The deep and dark

[Nicky the Fish]

I'm going to share something to see what other peoples feelings are. First off, I'm newly certified and am extremely excited to dive in! (couldn't resist). I'm an avid swimmer and water sports kind of guy, very comfortable in the water since I grew up on a lake. Spent a lot of time free diving for fun and retrieving whatever "fell in". But now diving has got me thinking about something new. There's something about diving into the underworld where it may be dark and foreign that almost has me a little freaked out. But, I tend to throw myself into those things I fear to get over them, safety in mind of course. Even free diving down into dark water to look for something and not seeing a sunken boat until it's two feet in front of you gets your attention(which happens in freshwater lakes of the north). I don't think I'll be really into fish petting in the tropics as much as braving colder waters to find a wreck. Still, I can't help but think of what it must be like to ascend beyond the sunlight, navigate through the darkness with with a flashlight and then something appears, very suddenly right in front of you. Maybe a large boat or plane (like the B29 in Lake Mead), or just an odd formation. I imagine it is quite an experience, and gives you a pause at least. Maybe it's because the lake I grew up on was infested with snapping turtles that barely fit in wheel barrows that has me freaked out, lol! Anyway, just curious what it's like to have things "appear" in front of you for the first couple times? And by the way, it'll be a while before I have the experience of course to do some of this stuff, but I'm curious anyway.

 

[RJP]

It's pretty cool to be out on the ocean with no land visible in any direction, jump in, start heading down the line and see a 459' wreck come into view...

Last weekend there was 70' of visibility on the USS Algol a mere 14mi off the coast of NJ. And though it sits at 145' to the sand, you could just about see the wreck from just below the surface!

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Anyway, just curious what it's like to have things "appear" in front of you for the first couple times?

Freaked the freakin' freaks out of me - sometimes still does. Not rational, but I guess I have a hidden fear of getting ensnared in something I can't see until it's too late and I run into it (such as a sunken boat).

 

[parrothead600]

It will depend on your anxiety level. I have been in 'near zero' visibility @ 75'. While holding my light in my right hand, my left arm was stopped when I hit a snowmobile. It was not a problem. I find that proper breathing, ie. long deep breaths, will tend to relax me more and reduce my anxiety level.

 

[Jimmer]

It's an awesome feeling. Lake Erie in the summer has a wicked thermocline at about 80 feet. Above 80 feet the water is like pea soup, as soon as you pass the thermocline, get kicked in the face with the 20 degree drop in temp, the visibility suddenly expands massively. I've had vis of over 100 feet once you get past the thermo. That is the best feeling, soupy mess with limited vis, then bam, you can see all of a big wreck that is still another 45 feet below you. Makes you suddenly forget that the water got cold.

Good luck in the new adventure,
Jim

 

[Ber Rabbit]

We were diving in a channel in Lake Powell and the visibility was about 4 feet. Out of the gloom comes what looks like the keel of a sailboat and there's not enough room for him to pass without running over us. I start scrambling for a safe spot out of the way and my hubby is wondering what the heck is going on because his mind has seen it's just a tree LOL!
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[captain]

I worry that the drain in the bottom of the ocean will open and I'll be sucked down into the center of the earth.

 

[Paco]

I worry that the drain in the bottom of the ocean will open and I'll be sucked down into the center of the earth.

Really? Me too, but in Lake Michigan, not the ocean.

 

[Colliam7]

Freaked the freakin' freaks out of me - sometimes still does. Not rational, but I guess I have a hidden fear of getting ensnared in something I can't see until it's too late and I run into it (such as a sunken boat).

Well said! It IS NOT rational, but it IS real.

It will depend on your anxiety level. I have been in 'near zero' visibility @ 75'. While holding my light in my right hand, my left arm was stopped when I hit a snowmobile. It was not a problem. I find that proper breathing, ie. long deep breaths, will tend to relax me more and reduce my anxiety level.

And, that is key – your anxiety level to begin with, and the steps you take to manage it. We know that anxiety can be increased by colder temperatures, lower visibility, dark (e.g. night) conditions, probably depth as well when combined with an awareness of how far we are from the ‘safety’ of the surface. I find that even in poor visibility, but lighted conditions, objects tend to first appear as large dark spots in front of me, and that actually increases my anxiety if I don’t know what I am coming to. In quarries where I know what the object should be, that dark spot is actually reassuring. The slower I approach something, the easier I find it is to control my anxiety. Last year we were diving Forty Fathom Grotto as part of a tec course. Last dive, going to a van at 165’. My instructor mentioned beforehand that, during the descent, we would pass a tree, and that the first time he passed it, it was quite spooky. So, I had this really scary image in my mind, of branches reaching out to snare me, etc. We start our descent, by the time we hit 80’ it is inky black (lots of duckweed on the surface block the sunlight), but clear, water. So, I just descend (very slowly) for a while, light off, thinking ‘This is actually cool!’ Fortunately, I decided to turn my light on around 140’, and looked down the line and there is this big tree trunk. No looming branches, just a barkless tree trunk lying horizontal across my descent path, with the descent line wrapping around it once, and continuing down. I didn’t find it spooky at all, actually it was helpful because I knew it was coming, and it ‘told’ me I had just passed an expected landmark and was getting closer to my destination.

 

[Txfirefighter4305]

Visions of Lake Placid come to mind sometimes... Just pause, compose yourself, and soldier on. I go into hot placed with limited vis for a living where I have even less control on circumstances and things move a LOT faster. Adopt, and overcome :d

Edit: I am not fond of trees myself