Skills dives

[TSandM]

It seems to be one of the DIR world's constants, that people do skills dives. Any evening in Seattle, you can most likely find one or more teams out practicing something, and I know SoCal and Hawaii are doing the same thing, and I suspect you could find it just about anywhere there's a community of GUE-trained people.

So I got to wondering how many non-DIR (and non-tech) folks do this -- How many people get in the water with the stated purpose of the dive being to work on some kind of skills? Or is this just one of the weird Borg behaviors?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I used to do this at the end of every dive when DIR was new. After about a hundred or so skills dives I missed simply enjoying the dives. Every now and then I'll think about the skills so they remain fresh in my memory, but I never practice them again. I'm a much happier diver these days.

 

[wedivebc]

Although I seldom get in the water for the express purpose of skills I do set aside time on a dive to practice stuff. Other than the standard valve drill, s-drill that precedes every dive.

 

[underwasser bolt]

I am just a regular diver, and I practice skills at least one weekend a month during dive season. I have young divers, so we practice all of the basic skills, plus detailed attention to buoyancy control. We also practice the use of lift bags, knots, navigation. Usually at least 3 one hour dives per month. Sometimes more.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

The more critical skills are typically exercised while doing the dive itself. I have spent time diving without a mask, or fins or what not to break up the routine. If the drill has become a motor skill already it's frequency tends to drop to nil.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I never do dives just to practice skills. but I do practice from time to time, usually when I dive doubles.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I don't think I've ever done a skills dive (since I stopped instructing). But... I practice something every dive...

 

[1_T_Submariner]

When I dive locally we practice Navaguessing every dive we try never to surface to find our way back. Other skills, periodically depends who's diving and what the conditions are.

On vacation I usually want to find some sort of animal etc... So the dive is more focused on adventure not to much on skill development.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

A percentage poll might give easier to read results.

 

[rollerboi]

Lynn,

For me, every dive is a skills dive. Even if I'm enjoying it. ;-)

When I was vacationing on Isla Mujeres, we managed to get a dive in. While I was with our group, and enjoying everything there was to see, I was also quite focused on practicing my buoyancy.

I think some people think diving has to be EITHER skills OR fun.. *shrug*.