what do you consider an advanced dive?

[DivemasterDennis]

For me an advanced dive is one that requires a comfort and skill level beyond entry level in order to not only execute but enjoy the dive. Dives over 90 feet are to me always an advanced dive. Dives in vis under 25 feet are advanced dives. Dives in current over just a minimal current are advanced dives. Dives in cold water or in cold weather are advanced dives for those who do not regularly dive those conditions. Night dives are not necessarily advanced dives unless couple with one or more of the other conditions I have listed. Combinations of the listed factors can make for and advanced dive, as can one more thing: surface conditions. High seas, pitchy boat, long drop to the water, these two can make a dive an advanced dive. Deco, wreck, etc. Those are tech dives. I speak only of advanced, but still recreational. dives.
DivemasterDennis

 

[FM1520]

The "so what" question comes to mind. So if you deem a dive to be an "Advanced Dive" then what? As all ready stated advanced will mean different things to different people. As for regions, dive locations/operators in the SoCal (San Diego) region generally do not label dives as "advanced" for example the oil rigs off Long Beach. They are in 700' so no bottom, sometimes strong current, boat can't anchor so a live drop is required - it is not labeled an "advanced dive" the rule is: "dive to your level of experience and training." That is just one example, the Yukon wreck and some sites around Catalina like Farnsworth (sp?) can be challenging but are generally not not labeled. Advanced doesn't have any specific/standard definition.

 

[geoff w]

Simply repeating the same basic dives over and over again will do nothing to move you to an advanced level of diving

I disagree with this. It depends on where you set the bar...

Doing the same basic dives over and over again won't necessarily raise the bar to a more advanced level of diving, whether the dive site is for novices or highly advanced. Critically looking at what you are doing during dive planning, during the dive and post-dive, analyzing what you could do better, and working on that the next and all future dives is one path to moving to a more advanced level of diving. After all, even in the confined water of a swimming pool, there are always some skills to work on improving, whether it's buoyancy, propulsion, trim, equipment configuration and usage, or other skills.

I dive a lot of the same dive spots, because they are convenient, familiar and enjoyable, and mentally I'm always trying to improve my diving skills so they become less and less advanced. This doesn't necessarily diminish the enjoyment of the site in the long run, and in many ways makes the site more enjoyable, because I can concentrate on the nuances and details of the site, rather than characteristics that make the site at all advanced or challenging. Sometimes I'm kicking myself afterward for not improving on something I noted in an earlier dive, and especially for making the same boneheaded mistakes I set out to stop making. Not necessarily directly related to the original question of what makes a dive site advanced, but certainly one technique for being better prepared for advanced dive sites in the future, and making sites less advanced

Of course, familiarity and/or over confidence (because a site is not particularly advanced) can lead to complacency, and that's where divers get into trouble, whether the site is an advanced one or not

 

[SailNaked]

any dive that I come up and say "WOW!!!! THAT WAS FUN!!!!" is an advanced dive.

Darnold just wrote what I was going to say -- a site is a beginner site if you'd have to work to get into trouble there; it's more advanced as the number of ways you can get into difficulties goes up. And just because somebody CAN get herded through a dive site without incident, doesn't make it not an advanced dive. It just means some of the variables are being controlled by someone other than the diver.

As usual this about nails it. maybe we could put the number on the dive site after the name.

Coral gardens warm clear water (0).

deep dark shark infested, current site with poor vis beach(6).

and then you can decide if you are up for a 0 or a 12 or maybe a 52(cave diving).

 

[ajduplessis]

Dive without any guidance, no DM or operator. Thus you planned and executed the dive with your buddy/team.

 

[Storker]

Dive without any guidance, no DM or operator. Thus you planned and executed the dive with your buddy/team.

If that's all that's needed to make a dive "advanced", then my first dive after OW certification was "advanced". And all the other ones, except for my AOW class dives and a few vacation dives this summer, were "advanced" as well.

Up here, you're expected to be able to plan your dive with your buddy and dive without guidance. I guess that makes all of us advanced...

And according to a couple of guys my son is chatting with on the 'net, we're also "hardcore", since we dive dry, sometimes in single digit (C) temperatures. Me, a 50-year-old dad, hardcore? Yay!

 

[DevonDiver]

Dive without any guidance, no DM or operator. Thus you planned and executed the dive with your buddy/team.

Isn't that what Open Water divers are certified to do?

 

[ajduplessis]

It's an opinion.

DD: Personally, I think that an 'advanced' dive is categorized by the specific diver's approach to the dive. Whether they identify, possess and utilize the appropriate skills, drills, protocols and equipment to effectively mitigate whatever risks are inherent with that dive, on that day.

Sounds like basic OW training :sarcasm: Each and every point you mention is covered during OW. Isn't that what Open Water divers are certified to do

@Storker: What's your contribution/opinion except being an "advanced hardcore" diver???

 

[Storker]

@Storker: What's your contribution/opinion

That planning and executing a dive without any guidance, no DM or operator isn't particularly advanced, in my opinion. Or basically "Isn't that what Open Water divers are certified to do?"

except being an "advanced hardcore" diver???

i·ro·ny
/ˈīrənē,ˈiərnē/
noun
the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

 

[DevonDiver]

Each and every point you mention is covered during OW. Isn't that what Open Water divers are certified to do

Absolutely. Each level or specific activity, environment or conditions inherent in diving requires a complimentary skill-set, knowledge-base, equipment demands and breadth of experience. It is the diver's approach to applying the correct solution to a given dive that makes the approach 'basic' (at the worst, stupid) or 'advanced'.

OW divers correctly applying the full scope of their training can be considered 'advanced'. OW divers failing to do so, regardless of how malign or benign the dive, could only be 'basic'. In that sense, I do agree with you.