PREFERRED DEPTH (PART 2)

[ponybottle]

HI All

Following on from the Preferred Depth Range poll an anaylsis of the bar chart is very interesting.

The graph is approaching what statisticians call a normal bell-shape distribution but there is a very noticable spike of almost 20% at the end where divers have expressed a preference for descents beyond 60mtrs

Now, a descent to 60 mtrs is where the other 80% either will not go or they at least draw the line at that point so, what is the attraction for the 20% ?

Is it wrecks ? the technical challenge? have the time /can afford it ? you've exhausted all other challenges in your diving career?

Something significant has to draw you to a sport where the majority of your time is spent hanging off a rope in a dark limbo.

So, you near-godlike-folk-of-60mtrs-plus-who-we-other-poor-soggy-mortals-gawp-at-in-wonder-and-frank-amaze!........ what's your excuse ?

Over to you.

Chris

[Garf]

Becuase wrecks i9n that depth range around the UK tend to be in better condition than those in the shallows.

[DevonDiver]

Ditto what Garf said. Deeper wrecks tend to be better preserved and haven't suffered the impacts of 1000's of divers stripping them bare.

[stevechesh]

In addition to the quotes below - there are still a lot of charted/uncharted and undived wrecks in this depth range. A lot of hard work and research will get you to them, so i suppose it's the possibility of being one of the first on a wreck that does it for me.

Originally Posted by Garf

Becuase wrecks in that depth range around the UK tend to be in better condition than those in the shallows.

yep

Originally Posted by DevonDiver

Ditto what Garf said. Deeper wrecks tend to be better preserved .

yep

Originally Posted by DevonDiver

and haven't suffered the impacts of 1000's of divers stripping them bare.

Not intending to start an argument, but just trying to put another point of view across - Divers have very little impact on the "damage" caused to wrecks. A lot of wrecks particularly on the south coast, have been heavily salvaged by the companies like Rizdon Beazley and Sorima using explosives and grabs.

I believe the Scylla has already lost the hangar roof, which also has very little to do with divers, and more to do with the effects of weather and corrosion in salt water.....

[Mark Chase]

The two main reasons are viz and condition of the wreck. Any wreck in the lanes lass than 40m will be swept. Most shallow wrecks will be smashed up by tides.

Going mid channel will often give vast improvements in sea condition so if your up for 50m+ diving you can generally get better viz on the mid channel to French side wrecks.


As for God like divers doing 60m+? Its just a dive. Once you have overcome the hebe-jeebys surrounding decompression it starts to come down to how boord on deco your willing to get and how cold it is.

I look on any dive in terms of overall in water time. Depth is not relevant.

Which do you consider more hazardous? A 3 hour dive max depth 100m on a wall in Egypt or a three hour dive max depth 50m on a shipwreck in the UK?

For me it would be the wreck dive in 50m.

Deep diving on wrecks is dangerous in that if something goes wrong at great depth you will be racking up big deco and munching through gas. This issue can be avoided by diving a CCR.

ATB

Mark

[ChristianG]

Originally Posted by stevechesh

Divers have very little impact on the "damage" caused to wrecks. A lot of wrecks particularly on the south coast, have been heavily salvaged by the companies like Rizdon Beazley and Sorima using explosives and grabs.

I believe the Scylla has already lost the hangar roof, which also has very little to do with divers, and more to do with the effects of weather and corrosion in salt water.....

I don't (obviously) know Steve, but could the corrosion of that hangar roof have been exacerbated by diver air/O2?

[stevechesh]

Originally Posted by ChristianG

I don't (obviously) know Steve, but could the corrosion of that hangar roof have been exacerbated by diver air/O2?

Hi Christian,

I'd imagine that has played a part in it for sure, but Whitsand Bay is fairly open to any of the rough weather that comes in from the Atlantic, si i suspect it's a combination of the two........

[DevonDiver]

Originally Posted by stevechesh

Not intending to start an argument, but just trying to put another point of view across - Divers have very little impact on the "damage" caused to wrecks. A lot of wrecks particularly on the south coast, have been heavily salvaged by the companies like Rizdon Beazley and Sorima using explosives and grabs.

No arguement...I phrased it badly. Apart from those divers who go equipped with crowbars, I agree it would be difficult for a diver to physically damage a wreck. What I meant was that any commonly dived wreck is likely to be devoid of any interesting (and removable) features. Plus..(a big plus), there are still wrecks - beyond recreational depths - that have never been dived before. Virgin wrecks are the best buzz.

[Narked@50]

Originally Posted by ponybottle

HI All

The graph is approaching what statisticians call a normal bell-shape distribution but there is a very noticable spike of almost 20% at the end where divers have expressed a preference for descents beyond 60mtrs. So, you near-godlike-folk-of-60mtrs-plus-who-we-other-poor-soggy-mortals-gawp-at-in-wonder-and-frank-amaze!........ what's your excuse ?

Over to you.

Chris

I think comments like this are a little unfair Chris.

I will admit straight away not to have read all the 138 posts before mine, so excuse me if it has already been said - However.....................

This is probably the busiest active divers forum in the UK. Many of the folk on here have been posting for years and have worked there way to the "god like status of 60m plus", I know quite a few of them. If you took the same poll on a flight to the Red Sea I think you would find the results rather different.

Funny thing about statistics, asking the right/wrong question to the right/wrong people can give you a right/wrong answer

I think you need to do some more research on your research.

James

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by Narked@50

I think comments like this are a little unfair Chris.

I will admit straight away not to have read all the 138 posts before mine, so excuse me if it has already been said - However.....................

This is probably the busiest active divers forum in the UK. Many of the folk on here have been posting for years and have worked there way to the "god like status of 60m plus", I know quite a few of them. If you took the same poll on a flight to the Red Sea I think you would find the results rather different.

Funny thing about statistics, asking the right/wrong question to the right/wrong people can give you a right/wrong answer

I think you need to do some more research on your research.

James

Mind you in my case he was spot on

I am a God

Just ask the wife

ATB

Mark