Unfamiliar (scary?) dark water; hmmm....

[SharkDiver36]

You can't compare environments, each one is unique and has to stand on it's own for what it offers. You either like it or you don't.

Bonaire is different then a diving in the Caymans or Palu, NC wreckdiving is different then Truk wreckdiving or Great Lakes diving or New Jersey diving, a river dive in FL is diffent than a river dive in the St. Lawerence or in Georgia. Each one I like for different reasons and for different things.

Appreciate the water near you for what it offers you nothing else does, enjoy the fact you have water close by to dive in.

 

[gsk3]

Low-vis is scary the first time or two, but your "trust me" wreck penetration in MX was far more dangerous than your local quarry. Just keep that in mind.

 

[sabbath999]

After OW certification I recently went to the Caribbean for a week of diving. 18 dives later including wall dives, swim throughs, a real easy wreck penetration (following right behind a Mexican DM with an estimated 6,000 dives), all between about 50 and 90+ feet down, in 79-80 degree water with 150 feet of visibility and my comfort level was really good. Incredible is too weak a word for the experience. Now back home there is a first quarry dive in DARK brown green 50 degree, 10 foot visibility water wearing 7 mm everything. Descent was following an assigned buddy who fortunately chose to go only down to around 40 feet and I was more shall we say, apprehensive, than on the very first plunge off the boat into 70+ feet of ocean water. Any recommendations on adjusting to this new and unfortunately home environment?

Keep your dives shallow and short at first. If the quarry has any training platforms, and you can find a patient buddy, use them. Go to the platforms (which should be pretty easy to see) and start doing your basic skills from OW class. Hover, clear your mask, all kinds of basic stuff. Literally just hang out not far from the surface (not to bolt to, of course... but simply because there is more light there) and spend a bit of time becoming comfortable with the surroundings. Do a complete dive of nothing but this, or even two if necessary...

What will happen is you will become acclimated... and then BORED with it.

When the newness of the environment no longer causes you stress, you are ready to head out and start exploring.

Remember, there is nothing in that quarry that will eat you... there are no man-sized predators out there in the darkness, so really there is nothing to worry about at all except the normal stuff SCUBA divers need to pay attention to (checking your SPG, monitoring your NDL, etc).

I have done most of my dives in cold, dark, low vis fresh water... enjoy it for what it is. There is no reason to be apprehensive at all, just pay attention like you would any dive (and particularly watch for entanglement lines)... and enjoy.

 

[Web Monkey]

a real easy wreck penetration (following right behind a Mexican DM with an estimated 6,000 dives)

Unless this was a sanitized wreck that's impossible to get trapped in, I wouldn't recommend following anybody inside anything again without wreck penetration training, your own line and redundant gas.

The DM may have made thousands of dives, but you haven't. It would be all too easy to stop and look at something, then find the DM is gone, you've silted the place up and have no idea where the exit is.

Terry