GlowWorm
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I'm going diving in the ocean for the first time on Friday and I'm so excited!! I just want to know what to expect. How much different is it than fresh water?
what to expect on my first ocean dive
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fisheater
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A LOT will depend upon where in which ocean you'll be diving.
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Pretty much where ever you go the water tastes bad so don't drink it.
00wabbit
Contributor
That was the first thing that hit me in salt water.
You don't realize in fresh water but when your mouth gets dry you will sometimes let a little water in to wet it. In salt water when you do this the first time you get a little shock because you forget that salt is salty. So basically you end up with a drier mouth at the end of the dive because you couldn't wet your whistle.
Other than that there are tons of fish and stuff to look at. Also the surface can be more choppy or have bigger swells.
You don't realize in fresh water but when your mouth gets dry you will sometimes let a little water in to wet it. In salt water when you do this the first time you get a little shock because you forget that salt is salty. So basically you end up with a drier mouth at the end of the dive because you couldn't wet your whistle.
Other than that there are tons of fish and stuff to look at. Also the surface can be more choppy or have bigger swells.
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Technically you'll be more buoyant - typically around 30% with the exact same configuration you use in fresh water. Since there's always a slight current or some surge you'll have to work hard at trying to silt things up to ruin your viz. For me, it ruined lake diving forever - I never did it again.
Going off SC? Hope a Sandtiger cruises by...won't get that thrill in a lake. I still remember the first shark I ever saw - 20+ years later.
Going off SC? Hope a Sandtiger cruises by...won't get that thrill in a lake. I still remember the first shark I ever saw - 20+ years later.
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RonFrank
Contributor
There is some equipment that is rather necessary for ocean diving. You need a Safety Sausage at minimum. It is an 5'-8' orange or yellow inflatable tube. They cost between $20-40 but can go as high as $100. I would go as cheap as possible as long as its at least 5' long. Whistles, a mirror, a air horn are all things you may consider.
Ocean diving is awesome! Just watch out for stingy things, current, down currents, getting lost and sharks BOOOOO! Just kidding! Do discuss these possibilities BEFORE the dive but that is one reason to get a SS and wear exposure protection. Some folks popo'd the idea of a rash guard vs just a bathing suit until they ran into jellyfish last year. They now believe in exposure protection!
You will have fun.
Ocean diving is awesome! Just watch out for stingy things, current, down currents, getting lost and sharks BOOOOO! Just kidding! Do discuss these possibilities BEFORE the dive but that is one reason to get a SS and wear exposure protection. Some folks popo'd the idea of a rash guard vs just a bathing suit until they ran into jellyfish last year. They now believe in exposure protection!
You will have fun.
There's actually a lot less life in the ocean - it's a virtual desert compared to fresh water - at least in the first 30 ft or so of fresh water where there is enough light. But what's in the ocean is prettier.
It's also less consistent.
For example, My best ocean dive ever was on the Carribesea (a WWII wreck off NC) on a day with epic viz (150' or so), lots of sand tiger sharks, lots of mid size fish and an enormous bait ball maybe 75 feet across that kept engulfing the sharks, I suspect to get some protection from the ring of mid sized fish (barracuda, tuna, etc) that were trying to eat them. So the ball would swarm over me and then a shark would swim by maybe a foot and a half away - the limit of the viz in the bait ball, then the ball would drift and away and come swirling back. As an added bonus the ride out and back was on mill pond calm seas.
The very next dive weekend consisted of rolling in the swells and 6' waves while half the boat, me included, threw up all the way out and back. The dive itself had 10' of viz in very brown water that makes fresh water look appealing on a wreck that was devoid of life. The second dive was cancelled as the seas had increased and it was beyond time to go home.
Yet it's often kinda the same. I've seen reefs and wrecks off bermuda that look a lot like reefs off the Dry Tortugas and a wreck anywhere pretty much looks like wreck anywhere else whether it's off Bermuda, off Key West, in the gulf of mexico or off the coast of Delaware.
Along the east coast the major difference is whether you are in the gulf stream (usually great viz and warm, cerulean blue water, or the labrador current - cold water, 20-30' viz and mostly green looking, and both are distinctly different types of diving.
I've never lost the appeal of fresh water, and in particular I really like diving in springs and in caves - nothing really beats that for visibility or beauty and you seldom get blown out by weather and you never get sea sick on the boat ride to the dive site.
It's also less consistent.
For example, My best ocean dive ever was on the Carribesea (a WWII wreck off NC) on a day with epic viz (150' or so), lots of sand tiger sharks, lots of mid size fish and an enormous bait ball maybe 75 feet across that kept engulfing the sharks, I suspect to get some protection from the ring of mid sized fish (barracuda, tuna, etc) that were trying to eat them. So the ball would swarm over me and then a shark would swim by maybe a foot and a half away - the limit of the viz in the bait ball, then the ball would drift and away and come swirling back. As an added bonus the ride out and back was on mill pond calm seas.
The very next dive weekend consisted of rolling in the swells and 6' waves while half the boat, me included, threw up all the way out and back. The dive itself had 10' of viz in very brown water that makes fresh water look appealing on a wreck that was devoid of life. The second dive was cancelled as the seas had increased and it was beyond time to go home.
Yet it's often kinda the same. I've seen reefs and wrecks off bermuda that look a lot like reefs off the Dry Tortugas and a wreck anywhere pretty much looks like wreck anywhere else whether it's off Bermuda, off Key West, in the gulf of mexico or off the coast of Delaware.
Along the east coast the major difference is whether you are in the gulf stream (usually great viz and warm, cerulean blue water, or the labrador current - cold water, 20-30' viz and mostly green looking, and both are distinctly different types of diving.
I've never lost the appeal of fresh water, and in particular I really like diving in springs and in caves - nothing really beats that for visibility or beauty and you seldom get blown out by weather and you never get sea sick on the boat ride to the dive site.
fisheater
Contributor
Not even close to being universally true. Around here, the ocean is bursting with life, FAR more than in any fresh water dive area.
You need to find out about the particulars of where you'll be diving.
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Hi GlowWorm,
Don't look now but your excitement is showing! :bounce2:
Like fisheater said a lot will depend on where and when you dive. Currents, swell and surge will play a role to some extent. However, all the basics stay the same so go out and have some fun! I am not sure if this is your open water cert dive that you will be doing or whether you were certified in fresh water and only now have had the opportunity to do your first ocean dive, but keep in mind that this is a new environment you will be diving in. Even though the basics stay the same, it is best to go to a location that is a good, easy grade choice to do your first ocean dive. If you are already certified I would strongly suggest that you join up with an instructor or divemaster to do an orientation dive first just to get your bearings in a well controlled way and as you grow more confident you will find that, just like fresh water environments have their unique treasures to share, so do ocean environments.
Diversteve and RonFrank's suggestions about the safety sausage and getting your buoyancy right are spot on as well. I like to tie a plastic (metal will rust) emergency whistle to my BC and stuff it in my pocket as well. It helps when you can draw attention to yourself in an emergency and not just rely on visual signals. It's a really cheap extra that does not take up any significant space and will be invaluable to you should you need help at the surface to draw the dive boat or someone else's attention.
The best advice I can give you is to really spend time to dial in your weighting correctly, and then just remember to breathe slowly and relax when you slip under the surface.
Have fun and come back to post some updates on your experience here when you're done!
Don't look now but your excitement is showing! :bounce2:
Like fisheater said a lot will depend on where and when you dive. Currents, swell and surge will play a role to some extent. However, all the basics stay the same so go out and have some fun! I am not sure if this is your open water cert dive that you will be doing or whether you were certified in fresh water and only now have had the opportunity to do your first ocean dive, but keep in mind that this is a new environment you will be diving in. Even though the basics stay the same, it is best to go to a location that is a good, easy grade choice to do your first ocean dive. If you are already certified I would strongly suggest that you join up with an instructor or divemaster to do an orientation dive first just to get your bearings in a well controlled way and as you grow more confident you will find that, just like fresh water environments have their unique treasures to share, so do ocean environments.
Diversteve and RonFrank's suggestions about the safety sausage and getting your buoyancy right are spot on as well. I like to tie a plastic (metal will rust) emergency whistle to my BC and stuff it in my pocket as well. It helps when you can draw attention to yourself in an emergency and not just rely on visual signals. It's a really cheap extra that does not take up any significant space and will be invaluable to you should you need help at the surface to draw the dive boat or someone else's attention.
The best advice I can give you is to really spend time to dial in your weighting correctly, and then just remember to breathe slowly and relax when you slip under the surface.
Have fun and come back to post some updates on your experience here when you're done!
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