everyone has said is that you'll need to learn how to deploy a DSMB and get some practice in before you do your first sea dive here and investing in a good torch will be worthwhile.

There is one skill that you do learn in adverse conditions and it is not bound by geography: Humility

 

[spectrum]

Cold water diving is not always awful and warm water isn't always perfect so you really just need to jump the gap with a little preparation.

Unless you are in paradise there should be some varriation in visibility so be sure to dive when the conditions are locally bad. Short of putting yourself at risk that should get you down to moderate visibility and considerable surge/current. Night and dusk/dawn dives are forms of limited visibility. Be sure to pay conscious attention to your compass even if the site is visually obvious and go out of your weay to be on new sites.

Dexterity can easilly be challenged with gloves and getting accustomed to a hood belongs on the list too. If you can add more neoprene then do so. Going from cold water to warm is a slam dunk. If you are truly competent in warm water then buoyancy control should not be a huge challenge. You should already have the perception of what "in control" feels like which is a huge advantage. You will need to be a little sharper on anticipating changes and react more often but it's still diving. Within a dive or 2 I'd expect considerable acclimation.

Learing to respect the smaller visual space you need to share with your buddy will be important. You won't have the same liberty to wander within eyeshot.

To be a better safer diver stay active and dive with a spirit of continuous improvement.

Pete

 

[TMHeimer]

If by skills it is meant general diving ability, ei., descents, ascents, buoyancy, etc., I think one just develops those as one goes about regular diving in whatever area one lives. If skills refer to the basic skills like mask removal, unit removal, CESA, etc., I would think that at least in most "northern" locations these are taught first in the pool, then some of them checked out again in the ocean/quarry for certification. I practise the "skills" in the ocean now and again--within reason. If I am in a current where taking the unit on and off would be a hassle while trying to keep my position, quite honestly I don't bother. Am confident I could succeed in these conditions if necessary.

 

[Rich Keller]

I'm fairly new to these forums but in the short time I've been here I've stumbled across a lot of people making comparisons between diving in poor conditions, UK for example, and warm clear blue holiday diving. This gave me a few questions,

1. What specific skills are developed diving in poor conditions, low viz, strong currents etc.
2. Is it possible to develop these skills in good conditions in preperation for future dives back in the UK ( I currently like in South America ), if so, how?

And on a slightly seperate note, I'm returning to diving after a bit of a lay off. Other then diving as much as I can what would you say are the things I can do to in order to make me a better/safer diver.

Cheers guys
Alfie

The short answer to #1 is you learn to adapt to these conditions as they are normal for the type of diving you are doing. The short answer to #2 is you are only as good as you need to be so developing low or no vis skills when you have 100' vis is not going to happen. As to the last question you could review your original course material or take a refresher course but nothing will serve you as well as just spent the hours in the water.

 

[Akimbo]

Discussed here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/advanced-scuba-discussions/395842-cold-water-divers-better.html