Best Ever Diver....who do you think?

[O-ring]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
Cousteau might get my vote for greatest diving film maker but not greatest diver.

...in terms of popularizing the sport, getting it recognized, the whole aqualung thing...etc..

 

[O-ring]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
I think Shek Exley's arch rival should be included. I don't have time to look up the spelling and it's a germin name so I don't haven't a chance but cave divers should know who I'm talking about. They kept trading world records for a number of years.

George Irvine?...certainly and accomplished diver. Before I voted for him as the greatest I would need a very clear definition of great aside from my own definition.

Was that Jochen Hassenmeyer?

 

[SeaCobra]

How about Mike Nelson?! A lot of folks would not even be diving if it weren't for him.

 

[MikeFerrara]

O-ring once bubbled...

Was that Jochen Hassenmeyer?

Yes.

 

[MikeFerrara]

SeaCobra once bubbled...
How about Mike Nelson?! A lot of folks would not even be diving if it weren't for him.

LOL. I don't think I could vote for a fictional character as greatest diver ever. BTW, I don't think Loyd Bridges learned to dive until after the show was canceled.

 

[Braunbehrens]

If we consider that coming back alive to the surface is an important part of diving, then I think we have to strike from the list anyone who has died diving.

This would of course include Shek Exley. By all accounts he was a great guy, and a great diver, but his death prevents him from topping my list.

I might make an allowance if someone dies as a result of a freak accident, such as a cave collapsing. Dive gear failures however need to be accounted for by "great" divers.

In general I'm less likely to consider someone a great diver if I feel they were lucky and got away with it. Doing extreme dives safely is much more impressive, IMO. After all, anyone can get lucky, and then the "greatness" of the diver has less to do with their skill and more to do with luck and a disregard for their own life. This is not, IMO, the mark of a great diver.

The other people we are forgetting about are the ones who got into this sport before it really existed. I'm talking about people in ancient times who used animal bladders or bells to get a glimps of the world under water. I believe Alexander the Great was one of them.

 

[drbill]

I think you need to consider the DOD (degree of difficulty) when measuring divers for greatness. A diver like Cousteau who dove with the most primitive of equipment early on may deserve a higher DOD than a "current" diver using DIR equipment and methods.

I started before there were BCD's, air gauges, computers, etc., so I had a high DOD in my early years... and still do! No, I'm not seriously suggesting...

Dr. Bill

 

[Braunbehrens]

drbill once bubbled...
I think you need to consider the DOD (degree of difficulty) when measuring divers for greatness. A diver like Cousteau who dove with the most primitive of equipment early on may deserve a higher DOD than a "current" diver using DIR equipment and methods.

I started before there were BCD's, air gauges, computers, etc., so I had a high DOD in my early years... and still do! No, I'm not seriously suggesting...

Dr. Bill

I agree 100%. This is why I mentioned the very early pioneers....

 

[Norm]

It HAS to be Sheck Exley!

 

[PhotoTJ]

If it wern't for him, how many of us would be diving? Would scubaboard even exist?