Northwest Dive Club

I've realized I am. The first couple of years that I was diving, I dove in ANYTHING if I could find someone with whom to dive. This year, I'm just having a horrible time getting up the motivation to go diving in the goo. I've made a couple of dives with somebody I'm doing some mentoring with, and a couple in Lake Washington (where the viz of late is BETTER than the sound) and a couple fantastic dives out in the Straits (where it isn't gooey). But driving through afternoon traffic to get to Cove 2 or Redondo, to dive in stuff where you have to have your nose on the bottom to see the bottom, just isn't doing it for me.

Anybody else find that, after several years of diving, they get pickier about the conditions?

LCF wrote:I've realized I am. The first couple of years that I was diving, I dove in ANYTHING if I could find someone with whom to dive. This year, I'm just having a horrible time getting up the motivation to go diving in the goo. I've made a couple of dives with somebody I'm doing some mentoring with, and a couple in Lake Washington (where the viz of late is BETTER than the sound) and a couple fantastic dives out in the Straits (where it isn't gooey). But driving through afternoon traffic to get to Cove 2 or Redondo, to dive in stuff where you have to have your nose on the bottom to see the bottom, just isn't doing it for me.

Anybody else find that, after several years of diving, they get pickier about the conditions?

Sixteen plus years and I still had a great time this morning at Les Davis.

LCF wrote:Anybody else find that, after several years of diving, they get pickier about the conditions?

Yes, absolutely. Especially the after-work dives that require the epic battle on I-5 to get to ANYPLACE from my office in Wallingford. As I dive more often around here, I'm finding that I'm really not much of a hard-core cold water diver, though. Conditions have to be pretty good to entice me to wrestle with all my heavy gear, even on the weekends.

During these periods of craptastic viz, I'm much more likely to show up only for the social aspect of the SI.

I'm not even sure how to answer this question.

-Eric

LCF wrote:Anybody else find that, after several years of diving, they get pickier about the conditions?

Yes. Noticed it after my first trip to the Philippines. Then a trip to Browning Pass sealed my fate.

Sockmonkey wrote:I'm not even sure how to answer this question.

-Eric

I hate you so bad.

This really doesn't have to do with cold water, for me . . . after our last trip to Maui, I sat on the plane and reflected on the fact that the very best, most mind-blowing goosebump-raising diving I had done was all in cold water.

But I hate low viz. I've always hated it, and although I'm cool with ten feet nowadays, anything below that and I'd rather do yard work.

One of the great things for me was that I started diving with a camera. My camera is a mid level point and shoot, so it has limitations and I tend to shoot a lot of macro. I used to care about the viz much more than I do now. I see things that I didn't notice before, even in poor viz.

Trust me when I say that I'll take 150 feet in Cozumel or 75 feet in Browning Pass any day. But as time has gone on I am much less fussy about the viz than I used to be.

i don't have the luxury of being as picky about when i can dive, so if i can read my gauges, and see my buddy's light, i'm having a good time.

i like all diving...

I think i've only thumbed one, maybe two dives in... ~5000 due to vis (meaning we descended and it was so bad i just said "f-this shite".

I did turn a scooter dive with Lamont due to vis, but we were already nearly half hour into it, so that doesn't really count we just got tired of scootering into a snowstorm

And being ever the optimist, i even take the video camera on most

here are screen grabs from today...

LCF wrote:But I hate low viz. I've always hated it, and although I'm cool with ten feet nowadays, anything below that and I'd rather do yard work.

There are a few days I'd rather do yard work, but low vis generally doesn't define them. We had ~3-4ft on the surface at China Wall last week - couldn't see my knees. It was 15ft below 60ft and we found 3 octos, a red bortula, and a big decorated warbonnet just sitting out (among other "ordinary" things) so it was a pretty cool dive. I don't think I've ever actually called a dive solely due to vis, although I have called dives a bit early in crappy vis when we can't find what we were actually diving for!

I just think of poor vis = night dives. With a good light, I can still enjoy just about any kind of vis. Thanks to H20 Doc.
But after going to Bonaire...

I still like night dives the best. With all of the schmutz in the water the Bio- Luminescents is awesome!

Take time to block out your lights at your safety stops and watch the magic appear as you wave your hands in the water column.

Just be careful not to get carried away like I did one time, as I slapped MZ in the head!

BASSMAN wrote:...Just be careful not to get carried away like I did one time, as I slapped MZ in the head!

It's ok. I figured it was payback for the alaska trip pictures of you that I doctored up....

NO, I kind of like the mystery of what critters are going to appear next out of the muck.

Sockmonkey wrote:I'm not even sure how to answer this question.

-Eric

+1 for hating Sock. :angry:

BASSMAN wrote:But after going to Bonaire...

Surely Keith feels a little bit of my pain now?!? Wait till you get to Nootka Sound or Browning Pass.... I didn't know what I was missing before, now I do.

OK - I admit it. Yesterday was dive #555 and I have almost become a warm watter wuss and a viz snob.

The first step to change and getting help is admitting you have a problem, so there - I admitted it.

But before they pile on and start flippin' me crap I need to say that I've noticed alot of my long time dive buddies (including some that have posted in this thread!) doing only one dive instead of the usual two, and not being quite as "eager" to jump in the water. You know who you are!

That being said, I need therapy. I agree with those who make the best of the viz, and I will be dving locally, hopefully alot but I'm just not as excited about dropping into 3' viz and the schmutz as I used to be.

Can the return of "good" viz be too far away?

My suggestion is to come up with objectives for the dive that are not visibility dependent. As long as I have an objective I have a fun dive. Even if I fail. The fact that there was something to strive for is usually enough to keep it interesting. It's when I'm in the water hoping I come up with an objective on-the-fly that things can be less fun. Fun is a choice, and it helps if there is a plan.

Examples:
Create a navigational challenge. The worse the viz, the better. (i.e., challenge is fun)
Select a specific critter to find and photograph well. Focusing on your 'mission' you'll likely forget all about the viz.

Personally I go for the second one for the most part. Makes me feel like there is purpose.
I don't know if it will work for everybody, but I get some value out of it. Lynne, I know you don't like to photograph, so substitute a reef survey or even just mental confirmation that you found what you were looking for. Again, just an idea.

-Ben

I don't think I've ever called a dive because of bad viz or refused to do a second planned dive.

However, if I know that regular reports are coming in that the viz is 5' or less I tend to stay home. I dive often enough that I waiting a few days isn't going to bother me and I use that time to get to the other things I've been neglecting. I have plenty of non-diving friends who complain that I never have time for them, and with a new house I have plenty of house/yard related stuff to do. Yay yardwork!

Penopolypants wrote:I don't think I've ever called a dive because of bad viz or refused to do a second planned dive.

However, if I know that regular reports are coming in that the viz is 5' or less I tend to stay home. I dive often enough that I waiting a few days isn't going to bother me and I use that time to get to the other things I've been neglecting.

HAH! I call FOUL! Or DENIAL! Or something like that....

Not diving because of viz reports and calling dives because of viz are the same thing!

Don't EVEN try the "I dive often enough that waiting a few days isn't going to bother me...." stuff. Our bad Spring viz lasts MONTHS around here!

You too are becoming a viz snob! Admit it! It's the only way you'll ever get better!

(This is Tom thinking that misery loves company and wanting some company...)

Tom Nic wrote: (This is Tom thinking that misery loves company and wanting some company...)

Aww....

Better?

Penelope, I'm with you. Once I'm THERE, with gear and all, or in the water, I pretty much do the dive, although it may be shorter than planned if the viz is horrible. But it's getting motivated to pack the car and drive when you know how yucky it's going to be.

Ben, the one redeeming feature of super low viz is that it makes my whole DIVE a midwater exercise. I hadn't really thought about it, but that may be one of the reasons I'm not hot on the experience -- I'm coping with some disorientation the entire time. I cope with it way better than I used to, but it still isn't fun!

airsix wrote:My suggestion is to come up with objectives for the dive that are not visibility dependent.

on every dive i do, my primary objective is to breathe underwater. so far, i have met my objective every time.

I'm like Spat- it's a bit of a haul for me to go so once it's decided, we WILL be diving, whatever the viz is. That said, when I hear about awful viz, it does make me consider if I want to spend the money and time to make a go of it.

Awww, who am I kidding.... we usually go anyway

I agree tho- I think we *must* be getting toward the time of good viz again, right?

Our last dive in the San Jaun's recently was pretty craptastic for viz but I did see some of the more cool stuff and a lot of it on that dive so I liked it as much or more as when I could see a bit farther.

Penopolypants wrote:

Tom Nic wrote: (This is Tom thinking that misery loves company and wanting some company...)

Aww....

Better?

Much better. Sniff... Much better.

Thanks.

Tom Nic wrote:OK - I admit it....I have almost become a warm watter wuss and a viz snob.

Tom, you say this like it is a bad thing.

lizard0924 wrote:

Tom Nic wrote:OK - I admit it....I have almost become a warm watter wuss and a viz snob.

Tom, you say this like it is a bad thing.

It IS a bad thing!

We are tough PNW Green & Cold Water Divers! :naka:

We are NOT warm watter wussies, and we diss such wussies at every opportunity!

(OK, at least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
....for now.
....kinda.
at least until it's time to go back to Bonaire.
Or Nootka. Or Browning Pass.

Or maybe a first time trip to Indonesia?!

Yeah.

...that's my story.)

spatman wrote:

airsix wrote:My suggestion is to come up with objectives for the dive that are not visibility dependent.

on every dive i do, my primary objective is to breathe underwater. so far, i have met my objective every time.

And a wonderful job you've been doing! In fact we've been discussing this and feel you are ready to progress to the next level in your training. It's called swimming. I know it's a big jump from breathing, but we're here for you. It's going to be just fine. We're going to take it nice and slow.