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Here's a question since we are talking about required quals. for a given
type of dive.  How does one go about getting that experience if he/she is
denied doing the dives in the first place due to lack of experience?

D Burnworth

----- Original Message -----
From: <RDecker388@ao*.co*>
To: <jimholcomb@x-*.co*>; <techdiver@aquanaut.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 3:14 PM
Subject: Re: Who does the dives???


> In a message dated 10/3/01 11:08:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> jimholcomb@x-*.co* writes:
>
> > Here's some numbers from a lurker - I've got a little over <snip>
>
> Jim, et al,
>
> Logged dives numbers can be really misleading and are not, IMHO, a
reliable
> indicator of skill and/or experience.  If a diver claims 1000 dives, but
> those dives are typically only 20 minutes in duration, it doesn't really
> amount to a lot of experience.  In contrast, someone like you that does a
> fair share of cave diving will frequently log dives of 60 to 90 minutes
> duration, may easily match or exceed the total underwater experience of a
> 1000 dive diver with 300 or so dives.  Compare a 1000 dives on a reef or
in a
> quarry to 200 or 300 dives on deeper wrecks or in caves and there's a vast
> difference in the quality of the experience as well.
>
> Similarly, a single dive to 450 fsw or 12,000 feet back in a cave doesn't
> necessarily mean much either.  Anyone can get lucky once, possibly even 2
or
> 3 times.  Frankly I'd be more impressed with the diver that consistently
logs
> dives in the 100 fsw to 200 fsw range, in quantities of 75 or more dives
per
> year.  Now granted, someone that consistently does dives deeper than 250
fsw
> and/or frequently makes penetrations more than 5000 feet in length on a
> regular basis definately is demonstrating a level of accomplishment worthy
of
> respect.  But an occassional foray past such limits may be as much luck as
> skill.
>
> Personally, I like long bottom times while avoiding rediculously long
hangs
> in the open ocean environment.  As such, I have little desire to go much
> beyond 250 fsw and, having nothing to prove by doing so, haven't bothered
to
> so far.  I probably haven't been much more than 2000 or 3000 ft. from open
> water in any overhead environment.  My dive log shows in excess of 1100
> dives, how many I've failed to log is anyone's guess.  I don't even own a
> scooter.  If that makes me less of a diver, oh well.  If someone wants to
> impress me with dives logged, deepest dive or longest penetration, good
luck.
>  I am not that easily impressed by dog and pony shows.
>
> Bob D.
> owner-NCtechdivers@sportdiverhq.com
> www.SportDiverHQ.com
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