How deep?

[Steve Sub]

Originally Posted by rossc

Yep that was me

Cool! Hi Ross, was good to meet you!

[NotDeadYet]

Originally Posted by Juz

For clarity, I agree with Stuart, my 101m dive was actually very dull, BUT, and for me this is a big but, part of the enjoyment of diving is in the planning, I greatly enjoyed the months of planning and build up.

I'd written something similar and then decided not to post it. I agree with that, there is a lot of satisfaction in how you got there rather than what you did when you are there. I used to do a bit of climbing, nothing major, Scottish winter stuff. Again, a completely pointless activity because once you get to the top you're either in mist or it's too cold/windy/wet to want to hang around. The enjoyment was in the getting there, not the being there. Climbers take the piss out of via ferratta but at least you get something to look at without spending all your time thinking about what you're doing and how you're doing it.

I do still enjoy the technical aspect of how to get to where I want to go and that's probably one of the things that drew me to cave diving, probably one of the most pointless of all activities, because the planning side forms a major part of it once you get beyond the range of a twinset. It makes you think, it isn't just strapping a cylinder on and going and watching your gauges.

[ShinyD]

Started diving June 8th last year, and deepest dive was in December on the Rosalie Moller at 40.2m to the prop on a single 15l. Not much fun as there wasn't much time at that depth.

Best dives are in the 5-20m range pootling around off Chesil - nice and warm and lots to look at.

I prefer anything down to the 20m mark as I can get a decent dive time and there's usually plenty of things to look at.

[Digger]

FWIW, deep diving is just another type of diving for me. Cave, wreck, reef, drift, all come with different challenges, so does deep diving.

I don't mind sharing I beat Juz by a metre in Dotty, but the reality is it is a different measure of diver.

Would anyone have heard of Mark Ellyatt if he didn't do dives to 150m+? Probably not. It's not news to go out and dive a wreck that no-one has dived before in 20m of water. 120m of water and there's a massive logistical challenge which is interesting to read about.

Yes, I measure people's diving ability by the depths they have done sometimes. If someone tells me they have done hundreds of 80m+ dives I know they are of a certain standard. Diving deep isn't the only way to earn that label from me, there's plenty of divers I have seen who have probably never been deeper than 40m who I think are incredibly good divers. Whether I trust them on a deep dive comes down to experience though.

If the question is "How deep have YDers been?" as opposed to "Who's got the biggest balls?" then fair's fair for me. If you want to know who's got the biggest balls then diving deep doesn't prove that. Getting 6' deep in shit is much worse than 100m in water. And preferably if it wasn't caused by your own ineptitude that makes it a story worth hearing. If it was caused by your own ineptitude then that just makes it funny.

I would like to do more deep diving, but just haven't been in the water enough in the last 6 months. Getting more diving in now, so the build up is back on, but I don't think I'd ever do 100m in a quarry again. There's no point other than to do it for the experience. And there's more worthwhile experience to be gained for me.

Digs.

[nomis]

I think I would be the winner of the saddest deep dive competition. To-date my "record" is 34.2m The bottom of Nemo33

[SilvaFish]

Deepest dive - Thomas canyon archway (1st one), 44.5m on a single 12l plus pony.
Most exciting 'dive', 5.2l air at 1atm (ie one lungful!), around 45 seconds, maybe a smidgen more pulled myself down a mooring line and came within touching the top of the Thistlegorm. The best bit was letting go of the rope at the bottom and accelerating to the surface, yet still have a bit of time to look around and marvel at the sheer space and freedom of it all!

[hilrosepaul]

Last dive max13.4m @ Capernwray a few weeks ago (the best bit was being able to hover in about 50cm of water)

Deepest Dive 20m-ish - Cap Vermell, Majorca

Favourite Dive Tarifa, Spain, Mediterranean side. Max Depth 10.6m

Details here: http://www.diverecord.com/DiverHome.asp?p=f&f=ou

[Naomi S]

Originally Posted by SilvaFish

Deepest dive - Thomas canyon archway (1st one), 44.5m on a single 12l plus pony.
Most exciting 'dive', 5.2l air at 1atm (ie one lungful!), around 45 seconds, maybe a smidgen more pulled myself down a mooring line and came within touching the top of the Thistlegorm. The best bit was letting go of the rope at the bottom and accelerating to the surface, yet still have a bit of time to look around and marvel at the sheer space and freedom of it all!

That's impressive! I wonder how deep i could go free diving? I may have to find out somewhen. ie when it gets warmer or when on holiday. i may have tried it (pulling myself down a mooring line) with a dry suit on and didnt get very far needless to say!

[Buoyant Babe]

My last five dives were all 5.7m...but then I was nailing shutdowns in Ellerton last weekend with Moz

Deepest to date - 40m in Turkey and in 'reefie with the lovely Kirstie.

In the UK, 36m on twin 12s in Stoney, 31m in the Sea.

[Mal Bridgeman]

Originally Posted by Naomi S

That's impressive! I wonder how deep i could go free diving? I may have to find out somewhen. ie when it gets warmer or when on holiday. i may have tried it (pulling myself down a mooring line) with a dry suit on and didnt get very far needless to say!

You'd better not start a "competitive" thread asking about freediving else you might find this person chips in and whips all our proverbial @sses
Mal