Hit 500 commercial dives Thursday, numbers got me thinking

I logged my 500th commercial dive off the rig near Port Fourchon. That number felt huge but also small when I did the math. 500 dives at average 80 feet each, that's 40,000 feet of salt water over my head. Some guys hit 500 in 3 years, I took 8 because of slowdowns and injuries. My first dive was a mud job in a harbor, visibility zero, I almost quit. Now I'm the guy new divers ask for advice. But here's the debate: does hitting a milestone like this actually prove anything about skill, or is it just showing up? I know a diver with 200 dives I'd trust over a guy with 800 who cuts corners. What number did you hit that made you stop and question your own experience?

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elliotc1024d ago

Man, that math really puts things in perspective. I hit 300 a few years back and realized half of those were so routine I couldn't tell you one from the other, which honestly scared me more than the sketchy ones. The number that matters is how many times you've had to think your way out of a bad spot, and that's not something a logbook can measure.