Humble older aquaman:
Also believe Leah was rhetorically asking question about perfection...something none of us are.
Hoa!
No my question was not about perfection, but rather personal perception. I think there are certain standards that either make one good or not. I also think there are certain attitudes that either one recognizes it or not.
I think a good diver is one who is skilled in the water and skilled using his gear. That aside, I think there are a lot of good points in the other thread--- asking someone what they think makes a good diver reveals a great deal about the diver answering the question. Also how they rate other divers tells you a lot about them too.
For instance, if you take mea relatively new diver with about 50 dives under my belt and I were to go diving with the man himself Jacque Custo. Pick any site you like anywhere in the world under any conditions. And after the dive I say:
1 That Jacque guy really isnt all he is cracked up to be! I mean I could really teach him a thing or two, but you know guys like himyou cant teach them anything. I didnt want to embarrass him in front of everyoneso I just let it slide---but he is not that good in the water.
2 Wow, I just went diving with Jacque Custo! What a guy! I was really in awe of him and he is a great diverreally showed me the ropes. He was graceful, great buoyancy, trimhe just seemed to belong. Watching him, I really learned something.
In response 1, you think I am a jerk. In response 2, you think hey she learned something specific and was aware of the other diver and pointed out some things that are important in diving.
Hearing 2 different people describe diving with the same person in a manner like responses 1 and 2 prompted me to ask the question. I think some decide whether or not someone is a good diver based on skill and some objective facts. Others decide whether or not someone is good based on personal ego.
I wanted to know what objective things people used to evaluate whether or not someone is a good diver. None of us will ever be perfect in the waterbut some get very close!