Thoughts on deep diving
- Thread starter GBIT
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What do you class as deep?
For me there are a few things involved. The deeper you go the more prepared you need to be. This amounts to preparedness in training, planning, equipment and awareness. At greater depths if something goes wrong then it can become a lot more serious quickly than if the same thing happens at a shallower depth. The second thing is why? What is down there that I really want to see? I'm not into diving deep just for the sake of it or to say I've been there. However if it's a wreck or something else interesting.......
GBIT:
Having flirted with 80 feet as a novice diver I have a few thoughts....
Where I have been on my deeper dives it resembled a moonsacpe and there wasn't much to see and in some cases though clear it was a dark as night, kinda cool.
The water had a stillness and the sensation, it was slight but interesting.
I can't see myself making it a habit to go deep for the sake of deep, been there done that got the T-Shirt. I do want to get more training to be better prepared since I would go deep within recreational ranges for a wreck or nice tropical site.
The dive is shorter and the risk is greater. In general, I'd rather enjoy a longer dive full of life and with less risk.
Pete
gangrel441
Contributor
spectrum:
In Belize, we would never have seen Painted Tunicates had we not gone to 75 ft. In Costa Rica, the themrocline was at 90, and just below the thermocline was where I saw my first white tips. In Playa del Carmen, MX, at the site Tortugas, I saw my first sea turtles at 80 ft.
I guess it is all a matter of perspective...
I agree with what has been said. This weekend I did my first triple digit dive (132 feet). My reasoning was not to just go deep, but to see a really impressive wreck called the Northerner. Swimjim has some pictures of it, and if you look at the pictures, you can see why a person would want to dive it. (Checkout the Port Washington Dive Report for the Great Lakes Wrecking Crew).
There should be a purpose for diving deep, and preparation. I spent all of this summer preparing for this dive. Every dive I did was to gain experience, to control bouyance, to get better, so I would feel comfortable with my air consumption and ability to do this dive. I also dove it with a partner who had a completely redundant air source incase of an emergency. We dove as partners and, not only stayed in eye sight, but only a couple feet away from each other the entire dive. I carefully monitored my air supply, and surfaced with about 1/2 a tank (I have a E8-119). My buddy is also some one who dove this wreck many times before. WE NEVER PENETRATE A WRECK!!! None of us are trained for this, and we do not entertain the thought of it.
One other note: We planned the dive and dove the plan. This is important for every dive, but especially deep dives. We didn't try to cram too much in our dive plan either (which I believe is also important on deep dives)
I guess it boils down to this: with preparation and purpose, a deep dive can be an exremely satisfying experience. I have to admit, I have done the Northerner twice this past weekend, and it is probably one I will do many more times in the future. It is a beautiful wreck.
There should be a purpose for diving deep, and preparation. I spent all of this summer preparing for this dive. Every dive I did was to gain experience, to control bouyance, to get better, so I would feel comfortable with my air consumption and ability to do this dive. I also dove it with a partner who had a completely redundant air source incase of an emergency. We dove as partners and, not only stayed in eye sight, but only a couple feet away from each other the entire dive. I carefully monitored my air supply, and surfaced with about 1/2 a tank (I have a E8-119). My buddy is also some one who dove this wreck many times before. WE NEVER PENETRATE A WRECK!!! None of us are trained for this, and we do not entertain the thought of it.
One other note: We planned the dive and dove the plan. This is important for every dive, but especially deep dives. We didn't try to cram too much in our dive plan either (which I believe is also important on deep dives)
I guess it boils down to this: with preparation and purpose, a deep dive can be an exremely satisfying experience. I have to admit, I have done the Northerner twice this past weekend, and it is probably one I will do many more times in the future. It is a beautiful wreck.
I don't concern myself too much with depth until its time to plan the dive. I guess I'm saying to go diving just to go deep with no other goal in mind doesn't make much sense to me. Now, throw a wreck into the mix or some natural phenomonon thats worth seeing, now you have something thats worth looking into.
The attached photos I took on the deck of a sunken schooner at 150 feet down. Even with a ton of dives under my belt and proper training for this I don't take these dives lightly. But to see and photograph an intact schooner like this makes it worth the effort.
Jim
The attached photos I took on the deck of a sunken schooner at 150 feet down. Even with a ton of dives under my belt and proper training for this I don't take these dives lightly. But to see and photograph an intact schooner like this makes it worth the effort.
Jim
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