Diver Advancement

I learned to dive in 1976, back then, there were no pony bottles, and not all divers had submersible pressure gauges (sea vue gages). Diving has advanced greatly since then. The gear is better, with more selection. There have been tremendous advances in decompression theory, dive computers, and advanced training. We now have Nitrox, Trimix, and accelerated decompression tables. All of this is great, but I believe in the diving basics. To put it simply, Dive, Dive, Dive. Experience is one of the greatest teachers in diving. To gain experience divers need to make a lot of dives on wrecks that are in the 50 100 Ft. range. This depth range allows for fairly long bottom times with a single tank, on wrecks that are easy, comfortable dives. Always diving deeper, and scaring the piss out of yourself, is not the way to advance as a diver. Advancement in diving can't be bought at the dive shop, it can't be gotten by just, taking a class, it doesn't come from buying new gear. It has to be EARNED one dive at a time. It comes from spending time in the water.

What exactly is experience?? Why is it important? My good friend, Captain Steve Bielenda explains it this way. Experience is like a back pack, that is with you all the time. Every time you dive, you put a little into it. Slowly, over many dives it starts to fill up. If you have something happen on a dive that jams you up, something simple like getting your goody bag unclipped, to a major problem, you can draw on that experience, pulling the solution to some similar experience out of the back pack, to help yourself. The more experience you have in your back pack, the more stuff/tools you have to work with.

Once, many seasons ago, on a shallow wreck off of Jersey, I saw the anchor pull loose from the wreck. I did not know what to do. I started to ascend the line, before it was lost. I was about 20 Ft up the line, when a much more experienced diver came along. The hook was now a little off the wreck, out in the sand. Thinking quickly, he found a piece of “pot warp” used to secure lobster pots. He tied one end to the wreck, and the other to the hook. This kept the boat hooked to the wreck so the other divers could get back to the boat. BOOM this went into my back pack. Fast forward about 18 seasons. I usually wrap the anchor chain into the wreck & clip it to it’s self using a carabineer when setting the hook. On this day there was no carabineer. The wreck was 130 Ft. deep, so running right back up to the top was not a good option. That day way back when, pooped into my head, probably because I saw pot warp on the wreck. I cut a piece of it and used it in place of the carabineer. Problem solved !!

I use Trimix for some deep dives. Through experience, I know the feel of it through a regulator. It is cooler and breathes easier than air. A few months ago, I jumped in on a shallow night dive. As I took a few breaths off the regulator, I knew it was not just air, but Trimix. I pulled my head up out of the water, and spoke. I had the classic Mickey Mouse helium voice. It was Trimix, not air. Trimix has a different no-deco time than air. I could have gotten bent using air tables with Trimix. Once I knew it was Trimix, I just adjusted my tables, and made the dive. Back on the boat latter, I saw the tanks were marked but not as obviously as they could have been. On this dive, stuff came out of, & went into, my back pack at the same time. I now take the time to label my Trimix tanks much better. This kind of experience develops over time, with a lot of dives.

New divers are often in a rush to push themselves deeper than they should go, and get into double tanks right away. I believe they are doing themselves a dis-service. I made at least 100 - 130 dives before venturing into doubles. Generally new/newer divers use a lot of air. They also get on dives that are over 80 - 90 Ft. , again using air faster. It is almost natural for them to want to get doubles to dive longer. But if they were to put in the time to do 30 - 40 dives no deeper than 90 Ft. or so, they would see their air consumption decrease as they gain experience, and get more comfortable in the water. They would not be burdened with a lot of extra gear & become task loaded. The wrecks have been there a long time, they are not going anywhere. Take it slow, make a lot of beginner/ intermediate dives with a single & a pony. Get used to the gear you have before buying more. I tell divers to spend the money on going diving instead of on a lot of extra gear, right away. After they make a bunch of dives, they will be better able to decide which gear they really need. Add new gear slowly. It just doesn’t make sense to jump in with 5 new pieces of gear at once. Take one or two pieces at a time, dive with them a few times, then add or change another item.

If you look at a photo of me diving from 10-15 years ago, other than the color of my Unisuit, or the particular set of doubles I am wearing, I look the same as today. Once you get a gear configuration you like, stay with it. You may want to tweak it a little here & there, but not change it radically. I often see newer divers having some kind of gear dilemma on the boat, particularly with regards to rigging their equipment. I go over to help, and find out they have completely changed their set up. If you keep making radical changes, you never get comfortable with any of them. I dive the same set up on every dive, deep shallow, day, or night. I just add or subtract a stage bottle for really deep Trimix dives. This way I am as used to this set up as can be. If I make a change, it is just one, & usually a small one. I recently found an HID cannister light I like. I have always dove a hand held light. This will be a change for me. I will try it a few dives & see how it works out. If it is no good, back to the hand held.

Once you have found a configuration you like, set up your gear to make it all the same. Most divers these days are using a back plate with harness, & gear clipped to it, with wings. If that’s what you like, great. Now purchase a second complete setup, so you do not have to move that all over from tank, to tank on a rocking, rolling dive boat, Just move the regs, and you’re set to go. If you decide to tweak your set up, alter just one of them, try it out a few times, then duplicate it on the second set up.

Advancement in diving takes time, be patient. Having a more experienced dive buddy can help too. If you like the way their gear is, copy is. When you are out on boats, look at what other people are using, ask questions. Find out why they do something a particular way. If you see something you like, again, copy it & try it out. There will be a lot of experimenting with stuff when you start out. Over time you will zero in on what works best for you.

Once you have some dives under your belt, you can really appreciate an advanced courses like photography, spear fishing, or a rescue class. After taking a class, practice those skills. Master them, make a bunch more dives, then think about another course. I have seen people take the open water course one weekend. A week later the advanced class. two weeks latter the Rescue course. With no other diving in between. That is too much, too fast. No way you can really learn, & master this stuff so quickly. Slow down, enjoy the classes, and practice the stuff to get as much out of it as possible.

Hopefully you will have a long and enjoiyable diving carrer. Get it going right with a strong foundation in the basics. Add to your skills slowly ass you progress. In less time than you think, you will become one of the “old salts”, helping out the new-bies, on deck.