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You do not have to dive deep, usually you can find the best diving in shallow water. Because in shallow water the light is often better. The deeper you go, the more sunlight is absorbed, and the less you will see, if you do not bring a torch. This has also consequences for the marine growth. When you dive coral reefs, you will find the best coral between zero and ten meter, because at this depth the light offers the best conditions for coral to grow. Sometimes you have to dive deep to see the most interesting part of the dive-site. When there is for instance a shipwreck lying at 28 meters depth, you will obviously have to dive that deep to see it. There are other reasons to dive deep. Once you have dived at a spot several times, you probably get curious about what you can find when you take a deeper route. Maybe there are special bottom formations to be seen at depth. Often there are good reasons to dive deep. There is nothing wrong with wanting to dive deep. But it is important that you realize that in general the best diving is shallow diving. And that diving deep just to go deep, without a special reason, is a recipe for accidents. You then clearly dive for the wrong reasons. Some organizations stimulate this "deep diving focus" by aiming their marketing strategy on handing out plastic cards that show how deep you can dive. The more courses you do, and the more stars or cards you have, the deeper you can dive. This creates myths like this one. Of the more then thousand dives I have done the best dive was in Hout Bay, South Africa. A dive-site with a beautiful kelp forest and some interesting rock formations, crowded with small sharks and stingrays. The average depth of the dive was eight meters.
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