Dive Unprofessionals

[BDSC]

Like most people have said, pretty much all the instructors I know are good guys/gals who do a great job of teaching. You pretty much have to figure that people who do go to the instructor level have to really love what they do because I doubt any are getting rich from it. Hell, they probably do good to break even considering all the time they put in.

I did run across one guy however who really was a nut job. The first thing he had against him is that he was 5'5" tall and had a complex about it. So he had to make up his lack of physical stature with wild tales from his youthful days that read like a script from a James Bond movie. The other thing was he was a control freak with his students and tried to portray himself as some sort of "Scuba God" who knew it all.

I never had the guy as an instructor but he was a "trip leader" on one of the trips I went on. (Nassau) So there was a guy on the trip that had been certified the previous year by this instructor. The guy had done some dives in the Florida Springs and had done some shallow dives in the Keys since being certified. He had like 25 dives beyond his open water dives. He asked me one day as the boat headed out if he could buddy up with me and my other buddy because he noticed we had been diving a little deeper than some of the other group. (We were doing depths in the 100 to 120' range) So I said sure and asked him how deep he had been before and he said only to 70 ft. So we all three agreed that if the the newer diver at anytime felt uncomfortable as we went below 70ft. he could turn the dive with no problem. So we ended up diving down to 118ft. and everything went fine. They guy did great.

We get back on board and he tells his instructor about his dive to a new depth with us. The instructor goes off on him. Tells him he should have checked with him before he did that and then comes over to me and tells me I had no business taking the guy down to that kind of depth. So I go off on him and ask him in front of everyone if he is a good instructor and doesn't he prepare his students with all the necessary skills to do typical open water dives. Of course he says he is a great instructor and goes on to tell about all the students he has certified, etc. So why, I ask, does the guy need to check with him before he did a deeper dive. He really didn't have a good answer.

Don't know if that guy still teaches or not but I found out later they guy had several complaints from other students about how he talked down to them and his overall attutide toward new divers.

 

[BDSC]

It's hard to argue with that sort of logic.

I knew you'd see it my way.

 

[BekaLynn]

Such is life... some people are just jerks by nature, and some people are great by nature. I'm a newbie diver... but have met quite a few divers both new like myself and experienced. On the whole I'd say most are great, willing to help and give advice when I mention I'm new to diving. I love listening to the more experienced divers talk about their dives and experiences. I love to learn!

I can only recall one real jerk type guy I've met. I was in a shop, waiting for my air fill, when this older guy comes in with 4 cylinders to have filled. He starts talking about how he was just diving Jupiter, and how a shark chased him out. Being a new diver, and only having done one ocean dive, and not sure about sharks in the first place... I was worried for him. Being chased by a shark sounds bad! :depressed: So I listened more, and found out he'd been spear fishing, and the shark wanted his catch, and kept following him to get it. I made some newbie comment about how I'd not seen a shark yet, and that I'd hoped it would be quite a long time before I do. He laughed at me, and said something rude about how I wasn't a real diver if I didn't dive the oceans only and hadn't seen sharks! He was so rude and arrogant about it. I chose to not let it bother me, some people say things without knowing much about you. For now, I do stick to springs, I have only 12 dives (including my 5 cert dives). I think personally I am being responsible, I'd hate to be that person who doesn't have good buoyancy control yet, and destroy the reefs or be unsafe... yep I still have to pay attention to where my feet are at. So I'm enjoying learning, and improving all the basics, and my reward... will be that ocean! artytime:

So far... everytime I've been diving, and there are others around (which is always) they are great people. Most are very helpful, generous, and kind. We went to Alexander springs a while back, my husband and I were about to go, when we saw a girl getting ready to dive. She was going to go alone. While we were getting ready, fins on and such... we were all talking. She shared that it had been a while since she'd dove (a few years I think) and she was going alone. She had someone who was going to be hanging around the surface over the dive area in case she needed anything. So we offered to wait for her, and we could all stay together. She was happy, and so that was the plan. As we were getting out, I felt like my tank was slipping... sure enough it was. The guy who was with our new friend, (I learned was also a diver) was quick to help me fix my tank. For me, I found this to be really great. Without his help, I was heading back out to resolve the problem.

I feel like I have joined this amazing community of divers, where we are all family.

Well, that's one newbies thoughts on the subject.

 

[Lead_carrier]

So let's see what Mr. Webster has to say:

1. A diversion; pastime.
2. A particular game or physical activity pursued for diversion. esp. an outdoor or athletic game as baseball, football, track, tennis, swimming, etc.

So no mention here of golf, bowling, or hunting & fishing for that matter. Great hobbies like scuba but definitely not sports.

So, according to your standards, hockey, soccer, volleyball, boxing or wrestling wouldn't qualify as sports either? Or do they fall into the etc box.

 

[Guba]

To the OP...now, then, don't you feel better? (A good rant is a great way to blow of steam, isn't it?)
In my (limited) experience, the vast majority of divers and instructors seem to be pretty great folks who enjoy both their sport (I'll not debate the term) and helping others to enjoy it, too. Sure, I did run into that one fellow on the boat who dived stupid and then wanted to blame his troubles on the crew (I hate it when people live up--or down--to the "ugly American" stereotype). However, for every one of those guys, I know I've seen dozens who dig into their bags and loan out gear to complete strangers, go out of their way to help, and would risk it all to render assistance when it was sorely needed. But I see the same attitudes and behaviors in most of what I do. There are "jerks", and then there are those who do their dead-level best to help others and be friendly.

 

[BDSC]

So, according to your standards, hockey, soccer, volleyball, boxing or wrestling wouldn't qualify as sports either? Or do they fall into the etc box.

They are in the etc. box.

You have to take a mix of definitions 1. and 2. If you just go with definition 1 then you could include reading, checkers, watching tv, etc. as sports.

Also, if you are talking about things on a level playing field, (get it) then if a woman can perform the activity just as well as a man, then it's probably not a sport.

 

[seaducer]

[hijack]

...and I don't know anyone who views recreational SCUBA diving as being competitive in anyway.

lol, come ND, you have been here long enough...[whisper]they're everywhere![/whisper]

By my standard, things like playing darts, shooting pool, going bowling, playing poker and snow shoeing are not sports either. They're merely recreational activities. They're even recreational activities that I enjoy. But they're not sports, IMHO.

ding ding ding! We have a winner! Now if we can just get ESPN to straighten out!

[/hijack]

 

[seaducer]

He laughed at me, and said something rude about how I wasn't a real diver if I didn't dive the oceans only and hadn't seen sharks!

I wasn't there to witness, but I would say be careful not to judge so quick, I can easily picture myself laughing and saying "you haven't lived unless..."

It doesn't mean you are being put down, but simply expressing some enthusiasm for a given experience. It all boils down to intent.

Then again maybe the guy was a jerk, like I said, I wasn't there...

 

[Kydonia]

I've found divers to be a super-cool mellow mature responsible bunch who like to have fun and appreciate nature and (for the most part) respect the sea and land.

But like any activity, arrogant elitist folks will find their way into just about anything.

I grew up on skis. My parents took me skiing when I was 5, and they always told me, half of skiing is courtesy and respect for your fellow skiers. Skiers IMHO are still like that, but not as much as I recall from like 20 years ago.

I guess all that matters in the end that every diver is responsible for his safety and the safety of those around him/her. Being thoughtful and considerate is a bonus.

 

[Stu S.]

The jerks are easy to spot, and most of us try to avoid them. The incompetent or careless (jerk or not) are tough to spot. They are ones to be avoided at all times.