Once you are certified, there are many kinds of diving you can choose to do, some requiring
further specialised training and some not. One of the greatest things about diving is the variety. Not just in terms of marine life and the marine environment, but in terms of the different varieties of diving itself, whether it be
wreck diving, cave diving, drift diving, night diving, technical diving, or any other kind of diving for that matter. One day you can be swimming along a reef wall 30 metres down in the deep blue sea, the next exploring the cabins of a sunken battleship, or even (for those more adventurous amongst you) going all technical and descending to over a hundred metres to see what lurks in the depths.
Here we provide a brief overview of some of the different types of diving. If you want to find out more about any of these, don’t hesitate to
contact us.We are always happy to talk.
Wreck Diving
Though in this day and age you are highly unlikely to discover a lost shipwreck laden with Spanish doubloons, rusty chests full of rubies and pirate booty, wreck diving still presents one of the most exhilarating and unique experiences for divers. It involves a dive targeted at a sunken vessel which could be anything from an intentionally sunken rig to a World War II battleship. Wrecks often act as man-made reefs, and are home to an abundance of fish seeking shelter from predators, so an ideal place to see unusual or elusive species of marine life.
Depending on your level of certification, you will be able to experience wreck diving in different ways. To enter enclosed spaces within vessels you will need to have at least an advanced certification as structures can often be brittle, imbalanced or unstable, with poor visibility.
Cave Diving
For experienced divers wanting to try something completely different, cave diving is fascinating and exhilarating. Diving in a cave is unlike anything you've ever experienced - similar to spelunking (‘normal’ cave exploration), but with the added thrill of being underwater. A cave system is almost never a simple series of rooms connected along an easy path; cave systems are complex mazes of many passages. Imagine entering an underwater room and looking back to see that there is not one, but dozens of passages that all look similar, not knowing which way leads back to the entrance. That might not sound that enticing, but under the guidance of a professional it is perfectly safe.
The interiors of caves are beautiful. As you enter an underwater cave the first sensations are excitement and awe. Many underwater caves look quite boring from the outside, but once you get inside the beauty and serenity will astound you. The water in caves is not stirred by waves or tides, so it is so incredibly clear. In fact, you may forget you are underwater and instead feel like you are floating.
Aside from the regular scuba equipment, for cave diving you will need an underwater torch or underwater light. Once you are past the entrance you will not be able to see without it. The darkness is absolute. The only light will be what light you bring with you.
Drift Diving
Drift diving is a popular form of diving that is defined not by equipment or technique but by the currents caused by the tides. It is one of the most relaxing and pleasant diving experiences. Whereas when diving with little or no current you exert yourself by swimming to move around the site, in drift diving you feel that you are flying and are able to cover large distances underwater. This may allow you to see more habitats and formations than you would be able to see on regular dives, although your ability to stop and stare if you see something interesting is significantly reduced.
Currents are often stronger than they seem at first glance both above and below the water so it is important to do some basic training prior to embarking on a drift dive. The strong currents also dictate the way you will dive, with most drift dives taking place from an unanchored boat as you may end up surfacing some distance from your point of entry. Once mastered it can be the most relaxing form of diving as you sweep past the underground scenery.
Night Diving
For those of us unlikely ever to work for the secret service, night diving provides that extra bit of James Bond fantasy. The whole experience of kitting up at night and entering into the dark ocean feels incredibly exciting, and that’s before you’ve even descended into the darkness and a very different underwater world from that of diving during the day. It is not nearly as frightening as you may think, and can become incredibly relaxing as your area of focus is limited to the small circle of light cast by your torch so focuses the concentration.
Many marine animals are nocturnal, and diving at night (with the aid of a good torch, of course) will allow you to see animals and behaviours that you would otherwise not be able to see, such as molluscs and crustaceans. Another sight not to be missed is bioluminescence, a chemical reaction that causes some plankton to emit light when moved. This can occur almost anywhere, and if it does while you are diving, it is a magical experience to turn your torch of, move your hands around, and watch what look like thousands of tiny stars swirl around you.
You will need to have at least your Advanced certificate to dive at night. There is not much extra training, but you do need to be aware of certain hazards such as navigation and equipment.
Technical Diving
If you find yourself wanting to get involved in more extreme scuba diving you should consider gaining some technical diving qualifications. Technical diving can be defined in a number of ways and encompasses many different elements, but the most common technical diving involves going deeper than would be possible using recreational diving techniques.
Recreational divers can descend no deeper than 40 metres and are advised not to go below 30. The deep divers pushing the sport to the limits have been as deep as 330 metres on scuba though only a handful of people have are known to have ever made it below 240 metres, fewer - it is claimed - than the number of people who have walked on the moon!
To pursue this form of diving, you will need to take a range of courses that predominantly focus on the use of different gas mixes for breathing, such as trimix, heliox and heliair. Oxygen can quickly become toxic if breathed deeper than 55 metres, and nitrogen can become narcotic. Therefore it is important to reduce the levels of oxygen and nitrogen below the concentration found in regular air. To do this, helium is introduced into the mix.
Another major consideration with technical diving is the need for decompression stops which are periods of time you must spend at a constant depth in shallow water at the end of a dive to safely eliminate absorbed inert gases from the body to avoid decompression sickness. The deeper and longer you go, the more you will have to stop.
Technical diving requires a lot of training and expense and also involves a far higher level of risk than recreational diving. However, if practiced safely, it can be a very rewarding experience.
