Do you want to be a better diver?

[Dhboner]

I heard once that the secret to happiness is to find something you love doing then learn to love the way YOU do it.

I want to be a safe diver and a strong buddy and as I progress I want to learn everything I possibly can to be successful at that level.

But if I never progress beyond recreational diving in relatively shallow water I will still die a very happy man from the experience of diving.

Bob

 

[Rhone Man]

I don't really see any prospects of further improving myself, after ingraining bad habits steadily for the past 27 years. If I could slow down my rate of decline that would be good.

Accordingly, I just try to make myself appear better in relative terms by belittling those around me.

 

[Dhboner]

I don't really see any prospects of further improving myself, after ingraining bad habits steadily for the past 27 years. If I could slow down my rate of decline that would be good.

Accordingly, I just try to make myself appear better in relative terms by belittling those around me.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob

 

[InTheDrink]

For me it is the art of movement that most enthralls me about diving (there are other aspects I love too tho).

So for me it is about being as close to being a fish under water. I love precision of movement over land too (and this is with me being simultaneously very precise/accurate yet gifted with a very healthy dose of clumsiness).

So irrespective of any cert, I want to improve as much as possible and continuously so that I can appreciate moving weightless and smoothly through the water. I think a side-effect is improved safety. Disclaimer: I'm probably look like a wounded 5 legged goat under water so there's LOTS of room for improvement in pretty much anything I do

I would imagine also Lynne, that your question has a very biased audience. I think that most people, by virtue of being on SB, must have a significant love and dedication to diving and improvement. And it's great that this is so. It also turns the training argument on its head to a degree. Don't depend on agencies to make you improve, that's something we can all do by ourselves with a little thought and motivation. And the generous input and wisdom of people on this board of course

J

 

[83aztec]

Well I am working at becoming a better diver by taking Yoga and doing more running. I have taken probably all the diving classes I am going to take and I usually try to work on something while I dive but getting in better shape and working on breathing through Yoga will (and has) helped me become a better diver.

 

[gcbryan]

When I haven't been diving in a while and it's not feeling 100% natural I focus on improving but for the most part diving to me is enjoying the experience which for me is largely the marine life.

There is usually some subject matter related to diving that I'm currently interested in as well. Sometimes it's decompression theory and sometimes it's learning more about lights, or whatever.

I don't like to do drills or practice in such a way that it's obvious. I may structure a dive so that I know I'll get more experience in an area that I could use more experience in but drilling just saps the enjoyment out of diving for me.

As long as I'm a good buddy with good buoyancy and no silting I'm not thinking about skills overtly. Through frequently diving I am improving or at least not getting any worse!

I feel that for me it would be obsessive to be thinking about getting better and better. That's not how I look at diving as something to become "perfect" at. That would take the enjoyment away for me. My eye would be off the ball if that were my focus.

However, it's not about thinking there is no room for improvement or becoming sloppy...it's just my way of looking at things.

 

[flw]

I'm not sure my diving has ever been 'goal orientated'. In 20 something years of diving when diving with a different set of divers I come away having learned something ( even if it is 'I wouldnt' do it that way') There is always something to learn, a new way to do something. Look at the way deco has changed in the last 10-15 years - when I first started diving deep there was a switch to air from trimix at 50m and staying on He was considered dangerous....
I do a fair amount of training throughout Scotland now - a trainee will almost always ask why? - and I need to always have a reasonable thought through answer - which keeps me current.
I'd never say my diving was 'perfect' just the best it can be on a particular day - though there are days even now when it all seems to fall into a rattle o' *****e

 

[noreastDIVER84]

I am always trying to become a better diver, not only by taking more classes, but practicing skills and doing more diving. I feel that there is always more that I can learn, or get better at. I have done most of my diving with either a divemaster, one of my instructors, or the owner of the dive shop, and I always ask for them to point out anything that they see to be a problem. I have gotten some good input and have corrected any issues that have been brought up so far.

 

[ScubaSam]

Personally every dive is a chance to learn, to improve and to tweak a skill. I strive to be a better diver means I never become complacent about my diving nor about the environment because she is unforgiving. I continue to train and to dive until it's no longer fun for me.

 

[BabyDuck]

i'm very much a 'good enough is just fine' person. quite type b. i sew, too, and my mantras there are 'a stitch laid is a stitch played' and 'it's not a ***** up, it's a design opportunity'.

BUT - diving (ok, and raising jameson) is the main thing that i'm not like that about. while the dives themselves are hopefully laid-back, the thing that keeps them zen for me is striving for my personal best in every way. it's the only thing i've ever tried to do to the absolute best level i can every time.

so, yeah, i'm trying to get better. soon i'll have enough bandwidth to talk to larry while diving.