awakefie
Contributor
It certainly would not surprise me to find:
a. The majority of people who do a dive do so in warm (tropical) waters;
b. The majority of people who do a dive use an AL 80; and
c. The majority of people who do a dive use a jacket BC.
It would also not surprise me to learn that a majority of people who do a dive under the circumstances outlined above:
a. Have minimal diving skills (i.e., lack consistent buoyancy control), and
b. Make fewer than 8 dives every 24 months.
Several years ago I had the pleasure of spending a week in the BVI with an instructor who had > 1000 dives (I think he had about 1500 dives) -- all of which were in the type of conditions outlined by the OP. This instructor was a very nice diver who showed us numerous wrecks and reefs in the BVI (and yes, most of the dives were "led" by him -- why not? he knew the area).
In discussing diving with him, however, he freely admitted his view of diving was very skewed and that if he attempted to dive in, say, Puget Sound, he would be an absolute newbie -- and I'd guess he would not be very comfortable either due to the cold and poor viz/darkness. He knew what he didn't know and knew that different environments have different issues. What he also knew, and what the OP appears not to accept, is that the skills and gear needed to be a "good diver" in extreme environments can easily translate to benign environments (spring straps are so much easier to use when one has big heavy gloves) whereas the converse is not necessarily true.
As to other points -- there is a lot of recreational diving going on in cold(er) waters -- without anywhere near the numbers of people diving but, instead, fewer people diving a lot. (We have to justify the thousands of dollars we spend, don't we?) Now "a lot" is still the minority, I'm sure -- but a strong minority none-the-less.
The biggest difference though is that the minority of divers who are doing many dives each year are also the ones who, FOR THE MOST PART, have the best diving skills and understand why some gear is more appropriate than other -- EVEN IF the other, perhaps less appropriate, gear will work OK, especially in more benign diving sites (aka Maui).
Even though those divers, the ones who are diving frequently, have more training and more experience and experiences, may not be frequenting the dive sites identified by the OP (aka, the "typical tropical dive") their advice may well still be appropriate -- and perhaps much more appropriate than the advice given by someone who has very limited experience and experiences. Going back to my BVI instructor companion -- HE was quite willing to admit that my experiences gave me a much broader background from which I could give my opinions on skills and gear.
This, btw, is one of my biggest complaints about "the typical PADI instructor" -- which is the narrowness of the instructor's diving experiences. I don't care if one does 200 or 400 or 600 dives during his diving instructor training -- IF all the diving is under similar circumstances, then, in fact, the person is only doing 2, 4 or 6 dives 100 times each. My BVI instructor companion was very open about that which is why he was, truly, interested in what those of us with very different diving experiences could teach him.
I remember the first time me and my buddy hit 65 feet in fresh water on day when viz was less than ideal. It got dark as night and I remember looking over and only being able to make out the red detail on my buddy's BC. We didn't stay long... We had no lights! How smart of us! We learned though and because of our frequent diving in a vast array of different conditions we learned a great deal about what techniques and gear are ideal regardless of conditions. Thats how we know what skills/gear will save our lives when things get bad.
I have friends who dive tropical constantly and haven't hit the fresh water since their OW class if even then. Spring straps are a great example. I'm not sure how I ever dove without them. My tropical diving friends have no idea why I like them. I guess the way I look at it is Why would they? They never wear thick gloves or experience the decrease in mobility that comes along with most 7MM suits.
I don't think of them as better or worse than I am. When I go diving in their territory I sometimes find myself care free and complacent. Which in my opinion puts me at greater risk. I try to remind myself that just because I can see clearly and I have a better freedom of motion doesn't mean nothing can go wrong.
On the flip side, I worry about my tropical based friends diving my local spots. An adjustment is necessary and that can be difficult after diving in pristine waters.
I also think that maybe we are comparing based on the wrong terms. Maybe these statements are typical of most divers, but not necessarily of most dives?
Just a thought.
It is also worth mentioning that I have learned many things from "tropical divers" and that I have no less respect for them. In fact I envy them most of the time.