Are there any GLBT divers/groups/clubs out there?

[jaardappel]

Belushi is right. There shouldn't be room in this board to discuss gender differences or as Lawman implies, "give GLBT a hard time...but it means nothing since they are divers" (I still can't figure out that line of BS).

I'm currently going through my OW course, but once certified, I'll dive with anyone. Race/Gender makes no difference to me!

Let's keep the "Dr. Dobson 'God help you if you're Gay'" off this site. I'm sure there are boards setup for the homophobic that can assist in propogating the narrow-minded.

 

[saiorse69]

Welcome! It's wonderful to hear from other "family" out there. I think it is incredibly important to support each other and to share experiences on where we travel. My partner and I have had both wonderful and terrible experiences diving around mostly the caribbean/mexico and would be happy to share with others. Obviously places like Jamaica and Cayman Islands are out however Curacao was wonderful as was the Mayan Riviera. Thank you for reaching out! We look forward to hearing from others as we try and decide where our next dive locale will be.

 

[RJP]

Welcome! It's wonderful to hear from other "family" out there. I think it is incredibly important to support each other and to share experiences on where we travel. My partner and I have had both wonderful and terrible experiences diving around mostly the caribbean/mexico and would be happy to share with others. Obviously places like Jamaica and Cayman Islands are out however Curacao was wonderful as was the Mayan Riviera. Thank you for reaching out! We look forward to hearing from others as we try and decide where our next dive locale will be.

Wow - a response to an EIGHT year old thread!

Gotta be a record...

Note that the OP hasn't been back to ScubaBoard since July of 2003, so might not get your "welcome" message.

 

[suzette]

Wow, talk about a zombie thread!

In case anyone is reading and interested in the original topic, though, there is a group in Key Largo, FL called Qdives (run by my friend Jeff M) that is GLBT friendly (not that most others aren't, BTW)
Gay divers: Daily dive tours and PADI instruction in Key Largo

 

[Kingpatzer]

Not that being GLBT in diving matters (nor should it- and in my experience divers in general are pretty open, laid-back and accepting folks, which is a big reason why I love it so much), but I never seem to meet any other GLBT folks when I'm diving! I can't be the only one!

You're not, and it is something that (perhaps quite unfortunately) does matter in some contexts. There's a large GLBT community around where I live and so we have a few GLBT divers, but there's not a diving group or club focused on that community. That shouldn't be a problem, except that there was a very active, informal women's diving group that held "lady's night under" dives and the like. We have a fairly small female dive population here, and it was an important group to have going for enticing women to dive locally.

Unfortunately, the group no longer is active because it also became an attraction to some GLBT divers and a clash developed between the two groups.

What's funny is that all of those divers do show up on regular fun-night dives and there's no problem. But I guess as soon as you make a dive group gender specific the reality that gender is not a simple binary thing becomes more than some people (particularly older folks) deal with well.

 

[Queen]

The only time I've had the opportunity to dive with "family" was by accident in a boat off KW, one of the fellas was solo and so was I, we buddied up and during the boat ride figured out the family angle. It was kinda fun for a change.

 

[RJP]

The only time I've had the opportunity to dive with "family" was by accident in a boat off KW, one of the fellas was solo and so was I, we buddied up and during the boat ride figured out the family angle. It was kinda fun for a change.

OK, I just gotta know...

What specifically about it was "fun for a change"?

Do GLBT divers somehow dive differently?

 

[deepstops]

For the record and for those interested, there's a GLBT Social Group here in ScubaBoard called Rainbow Divers: ScubaBoard - Rainbow Divers

 

[joolz]

Do GLBT divers somehow dive differently?

No we don't...but it's more about the social element than the diving itself. If you're out diving with people that you don't know, would you want to be with others who will accept you for who you are, or would you want to be constantly watching what you say lest someone accuse you of flaunting your immoral lifestyle? And would you feel safe knowing that your buddy may think twice about giving rescue breaths because of it? It seems unbelievably stupid, but even in this day and age there are still some people who think this way.

There are also some divers who apparently believe that homophobic jokes are both appropriate and acceptable in mixed company. I've experienced this first hand, but usually just keep quiet to avoid confrontation. It's an unpleasant and awkward experience, and makes me even more self conscious about watching what I say or do. Not a fun way to spend a dive trip.

I tend to dive with people I like, regardless of orientation...but I still find that GLBT dive groups are usually way more fun
:tinkerbell:

P.S. Queen can clarify this herself, but I think she probably meant "a fun change" rather than "fun for a change". The vast majority of you non-GLBT folks aren't total downers to dive with

 

[Queen]

No we don't...but it's more about the social element than the diving itself. If you're out diving with people that you don't know, would you want to be with others who will accept you for who you are, or would you want to be constantly watching what you say lest someone accuse you of flaunting your immoral lifestyle? And would you feel safe knowing that your buddy may think twice about giving rescue breaths because of it? It seems unbelievably stupid, but even in this day and age there are still some people who think this way.

There are also some divers who apparently believe that homophobic jokes are both appropriate and acceptable in mixed company. I've experienced this first hand, but usually just keep quiet to avoid confrontation. It's an unpleasant and awkward experience, and makes me even more self conscious about watching what I say or do. Not a fun way to spend a dive trip.

I tend to dive with people I like, regardless of orientation...but I still find that GLBT dive groups are usually way more fun
:tinkerbell:

P.S. Queen can clarify this herself, but I think she probably meant "a fun change" rather than "fun for a change". The vast majority of you non-GLBT folks aren't total downers to dive with

Yup. That pretty much covers it.