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I am an open water diver.I have approximately a 100 dives .Done a lot of diving on controlled dives in carribean.I mostly paddle around in local lakes and even jump in my pool for a quick scuba fix.
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Greg - 6/30/2016 3:40 PM
From tenball: I am an open water diver.I have approximately a 100 dives .Done a lot of diving on controlled dives in carribean.I mostly paddle around in local lakes and even jump in my pool for a quick scuba fix. So what Experience level would you say you are? What about the other Experience levels? What experience/number of dives would you need at each of the 4 levels I mentioned?
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Don’t worry so much about it. Pick one that you feel fits your diving abilities and just dive. I dive with a lot of newer divers and enjoy it a lot. I love the excitement that they have when they have done or saw something new.
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I suggest removing references to the number of courses taken. I have just under 800 logged dives, but have only taken 4 official courses.
The number of logged dives really doesn’t indicate much of anything. A buddy of mine has reached 1000, but is not comfortable in the water and seems very unsure of himself. He enjoys wearing the latest dive toys, and insists on looking like a Christmas tree on every dive. He can’t reach half of his gear while underwater! If he dives at a site where I happen to be, and asks me to buddy-up, I’ll be glad to join him. But please don’t ask me to take the initiative!
Here is how I would spell out the categories:
Novice - Newly certified divers that have completed an entry level course. They are committed to improving their trim, buoyancy control, and overall dive skills, but often demonstrate exaggerated responses to minor stress-related situations.
Proficient - Divers with a little more direct experience especially within a couple of different dive surroundings (e.g. freshwater v saltwater, low viz environments, etc.). Proper responses during minor stress-related situations is increasing.
Advanced - Divers that are comfortable in the water, know their gear inside and out, and demonstrate consistent and proper mental and physical adjustments to a variety of dive environments. They are becoming increasingly self-confident and honing their responses to minor, and often serious, stress-related situations.
Expert - Professional divers, dive masters, assistant instructors, instructors, etc. These divers take the initiative to learn about and experience a wide variety of dive conditions, environments, and dive gear, and have mastered their responses to minor, and often serious, stress-related situations.
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Agojo - 7/01/2016 12:45 PM
Agree with Airworks except Expert wouldn’t have to be a profesional. I know a few professionals that have limited experiences, i.e. No open salt water experience and/or not competent! It’s all about different experiences and what you take from them!
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I like Airworks leveling....he obviously put some thought into it!
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I would never try to classify divers .I would not believe any of them anyway.I make my own personal judgments when I dive with them.
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while I could classify myself as expert, I would do so with the following caveat: continually learning and/or adapting to various dive environments/conditions.
not all dives are sunny, warm and full of self made videos. But if there are large pelagics around, then high waves, algae blooms, vomit, or rainy days will not hold me back (most of the time anyway..lol)...
I hope this helps...
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Agree with Airworks. It all depends on the experience. We have to be honest with ourselves, and our buddies. A diver can have the experience of 100 different dives, or the same dive 100 times. Those are two completely different experience levels.
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I think the "Certs" section of the profile is helpful it would also be nice to have a "number of dives" like scubaboard does on the profile.
Then the label is less of an issue..
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In the book "Diver Down" there is a chapter with phrase. "Beware of the inexperienced Expert", So true. When I first started diving and had 20 or so dives the Advanced cert. I thought of myself as a Diver. When I logged my 100th dive, I really thought that I was hot stuff. About a thousand dives after that. In dawned on me that I was such and idiot back then. 500 dives after that there is still so much more to learn. My advice to new divers these days is. Take some classes, get as much bottom time as you can and like the book says "Beware of the Inexperienced Expert". Find a buddy or an instructor who has learned from their mistakes.
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