So how can I inch closer?

[daniel1948]

I agree with all those who say that the best thing to do is get more experience. Dive, dive, dive. You live in the "shore diving capital of the USA" so you should have plenty of opportunities to dive. But where others say to push your limits, I'd say stay within your comfort level and progress as your comfort increases. Then take more advanced courses from a good instructor (one who others have recommended). You need not limit yourself to certification courses. If your buoyancy is less than ideal, find an instructor who will give you lessons until it is. Same with the other basic skills. Practice the basic skills until the idea of (for example) taking your mask off and replacing it is not just "something you can do if needed," but is something you can do on a whim. After that, take the certification classes for the specific kind of diving you want to do, whether it be wreck penetration, caving, mixed gasses, etc. If you go into those classes with the basic skills really mastered to a high level of comfort and ease, you will be better prepared to learn the specialized skills. Do out of water exercising if you don't already. Lose weight if you are overweight. Sure there are obese divers who are much better divers than I, but obesity is still an impediment. So get yourself in shape if you are not already.

From your instructors' lack of criticisms, it sounds like you have an excellent start. Happy diving, and dive safe.

 

[blackvans1234]

I do dive regularly which is great. Unfortunately there's very strong winds here in Fl so diving is not an option until monday or tuesday . Just to give everyone an idea of how much I dive. I came to Florida August 16th with 7 dives. I have been sick twice, which amounted to about 10 days without diving Currently I have 40 dives. - Sidenote- I'm excited to graduate from the 25-49 group

I anticipate becoming a divemaster within a few years. I have begun to swim laps at my school's pool (400 meters, and others) to prepare myself for the DM requirements.

As for an advanced specialty, wrecks are very neat. I don't think I'd do any extreme wrecks, but that may someday change. As the time passes, I may take a cavern course (Suggested by many because of similarities between wrecks and caverns)

As for GUE fundamentals, I do not think that will be on my list for a long time. Money isn't growing on any of my tree's so I must spend sparingly.

I am at a high level of comfort in the water.
I am beginning to develop an eye for the different wildlife here in florida Spotting octopi (octopuses) has become slightly easier, as well as scorpionfish.

My buoyancy is excellent (then again, who wouldn't toot their own horn? )
I am currently awaiting to find out if I will receive a scholarship for training as a buddy of disabled divers.
I have briefly spoken with a few people about being a support type of diver during upcoming events such as - Saltwater Immersion world record attempt (Oct 25th ish , given the sea's are calm enough) as well as another group (forgot the name) that is doing underwater surveying of sorts.

Unfortunately, most of the cave instructors are about 5 hours northeast of me
I belong to the Gold Coast scuba meetup group , and highly recommend them.

I think I covered most responses / suggestions / questions

I look forward to hearing more suggestions / tips and advice

 

[Bob DBF]

I'll add one more to the "get out and dive" school of thought.

After you are out diving and expanding your abilities. When you find a point where diving, self study, and buddies don't take you to your objectives, then find a class that does. With another 50 or more dives you should be able to talk your way into a Rescue class argueing dives instead of classes. Take Rescue in the surf, its more fun.


Bob
-----------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Let me add to the other responses the perspective of a 58 year old diver, certified at age 47, with current professional credentials: there are prerequisites to the PADI divemaster course: advanced open water and rescue diver, plus the EFR or equivalent course. May I suggest you take the AOW course, as it is a prerequisite, and focus yourself on navigation and buoyancy skills- central to any "advanced" diving. And get a compass if you do not yet have one. The rescue class is not so much a diving skills improvement class as it is a "way of thinking" class, where once again compass skills (search patters) and buoyancy control- ( staying off silty bottoms, surfacing another diver safely, etc) come into play. Meanwhile, as so many have said in this thread- GO DIVING. Dive with other who have more experience than you, and who will willingly "mentor" you. You posts suggest you are a strong dive with good skills. Hone them, maintain them, add to them, and then as a DM, I know you will share them. I love teaching and leading divers, and so will you. Keep us posted on your profile page as you progress!
DivemasterDennis

 

[Avonthediver]

Hey people, it sure does smell different in here than in the basic section.

Sorry about that we are trying for a non smoking section, and moving the head down the hall a bit.

 

[blackvans1234]

The non smoking section is on the other side of the room, doesn't that make it better?
oh wait....

 

[shorediver66]

I think you need to dive as much as possible and start taking more classes. With each certification you will learn a different level of safety, fin kicks, and diving styles and techniques. If you have finished with your basic classes such as OW, ADV OW, and Nitrox get out there and try different types of diving and see where your interest lie. You may decide you want to go pro and work on a dive boat, your next step would be Emergency First Responder, Rescue, Dive Master. Or you may decide deep water is really cool, so your next step would be Tech Diving. You may be interested in our springs and caves, next step is Cavern. At each next step you learn and experience an entirely new level of diving. So you decide and have fun and stay safe in the process

 

[eponym]

I anticipate becoming a divemaster within a few years. [snip]
As for an advanced specialty, wrecks are very neat. I don't think I'd do any extreme wrecks, but that may someday change. [snip]
My buoyancy is excellent (then again, who wouldn't toot their own horn?) [snip]
I am currently awaiting to find out if I will receive a scholarship for training as a buddy of disabled divers. [snip]
I look forward to hearing more suggestions / tips and advice

Kudos for asking, then asking for more. Here are some things I look for in professional candidates:

Both divemasters and wreck divers need good non-silting kicks (frog, back frog, helicopter turns). Youtube has examples to get you started, but a buddy who knows these and will act as a coach is invaluable for feedback and progress.

Another thing that will come in handy is being able to hover (stop moving, hold your position in the water column). I assume you are already able to trim yourself out so you hang horizontal when you're not finning.

Can you descend and ascend while horizontal, and stop when you want to?
Can you hover face-up and horizontal?
Can you hover and not kick while tasked (for example, while writing on a slate)?
​

Adapted (disabled) divers are a hoot. My own experiences have been with Dive Pirates (as an instructor), and it's a fine organization.

Have fun,
Bryan

 

[Colliam7]

Well anyways, just wondering if there is any way to begin preparing myself for more advanced types of diving. What can be done to make myself a more proficient diver?

While I certainly wouldn't disagree with the many responses that suggest you simply 'go diving', and I agree that the expanding body of experience associated with 'more diving' is a critical element in building confidence, and competence, in the water, I suspect that you are also looking for something a little more specific and focused.

What constitutes 'more advanced types of diving' may vary according to personal definitions, so it was helpful to have you mention pursuit of divemaster training in the future as one example of what you meant. The professional route is certainly a 'more advanced' type of diving. I would add to that what is generally considered under the broad rubric of 'technical diving' - deeper diving, mixed gas diving, decompression diving.

For either line of pursuit, I think eponym provided a particularly valuable set of suggestions.

Both divemasters and wreck divers need good non-silting kicks (frog, back frog, helicopter turns).

Very important point. Finning techniques are, after rock solid buoyancy control, AND outstanding trim, the most essential skill for divers. And, whether you choose to develop those through a Fundies course or individual instruction / mentoring, if you are not currently proficient in frog kicks, back kicks, and helicopter turns, that would be my recommendatiuon for the next step. Associated with that, I suggest you find someone to video you in the water, so you can see what you look like, not just hear a description of it, and determine for yourself what needs improvement. I wonder if the failure of instructors you have approached to solicit a critique of your skills reflects a possibly cursory evaluation of you as a recreational diver, rather than a detailed analysis of the skills of someone who wishes to move toward more advanced forms of diving.

Can you descend and ascend while horizontal, and stop when you want to?Can you hover face-up and horizontal?
Can you hover and not kick while tasked (for example, while writing on a slate)?

These skills may seem contrived, possibly even trivial. But, they get at the heart of bouyancy control and trim management.

After you are comfortable that you can precisely control your position in the three dimensional underwater space, I also suggest:

1. Go deeper. A diver looking toward professional credentials, or 'more advanced diving' such as decompression diving, benefits from knowing the challenges of, and how THEY behave at, depth. Not everyone may agree with this, but it is my personal perspective - 180 feet is not 80 feet.
2. Go 'inside' - be it cavern, cave or wreck penetration, or a decompression schedule, and determine how you react to that environment. I appreciate the fact that cave country is north of where you are. But there are some great, deeper wrecks right out you front door.
3. Practice the routine skills regularly - mask remove / replace and air sharing come immediately to mind as two examples. Are you comfoirtable breathing from a buddy's alternate, in 50 degree water, with no mask?

I am asure other SB members have their own set of specifics - our west coast colleagues might suggest kelp forests and challenging shore entries, others might suggest high current environments (diving the St. Lawrence comes to mind. In following the advice of 'dive more' keep in mind that the value of more experience is quite considerably vested in the breadth of that experience.

I have not had many problems worth talking about while diving, which makes me think i'm missing something (experience maybe?). Or could it be that a nip little problems in the butt before they become worth talking about?

Most likely the former. Certainly, problems can arise in any form of recreational diving, but deep, dark and cold, as well as physical and physiological overhead environments, seem to attract them, much like mobile homes attract tornadoes. I do not mean this in any way as a criticism of you experience to date. Rather, it is a recommendation to push your envelope a bit, in terms of experience.

 

[daniel1948]

Blackvans: It sounds like you are on the right track. With 40 dives, most of them fairly recent, you're just starting out. Keep up with what you're doing, and don't rush into the more extreme diving, but move into it gradually. I agree with the poster above who said go deeper; but do it gradually, and always within your certification level. I.e. take the AOW class, and classes for deco, overhead environments, etc. before attempting those kinds of dives, and start out with easier dives within each class.

(I say this as someone who has no interest in anything other than warm, shallow, recreational diving. As soon as you enter a situation where you cannot go directly to the surface, such as deco or overhead environments, you are in a whole different risk category and should progress to this kind of diving, if that is your interest, with the necessary skills well mastered.)