The greatest value of SB...

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

DCBC

DCBC

Banned
Scuba Instructor
Messages
4,443
Reaction score
931
Location
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
SB has quite a following with thousands of divers from all over the world coming to the discussion boards to ask questions, discuss matters and to provide advise on a host of topics. Some research vacation locations & dive sites, while others look to purchase equipment, or to discuss the next steps in the training process.

For me, I have been surprised with the level of expertise available here. This has provided me with the greatest benefit. I continue to enjoy the many on-going discussions I've participated in..

What would you say has provided you with the greatest benefit to-date? Is there anything that has surprised you?
 
Friends, useful information, great way to pass extended SI.

Chances to meet and dive with great new friends in exotic locations has got to be the best surprise.

I was definitely not expecting to find so many new dive buddies when I first stopped by SB in '04, doing research for an upcoming vacay, or to start traveling to places like Bonaire to meet and dive with them!
 
Greatest benefit has been the dive buddies and the instructors I've met, dived and trained with on SB. Close second would be the wealth of gear, dive sites and dive ops info both local and international. Third would be The Near Misses and Lessons Learned threads.
 
I probably joined SB for reasons different from everybody else. As of 16 January 2010, I will have been out of work 1 year. The reason I joined was to keep my mind off my problems and to enter into light hearted, healthy debate, on subjects I believe I know a little about. I know that there are a lot of good folks on SB.

The thing that bothers me the most is the people who, it seems, are just waiting to beat you up on a topic. Even before they hear what you have to say, they are already attacking you. I am not that articulate of a person, but I am a diver. Here I thought I would find people like me, who just want to keep it light. Believe me I have enough on my plate as it is, and I AM NOT complaining as I know a lot of people are in the same boat.

So, I would have to say the biggest surprise for me has been the reaction of some divers to a topic.

As I said to one diver," the only perfect person I know was nailed to a dog wood cross".
 
The greatest benefit I've received from SB is probably that I'm still alive! When I first found SB, I was a new diver and asked about a dive that someone wanted me to do that was way beyond my limitations. Knowing what I know now, and from the great advice I received, I cancelled the dive, got rid of the "buddy," and made some great new safe friends to dive with.
 
The awesome advice and conversations. Whatever question comes up, wheather it be ridculus or valid, there is alwayssomeone willing to help out.
 
I learned the humility to realize that I didn't know what I didn't know.

When I joined SB, I was only the second person in my area that anyone at my LDS knew of to pursue technical training (one of the owners being the second). SB introduced me to people that taught me how much more I still had to learn.

Through it I have met instructors and divers who have increased my knowledge far beyond the point 8 years ago when I thought I knew everything. I have learned things from people and places I never expected. I have gone places I never knew about. I have met people that have become instructors, mentors and friends. I've done dives that I never thought I was capable of.

And most importantly, I learned that I'm still learning.
 
DCBC:
What would you say has provided you with the greatest benefit to-date?
Click to expand...
Dancing with Trolls

DCBC:
Is there anything that has surprised you?
Click to expand...

The lack of knowledge of many instructors.
 
tight rope walker:
The thing that bothers me the most is the people who, it seems, are just waiting to beat you up on a topic. Even before they hear what you have to say, they are already attacking you. I am not that articulate of a person, but I am a diver. Here I thought I would find people like me, who just want to keep it light. Believe me I have enough on my plate as it is, and I AM NOT complaining as I know a lot of people are in the same boat.

So, I would have to say the biggest surprise for me has been the reaction of some divers to a topic.
QUOTE]

This is only forum I regularly participate in so maybe it's typical but I also have been surprised at how much some people seem to enjoy "proving" to others that they are smarter and know better. And surprised at how many people think that "their way" is the "only way", not simply just a "different way".

Like the interent in general SB also shows me the problem of too much "information". Unfortunately there are too many threads that I have interest in but cannot devote the time to reading through due to too much useless information to find a few worthwhile nuggets. While the internet in general and SB in particular are a great challenge to traditionall paid publications it still proves to me that there is value with effective editing. I am still willing to pay for that, when done well, as a time saver.

The value I get from SB is the diversity of opinions and information. I've received valuable information on gear, travel destinations, dive ops, dive sites, training, accident prevention, etc. I've also either met or become more familiar with a number of dive buddies and other divers through SB.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Biggest benefit has been the people I've met ... both locally and abroad. I've dived with probably more than a hundred people I wouldn't have even known were it not for ScubaBoard ... including over 30 of them that I met on a Bonaire trip back in 2005 (that was fun).

I met my mentor ... Uncle Pug ... here. I met TSandM here ... and both of them are local to me, but the chances are were it not for our SB association we may have never gotten to know each other.

I've met a lot of my former students here ... some traveled from other states to take a class with me.

I've met people in distant places who turned out to be people I'd known here for a long time.

Diving is a very social thing ... and having a resource like ScubaBoard is nice for information, but that information can be found in other places. Imagine the people you'd never know, if you hadn't met them on ScubaBoard ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

mariosx
DIR- GUE Tec1 with CCR in the making?
3 4 5
Replies
49
Views
5,396
Germie
Germie
JoeFen
Hello, I'm looking for divers to take part in my dissertation project.
2 3
Replies
25
Views
1,264
ScubaWithTurk
ScubaWithTurk
F
Dive Safety Officer - The School for Field Studies
Replies
1
Views
378
Capt Jim Wyatt
Capt Jim Wyatt
R
Why do Used Divesoft Liberty's Lose so much value?
2 3
Replies
26
Views
2,509
CoachWade
CoachWade
N
Question Persistent Issues with Xtar D28-3600 Diving Flashlight
2
Replies
12
Views
1,145
Cenotes
Cenotes
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom