erparamedic
Vampire Girl......er Dork
Hi, U4....
In Indiana and surrounding areas, we have only a select few places that EVER have "good vis" (being a relative term). I define good vis as anything over 10 feet.
When I did my OW cert, the best we had was 2 feet, and often it was between 6 to 12 inches. That was a bit unnerving, but I soon learned that a comfort level can be achieved. Now, I find that low/no vis can be, and generally is, a fun challenge.
That said... there's always an exception. This doesn't have anything to do with low vis... but it does have to do with loss of situational awareness. Last year, myself and a buddy (who is also on this board) went diving. It was the first time we had been to this particular place (2nd dive of the day), and (like fools) we didn't take a heading on our entry point. Visibility was quite good... apx 20+ feet horizontally. We decended and met on a platform, then started to explore. We wound up in the middle of "nowhere" with no references at all. We were only about 22-23 feet down, but couldn't see the surface, couldn't see the bottom (and the thermocline was COLD, so we weren't going to the bottom!), and couldn't see anything to the sides of us when we spun around. We'd swim one direction for a bit... find nothing... swim another direction... find nothing. Finally, we hung in place, looking at each other and shrugged our shoulders like "hmm... what now?" Hah! We hovered there, looking around at nothingness for a couple minutes, then we decided to surface. Once on the surface, I found out that I wasn't the only one waiting on the quarry monster to come up and get us! Isn't it amazing what your mind starts to think in those situations? There was no panic at all, but a little "uneasiness".
My recommendations for low to no vis...
--Be within touch contact of your buddy. If you dive with a significant other, hold hands. If you aren't comfortable holding hands with your buddy... one can hold the other's BC at the shoulder. Maybe you could use a small (4 ft or so) rope, each person holds one end.
--Slow down!!! I know several others mentioned it, but it can't be stressed enough.
--Keep at least one arm extended in front of you... that way if you are to run into something, it's not with your head.
--If, for some reason, you still become seperated from your buddy... follow your dive plan to a "T".
--If you become too uneasy, it's better to end the dive, than to become a panicked diver. (There's a fine line between the "uneasiness" that keeps one vigilant, and the "uneasiness" that can turn to panic.
More than likely, you'll soon learn that there really are things to see and do in low vis! I don't mind it anymore... but, I LOVE it when I can see more than 30 feet! It makes tropical diving even more enjoyable!
In Indiana and surrounding areas, we have only a select few places that EVER have "good vis" (being a relative term). I define good vis as anything over 10 feet.
When I did my OW cert, the best we had was 2 feet, and often it was between 6 to 12 inches. That was a bit unnerving, but I soon learned that a comfort level can be achieved. Now, I find that low/no vis can be, and generally is, a fun challenge.
That said... there's always an exception. This doesn't have anything to do with low vis... but it does have to do with loss of situational awareness. Last year, myself and a buddy (who is also on this board) went diving. It was the first time we had been to this particular place (2nd dive of the day), and (like fools) we didn't take a heading on our entry point. Visibility was quite good... apx 20+ feet horizontally. We decended and met on a platform, then started to explore. We wound up in the middle of "nowhere" with no references at all. We were only about 22-23 feet down, but couldn't see the surface, couldn't see the bottom (and the thermocline was COLD, so we weren't going to the bottom!), and couldn't see anything to the sides of us when we spun around. We'd swim one direction for a bit... find nothing... swim another direction... find nothing. Finally, we hung in place, looking at each other and shrugged our shoulders like "hmm... what now?" Hah! We hovered there, looking around at nothingness for a couple minutes, then we decided to surface. Once on the surface, I found out that I wasn't the only one waiting on the quarry monster to come up and get us! Isn't it amazing what your mind starts to think in those situations? There was no panic at all, but a little "uneasiness".
My recommendations for low to no vis...
--Be within touch contact of your buddy. If you dive with a significant other, hold hands. If you aren't comfortable holding hands with your buddy... one can hold the other's BC at the shoulder. Maybe you could use a small (4 ft or so) rope, each person holds one end.
--Slow down!!! I know several others mentioned it, but it can't be stressed enough.
--Keep at least one arm extended in front of you... that way if you are to run into something, it's not with your head.
--If, for some reason, you still become seperated from your buddy... follow your dive plan to a "T".
--If you become too uneasy, it's better to end the dive, than to become a panicked diver. (There's a fine line between the "uneasiness" that keeps one vigilant, and the "uneasiness" that can turn to panic.
More than likely, you'll soon learn that there really are things to see and do in low vis! I don't mind it anymore... but, I LOVE it when I can see more than 30 feet! It makes tropical diving even more enjoyable!