What's wrong with being a recreational diver?

[The Kraken]

"What's wrong with being a recreational diver?"

Nothing . . . .

the K

 

[it_mike]

I think we're all in agreement that there's nothing wrong with being a 'rec' diver. I myself have never gone through official training beyond the AOW cert (although I've been considering it recently).

BTW:

I'm AOW and Nitrox certifiied

Nitrox was considered technical until ~10 years ago. There was a big debate within the certifying agencies, and divers, until it finally was considered 'safe enough' for recreational diving.

Solo, Deep, and Wreck were all considered 'tech' at some point, and are now within the realm of recreational/sport diving.

There are so many places to go and so many things to see <130fsw. What's the rush to go >130fsw where there's little light, less coral, etc?

Why the rush to go beyond 60fsw? Some of the most gorgeous diving is in less than 60fsw. You wanted your AOW so you could do >60fsw, correct?

Most go on to tech diving to scratch an itch. What we consider 'tech' depends upon what we feel comfortable doing today. Are doubles tech? As eCCR (electronically controlled Closed Circuit Rebreater) becomes more common and safe, will it join the realm of recreational?

Remember, all scuba was considered extreme years ago.

 

[drdaddy]

Tec is rec. As I have said before, beware of "pseudo tec". Buying fancy equipment or extra training does not make one a "pro". "Tec" diving is just a kind of "Rec" diving. To be a professional in any field, one must be trained, licensed/certified, and make a living in said field.

As comparison - there are a lot of people who have taken psychology courses, some even having a B.S. degree in psychology. This does not make them a "pro"fessional in psychology. If they were to become a professional, they would need their Ph.D., licensure, and make their living as a "Psychologist". Same goes for an auto mechanic. A lot of us tinker, but few of us are "Professional Certified Auto Mechanics". And, a lot of divers get pulled into the money machine (go pro) and become "divemasters" or even "instructors", but never really make a living. Are they truly "pro"? No!

So just enjoy recreational diving. Grow as your interest directs you. And don't get pulled into the money machine or enamored with "pseudo" (or real tec). Enjoy!!!

 

[pafindr]

Absolutely nothing wrong with Rec diving. Just like there is nothing wrong with Tech diving.

It's all in the attitude really. I agree that there are those that just want to do tech to go deep to soon and hopefully they have the forethought to stay safe while doing it.
I didn't start my tech diving until I did around 500 dives. (not that you can't do it sooner)

Why did I start diving solo, deep, and cave?
Well solo started out because as DM I had to jump in alone to tie off to a dive site. I felt really comfortable and at peace knowing that no one else got there yet to disturb the scene.
With deep I wanted to do wrecks that few others had done and since there weren't many that could dive them there was less chance of silting out. And if I wanted to go to these wrecks I had to stay there more than a couple of minutes to be able to see anything.
With cave I saw videos of caves and I was amazed at the formations that were in there. So I decided that I had to see it for myself.

Many of the things the rec divers take for granted today are the things that some "tech" diver had to take the chance to discover yesterday.
I learned Nitrox back when PADI was against it because it was to dangerous to consider for the rec diver. Then after years of study and "techies" diving it PADI started teaching it.

HJeffreyM why did you get your AOW?
Have you seen all there is to see above 60'? You could have easily kept your OW cert and not have seen everything that there is to see. Florida has some beautiful reefs above 60' how many of those have you done. Come on down and we'll do some shallow beach and boat dives with the rest of the S. FL gang.

 

[HJeffreyM]

I'd like to first thank everyone for their considered opinions on this issue. I'm finding this discussion very, very interesting!

However, I have been surprised to hear so many say "tec is rec" or "I do deco dives for recreation...."

As far as I know...and I'm sure I will be corrected..."recreational diving" is defined by almost all of the certifying agencies as requiring no decompression obligation (a safety stop is not an "obligation," per se) that is not conducted in a overhead environment that is more than x feet from the nearest access to the surface.

So, although you may dive to 250fsw or do cave and wreck penetration for "recreation," that is not, technically speaking, recreational diving.

My reference to "pro" divers did not include instructors, DMs and other crew who are paid to teach or work with recreational divers. I meant and should have said "commercial" divers like those who weld oil rigs, do recovery and the like.

Also...I'd like to respond to those who want to know why I went for AOW. Many assumed that I did so in order to dive deeper than 60fsw. Remember, the deep dive is only one of five required for AOW. I got my AOW because I wanted to continue my education and be a better all around diver. During my AOW training I improved my buoyancy, navigation and photography skills, learned more about drift and night diving, and learned some fish ID skills. And, oh yeah, checked out a very open wreck (C-58, Cancun) at about 75fsw. It also gave me the opportunity to spend time with and by critiqued by an excellent instructor (Ben Mooney). Not bad for some vacation diving, I'd say!

Thanks again to everyone and...

Happy diving!

 

[captain]

I don't put a distinction between rec and tech, both for the most part are both recreational diving.
If there is something you want to visit below the no decompression limits or your level of training then learn how to do it but you don't become a so called tech diver you become a more knowledgeable recreational diver.
Tech is an important sounding name to boost egos.
I would classify a technical diver as someone conducting scientific research in the marine sciences.

 

[DCBC]

Thanks for the clarification on your definition of "Pro" HJeffreyM. I think there may be a few full-time Instructors that may not agree... LOL

 

[shoredivr]

BTW, you nailed it with your statement regarding planned deco -- something that a friend of mine calls "Gasturbation."

Love it. Ranks right up there with "slightrox" to describe 22-25% ish nitrox. Thanks Peter.

 

[Walter]

Defining Our Terms

Therein lies the biggest problem with "technical" diving. There is no agreed upon definition.

Tec is rec is as valid statement as any other until such time as all the agencies agree upon a definition. I've seen definitions that would put that 250 ft dive squarely in the "rec" category unless there was a switch of gases during the dive.

 

[I Dive]

Just a quick question for the forum:

I'm AOW and Nitrox certifiied and approaching 50 dives. It's been just over a year since my OW cert. Almost all of my experience so far has been warm water, excellent vis vacation diving from both shore and boat. I've been to a max depth of 105fsw.

I wonder what is the mad rush some divers have to move so quickly from recreational to "tech" diving? I'm not saying you shouldn't be learning something every time you dive, or continuing dive education...but I think a lot of people bypass much of what we dive for as recreational divers in the persuit of "deeper and longer."

All of our training in recreational diving tells us NOT to exceed the parameters of recreational diving...we all know what those limits are. Yet the first thing so many divers want to do after some advanced recreational training is to figure out how to exceed those limits.

There are so many places to go and so many things to see <130fsw. What's the rush to go >130fsw where there's little light, less coral, etc? If it's done correctly, planned deco diving is so much about the equipment, gas management, and the dive plan that there seems little time to...actually enjoy the dive...go sightseeing, etc. What's the attraction?

Finally, deep, tech, wreck and cavern diving put you in a whole different risk category. You are putting yourself in the realm of pro divers, generally without the support structure upon which pro divers rely (like a deco chamber on the ship directly above you!). So again, why do it?

I wonder...with less than 200 lifetime dives...have you been everywhere in the world and seen all there is to see and learned all there is to learn <130fsw on one tank?

What's wrong with being a recreational diver?

There is nothing wrong with remaining rec. There is nothing wrong with going tech, cave, wreck penetration, cold water, drysuit, underwater tap dancing, or any other side of this sport that interests a person. OK, maybe I'm pushing it with the tap dancing!

Also keep in mind, not every evolution of a diver in this sport requires a new C-card. I went spearfishing for the first time today and I LOVED it! I didn't take a class on it so I have another C-card to find a place to store. I talked to friends who do it, put the word out I was interested, and one of them found me a used gun. Today we went out and fished. I still have a lot to learn about it, but that's the beauty of this sport. There is always something to learn! The only thing wrong with engaging in ANY aspect of this sport is doing it the wrong way, with the wrong gear, or for the wrong reasons. As long as you are enjoying yourself and not subjecting yourself to any more risk than is necessary (i.e. diving within your training and experience, along with the proper gear), there is nothing wrong! The key concept here is to enjoy yourself and not get hung up on collecting C-cards like so many unfortunately do.