What types of divers last the longest?

[Bob DBF]

Where ever I am in life, good or bad, it is because I did not quit.

Pretty much my story. I have always have made time to dive, sometimes more than others, but diving as much as I could, both SCUBA and free.


Bob

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Where ever I am in life, good or bad, it is because I did not quit. While I had good parents, I am what I am because of me, aside from my parents, I owe nothing to anybody.

N

With me, my mom would have freaked if I had any inclinations to dive early on. My dad, not so sure? he might have been supportive.
I'll never know because both of them were gone before I got into diving.
My first exposure to the coolness of diving was in 3rd grade when one of the kids in my class had a father who dived and had his son diving in Monterey of all places. One day at school they had a show and tell and the father showed up with a bunch of scuba gear and had his kid scuba diving in a water filled garbage can. We were all amazed at this and thought it was the coolest thing ever.
I remember hearing the kid breathing off the reg when he was submerged.
Growing up on the Monterey Penninsula had an influence on me. Not only did I know the kid scuba diving in the garbage can but I also saw divers on the beaches when I was growing up when we would go to the beach. Many times it was Carmel River beach.
It was the 1960's and the divers I saw all had oval masks and shiny metal regs and were all dressed in black. They looked nothing like divers of today. They all wore big knives on their legs and exited the water with a swagger. I remember all this because back then not everybody could be a diver. Divers were like special agents, it required a superior physical prowess, or so we thought. There was a mystique to the whole activity. As kids we didn't know what was down there, they could have told us anything and we would have believed it.
I'm sure all this had an impact on who I am today.
I also am 100% responsible for my destiny as a diver. I knew at a very young age that it was something I would be doing in my adult life.
And what a life!

 

[TMHeimer]

My (11 years) older brother was one of those guys in the 60s. I was very young, but still recall his Mike Nelson-type gettup. He would dive in 15-30' of water for clams in Long Island Sound. After his teen years he stopped diving (don't know why--life I guess) and got seriously into swimming. At 73 he still does 2 or more miles in competitions and often takes home a medal (though an increasing number of his age category competitors are swimming in the big pool in the sky). I don't thing seeing him dive back then affected me 4+ decades later when it was my turn. It was just a curiosity to me back then..

 

[billt4sf]

"Enjoy the journey", is something I have often said to students and new divers.

I believe "diver burn out" has it's cause in a person's initial approach to the sport. I see too many novice divers rushing through the various levels of certification without really becoming complete divers. Some launch into the technical disciplines before mastering the most basic skills. Some get bogged down in the over abundance of scuba gear, believing that there is magic in all the pieces of metal, plastic, and velcro.
They are lost in the woods.

Perhaps many of these lost souls are really just futilely seeking some kind of status or recognition from their fellow divers, in the mistaken belief that this is a competitive endeavor. They forget, or perhaps have never grasped, the true reason why we dive. So, when the rewards don't come fast enough, they become disillusioned, unsatisfied, or simply bored, and switch to an easier path before gaining an appreciation for the beauty and adventure they have left behind.

To those people I say training and education are important to becoming a safe diver, and competency with the equipment is essential, but to really understand diving one must also gradually and painstakingly gain the knowledge and capabilities that only bottom time and experience brings. It requires competency in a couple dozen core principles, and mastery of a few thousand undefined subtleties. Punch the clock, own the mistakes, relish the successes, be humble, and earn your stripes if you plan to stick around.
And slow down, the process takes years, not weekends.

Diving is life-long. When you look back on all the phases of your diving life, from green newbie to salty old-timer, there will be memorable moments and achievements in all of them. Enjoy the newness of the places you go and the things you see, because that is the essence of what we seek underwater, and why we travel all around the world to rediscover it.

Remember, Rome wasn't burned in a day.

Boy was this well-said !!!

 

[billt4sf]

Sounds like you need to move!

Yeah!! We just did that in order to be able to dive a lot in warm water. I'm not sure what's going to happen if / when we move away from wonderful diving. It's so much easier and more fun & relaxing when you do it on a regular basis. Even after just a few weeks off, we get the jitters when going in for the first time.

- Bill & Emily

 

[Nemrod]

There are two kinds of divers, well maybe more:

The Merit Badge Collectors - they quickly run through every certification, worry over which is the best, what is best, and are always seeking a mentor to the next level of tech diving. Certifications and equipment are everything. Usually profess some allegiance to an abc agency or organization. It is about the next level.

The Explorer-adventurous spirits, water people, who simply love the ocean and the outdoors. Certifications and equipment mean little or nothing, simply facilitators to exploring the underwater world. Have no allegiance to an abc agency. It is about diving.

And there could be another:

3. The Social Diver- often a subset of The Merit badge Collector. Enjoy being with people, attracted to team efforts, enjoys clubs and may be a fine mentor to new divers. It is about people.

And maybe one more, though often also a subset:

4. The Gear Collector-how much gear do you need fella, and usually brings it all with him. But he has more at home too. (Feeling guilty, lol). There should be a decal for the back of their automobile. It is about the cool gear.

We are all more a mix between these end points. But you know the picture book definition when you see them.

N

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

There are two kinds of divers, well maybe more:

The Merit Badge Collectors - they quickly run through every certification, worry over which is the best, what is best, and are always seeking a mentor to the next level of tech diving. Certifications and equipment are everything. Usually profess some allegiance to an abc agency or organization. it is about the next level.

The Explorer-adventurous spirits, water people, who simply love the ocean and the outdoors. Certifications and equipment mean little or nothing, simply facilitators to exploring the underwater world. Have no allegiance to an abc agency. It is about diving.

And there could be another:

3. The Social Diver- often a subset of The Merit badge Collector. Enjoy being with people, attracted to team efforts, enjoys clubs and may be a fine mentor to new divers. It is about people.

And maybe one more, though often also a subset:

4. The Gear Collector-how much gear do you need fella, and usually brings it all with him. But he has more at home too. (Feeling guilty, lol). There should be a decal for the back of their automobile. It is about the cool gear.

We are all more a mix between these end points. But you know the picture book definition when you see them.

N

I'm in category two.
After some dabbling in the other mentioned paths, I came to realize that what I'm really about is just getting out there and doing it, having fun, seeking the adventure, living the moment, and maybe getting some food while I'm at it. And then dreaming about the next time. Grabbing whatever gear I see first that will work, it all works it doesn't matter.
The gear and training is a necessary part of course or we wouldn't have the tools, but it isn't an end in itself. The gear and training are just enablers to seek something much bigger. The "much bigger" I speak of has nothing to do with depth or duration and any specialized gear that might be required for such, it has to do with the state of mind and perception.

 

[Dan]

11 years & 550+ dives under the belt. Looking forward, hopefully, to 20+ years & 1000+ dives to go.

 

[markmud]

There are two kinds of divers, well maybe more:

The Merit Badge Collectors - they quickly run through every certification, worry over which is the best, what is best, and are always seeking a mentor to the next level of tech diving. Certifications and equipment are everything. Usually profess some allegiance to an abc agency or organization. it is about the next level.

The Explorer-adventurous spirits, water people, who simply love the ocean and the outdoors. Certifications and equipment mean little or nothing, simply facilitators to exploring the underwater world. Have no allegiance to an abc agency. It is about diving.

And there could be another:

3. The Social Diver- often a subset of The Merit badge Collector. Enjoy being with people, attracted to team efforts, enjoys clubs and may be a fine mentor to new divers. It is about people.

And maybe one more, though often also a subset:

4. The Gear Collector-how much gear do you need fella, and usually brings it all with him. But he has more at home too. (Feeling guilty, lol). There should be a decal for the back of their automobile. It is about the cool gear.

We are all more a mix between these end points. But you know the picture book definition when you see them.

N

Hi Nemrod,

I am definitely a 2.3 with a touch of .4. I do like my redundant pony systems, my SMB, reel, and second computer.

I have been in a dilemma regarding diving for several years. I don't enjoy diving beat-up reefs while diving with newb divers, but I like vacation diving. I like boat diving.

I have certifications that help me to dive independently, or with more experienced divers.

I like travelling to new-to-me places and exploring dive sites that are not regularly visited.

I definitely don't want to drop-out, but I don't like DMs and dive-ops treating me as a newb the first day until they get to know my capabilities.

Once a diver has become a competent diver, where does he go to dive? I have failed to find a peer group of divers who are similarly skilled.

My wife is now a drop-out. Age has taken its toll on her back. And she is bored with the same beat-up reef whether it is Mexico, Hawaii, or Moorea. We have had some good shore dives on beautiful reefs. But the physical demands for shore diving are too much for us.

I think I know why some people drop-out. We seem to be stuck on a plateau. Do I have a valid opinion?

markm

 

[lowviz]

...//... We seem to be stuck on a plateau. Do I have a valid opinion?

markm

You most certainly do.

Try local diving. It is a totally different world. Local rules, no agencies, hard to get started. Total pain in the a$$ at first. Shoulder the plow, eyes on the ground. At first, you will wish you never read this, but then it starts to grow on you... It will enhance your diving competence in the most surprising ways. You meet very cool, no agenda, no macho, just "Hey let's try to dive this site!" people. Total fun.

This was a bad year for my diving. Married off a daughter, new puppy, staining a huge deck, setting a kid up in business.... Endless drains on my free time and fun money. Tried the Brandywine river out of desperation. *wow* All is well, winter is coming...