UWSojourner
Contributor
Assume you dive with someone a few times. What do you observe that makes you say "He/she is a good diver?"
What makes a good diver?
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Well - I probably won't get it all but I don't mind starting it off.
Things that make me think someones a good diver:
# Quiet confidence and competency/familiarity with their gear before the dive.
# Appropriate dive planning.
# Trim and buoyancy control in the water - the ability to be exactly where they want with the minimum of discernible effort.
# Good buddy and spacial awareness.
# Calm reaction to any unforeseen situation.
Others will probably come up with a few more things - but the above creates a favourable impression for me.
Things that make me think someones a good diver:
# Quiet confidence and competency/familiarity with their gear before the dive.
# Appropriate dive planning.
# Trim and buoyancy control in the water - the ability to be exactly where they want with the minimum of discernible effort.
# Good buddy and spacial awareness.
# Calm reaction to any unforeseen situation.
Others will probably come up with a few more things - but the above creates a favourable impression for me.
menemsha43
Contributor
Good buoyancy control is probably the most easily observed skill. Good divers appear very comfortable in the water - simply relaxed, at ease and in control.
Tassie_Rohan
Contributor
UWSojourner:
They buy a round of beers after the dive...
It's a combo of ingredients, like Kim pointed out above.
Rarely is it one particular skill that makes someone a good diver, it's the awareness of their surroundings, their equipment, their buddy, and possibly even other divers in the water, buoyancy skills, gas manegement, dive planning...think I could be here all day
Suppose if i had to choose one thing that made people good divers- I think it would be attitude. Like I always say, there are divers...and then there are people who can dive...
SF
Rarely is it one particular skill that makes someone a good diver, it's the awareness of their surroundings, their equipment, their buddy, and possibly even other divers in the water, buoyancy skills, gas manegement, dive planning...think I could be here all day
Suppose if i had to choose one thing that made people good divers- I think it would be attitude. Like I always say, there are divers...and then there are people who can dive...
SF
miketsp
Contributor
trevinkorea
Contributor
For me the things mentioned above are definately traits of a good diver. Skills, knowledge and abilities are important and buying beers and/or pizza certainly helps as well.
Perhaps building on what ScubaFreak mentioned about attitude, (correct me if I have twisted your words) I think a willingness to help other divers regardless of level is probably the most important trait. Divers with excellent SKA's who don't try to help others along, do little or nothing for the recreational diving community or the advancement of the sport in general.
Of course, a healthy respect for the envoronment in general and the aquatic environment specifically are traits that I would consider relevant to a discussion of what makes a good diver.
Diving for the most part is a social sport and can't progress without the continued development of the community and protection of the environment on which it depends.
Perhaps building on what ScubaFreak mentioned about attitude, (correct me if I have twisted your words) I think a willingness to help other divers regardless of level is probably the most important trait. Divers with excellent SKA's who don't try to help others along, do little or nothing for the recreational diving community or the advancement of the sport in general.
Of course, a healthy respect for the envoronment in general and the aquatic environment specifically are traits that I would consider relevant to a discussion of what makes a good diver.
Diving for the most part is a social sport and can't progress without the continued development of the community and protection of the environment on which it depends.
ScubaFreak:It's a combo of ingredients, like Kim pointed out above.
Rarely is it one particular skill that makes someone a good diver, it's the awareness of their surroundings, their equipment, their buddy, and possibly even other divers in the water, buoyancy skills, gas manegement, dive planning...think I could be here all day
Suppose if i had to choose one thing that made people good divers- I think it would be attitude. Like I always say, there are divers...and then there are people who can dive...
SF
I can't think of anything to add to the above posts.
Attitude and awareness of limits/abilities is the key for all divers as well as respect for the other divers around you in the water and on the boat, regardless of anyone's skill level. If you have these qualities and are willing to learn from others and practice, then you will eventually become a good diver even if you haven't yet mastered your buoyancy control and gas management.
Environmental awareness is a biggie as well. We all have accidents occasionally, but be mindful of it and protect it as much as possible whether you are a photographer or not.
Along those same lines, nothing is worse than having an overconfident diver who demands only advanced dive sites, boasts of his/her dive abilitites, where all he/she's been, all of the certifications he/she has, claiming to be a "professional" diver/photographer. What I've found more often than not, these are the divers that are the first ones out of air or the first ones to panic in a situation.
Show me what kind of diver you are, don't tell me!
Buoyant1
Contributor
Someone that I can learn from...No matter what your skill level is, there's always something that you can learn from someone else.
Someone that responds from his/her knowledge base , understanding and intuitive ability rather than reacts.
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