Speed Divers

[funkcanna]

Today the wife and I were diving with a boat charter who have instructors / guides. After 2 dives when the guides (and us) did not find the reef we went down a third time hoping to see something other than sand.

The guide almost broke the speed of sound whizzing by reefs and all kinds of life! Im a relatively fit person and I was extremely out of breath!

Anyway, im just curious as to why people dive like this? Surely the main reason to dive is to see things - what do fast divers actually get out of diving if they simply whip by everything you are down there to see?

Can any fast diver shed some light because I am baffled!

 

[djanni]

What reason did the instructors/guides give you when you asked them why they were going so fast?

 

[funkcanna]

Before the dive he showed us his symbol for finning fast saying that if he did that to keep up with him. After the dive he just said he was taking us round the reef. I didnt get to speak properly about it as there was 35 people on the boat and he was pretty busy.

But not limited to this incident, ive seen many a diver who just wants to power their way through the dive and I dont get it.

 

[Coll]

I started off like this when I had fewer dives, I had a worry that I was going to miss something so I would glance at a spot and then propel off to another and glance until I found something. I've since learned that you'll see much more if you just relax and give yourself time to enjoy the dive.

 

[djanni]

Before the dive he showed us his symbol for finning fast saying that if he did that to keep up with him. After the dive he just said he was taking us round the reef. I didnt get to speak properly about it as there was 35 people on the boat and he was pretty busy.

But not limited to this incident, ive seen many a diver who just wants to power their way through the dive and I dont get it.

I don't get it either. Fortunately, it's not a common occurance.

 

[wedivebc]

Some DMs do it to cause the divers to use up air quicker. That way they can get to the bar quicker. I had a DM in Thailand who I told if he didn't slow down I was going to steal one of his fins. He got the message.

 

[don Francisco]

It's the diving equivelant of a whirlwind five country tour of Europe in 2 weeks. Some folks thing that the object is to see as much as possible in the time available. They don't understand that in trying to see everything they end up seeing nothing.

When I travel, I like to stay in one place and get a real feel for it, and I'm the same way diving. Fins are only needed to get to and from the reef. If I find an interesting coralhead, I can hang out there for the rest of the dive, and maybe come back to it on the next dive.

 

[Nemrod]

Because I want to see what is on the other side.

Because I want to get away for the 35 rototillers.

Because I see the reef, others see one little hole in it witrh one little shrimp.

Long way to go and not much time to get there

I will relax when I am dead, there will be plenty of time to rest then

Explain this, why do some divers go so slow? What could they possibly get out of going so slow?

N

 

[webjr]

there was 35 people on the boat and he was pretty busy.

There's the problem. Find a few extra friends to share the cost and rent a private boat. I'ts always well worth the few extra bucks.

 

[Guba]

Explain this, why do some divers go so slow? What could they possibly get out of going so slow?

Well, let me check out my dive log...on one site, I spent nearly 25 minutes on a section of reef that was about two square meters. Hmm. The tally seems to be six species of cnidarians, four crustaceans, 15 types of fish, two jellies, six species of molluscs (one of which was an octopus-he held my attention for an inordinate amount of time), and one wandering green sea turtle. Of course, tinkering with the video cam so I could bring all this back into a classroom and share it with students absorbed some of that time, but in my opinion it was a lot better suited to my needs than cruising over the reef and watching things at a distance. However, to each his own, right? There is no one way to enjoy a dive, after all. The trick seems to be to find like-minded divers who have similar styles and who enjoy the same pace.