Do you consider yourself an 'Advanced' diver?

[Divmstr223]

What's going on in this thread......too many people afraid that they will be labeled as conceited if they feel as though they are advanced.

Okay, we are all "Scuba Divers" who are out there to have some fun and can always "learn" more as we go....yada yada, I think we all can agree on that.

But it's a simple question that most of you are too to answer honestly....:ne_nau:

Let's rephrase the question.....Advanced as compared to what? Let's set a reference as to what people can compare too, and perhaps we'll get some honest answers....

 

[Daylonious]

I'd be willing to say that there's probably more "advanced" divers on Scubaboard than not. The fact that we take such an interest in our sport / hobby / all-consuming obsession online I think says something to our willingness to continue to learn and improve our knowledge and skills.

D.

 

[TSandM]

I think I'd consider myself an advanced diver if: I had a lot of experience and competence with the ocean in many of its various moods (current, swells, difficult shore entries and exits). If my buoyancy skills were good enough that I would consider myself safe to do mandatory deco diving (hold accurate stops, maintain a precise ascent rate). If my situational awareness was good under significant task loading. If I could navigate my way out of a wet paper bag

 

[Darnold9999]

The problem here (as I see it) is that PADI uses the word "Advanced" to describe a certification that we all pretty much agree is just barely a step beyond beginner. I view myself as a somewhat experienced diver, but certainly not beyond that. Lots of dives in lots of places on many different types of gear over a long time. Was comfortable in the water from day 1. However all dives have been purely recreational, "to have a look around" diving. In that arena I am reasonably experienced. I don't panic when things go wrong and things have gone wrong. Outside of that arena, not even a beginner.

It is virtually impossible to self evaluate this kind of thing. I see it in music as well. I used to be part of a group that ran a summer music camp that required that you rank yourself as beginner, intermediate, advanced or professional. This supposedly allowed us to put like players together in small groups. We found that the self ranking was almost useless. We had to find objective measurements that people could measure and disclose before the rankings we got were at all useful for new people. (We had one woman rank herself as "professional" who barely qualified as beginner one year.)

The point to the story is that the words by themselves have no meaning - you need an objective standard to measure by, and even then the "rank" you get is still only a guide. For example number of dives is an objective measurement. However it has only limited utility. Someone who dives the same dive every day on a reef with tourists will rack up a huge number of dives - someone else might only dive on weekends, but be doing deep cave diving in currents. They would have fewer dives but most would consider them a more "advanced" diver. I myself would think that "crazy" was a better word but then going through a swimthrough gives me the heebee geebees.

 

[CWMurf]

Advanced? Nah! It's all relative. The more you know the more questions you have. The more experience you have the more you recognize how little experience you really have.
:shades:

 

[mdb]

What's going on in this thread......too many people afraid that they will be labeled as conceited if they feel as though they are advanced.

Okay, we are all "Scuba Divers" who are out there to have some fun and can always "learn" more as we go....yada yada, I think we all can agree on that.

But it's a simple question that most of you are too to answer honestly....:ne_nau:

Let's rephrase the question.....Advanced as compared to what? Let's set a reference as to what people can compare too, and perhaps we'll get some honest answers....

You are getting honest answers. I do not think anyone is "afraid" most experienced divers are just being honest. No one seems "chicken" to answer. The real answer is that good divers are, in fact, always improving skills and learning. I think we have some straight and honest replys here. What "reference" would you like to set?

 

[Bigger Al]

I took my discover SCUBA dive in the Caymen Islands in 1997 and felt advanced.(Did not really know what could happen to you at depth). Then I came home and took PADI BOW and felt like a beginner. Then went diving in Cozumel and I knew I was just a beginner (I backflipped off the 6 pack and could not decend) Now after attaining my Master SCUBA diver certification I know I am destined to be always learning.

Yeah, its a cop out. I guess I am beyond a beginner. :11:

Alan

 

[HilaryRN71]

I like "Intermediate". I think that I'm at the intermediate level because I've dove lots of different types of water, cold water/warm water, current, no current, viz, no viz. But there is SOO much to learn in this sport. About the time I hit 1000 dives I might think "advanced."

 

[AZLAR]

When asked how long they have been diving, most divers (or snow skiers) will respond in "years"! Well, does 15-20 dives in 12 months (600-900 minutes) really mean you've been diving for "years"? It's not the "quantity" of dives but the "quality" of those dives. Did you use parts of your training that may have saved your life or someone else's or did you call up "forgotten techniques" that made you think, "wow, I forgot all about that, but it came back to me when I needed it!" Were you able to do something during a dive that made your future dives better? Diving should always be fun, but every dive should have something in it that makes us better divers.

 

[Diver0001]

The question itself is quite vague. How can one answer if they are advanced, if the asker doesn't define what advanced is?

I think part of the reason he posted it was to get a definition.

Well... I think first, you have to define beginner, since advanced would be the "next step" from beginner right?

well.....no. The next step after beginner would be intermediate. Then advanced, master and expert in your setup. So to know what advanced it, you would need to define beginner and intermediate.

So what's intermediate to you?

R..