Suggestion 10,000+ dives

[northernone]

Minor suggestion.

My own curiosity has me wondering which users have significantly more than the 5,000+ maximum dive count. Wondering if people would use an updated upper limit?

Noticed the 'I don't log dives' is also popular with the heavily experienced. Perhaps along the lines of the 'scuba legend' designation in a lesser way I`d love the idea of recognizing at a glance those who have dedicated such a significant part of their life to getting underwater.

That's the idea.
Cameron

 

[cerich]

Will just note that if the person is now 59 and started diving at 19, then 10,000 dives comes out to 250 a year average. If on an instructional day they averaged 3 dives, that is 83 days of instruction per year.

Just saying I will believe an old tortoise has reached 10,000 before I believe a young hare has.

Besides sea turtles are better swimmers than sea hares.

I started in 81, turn 50 this year, worked in the industry since 95, 5 years in Cayman and still love to dive. I don't have 10K dives

I do know a handfull of folks that do have over 10k dives, and know/know of a truck load of folks in the industry that don't but say they do

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I know one instructor who, when going through her rescue course counted ten dives in a day. I know most of them were 2-3 minute drills but she counted them to pad her numbers. I feel like I dive a lot, just not as much as I would like to. I've made just under 2200 dives in 25 years. I don't count any of my class dives nor pool sessions. I know some count everything. I think those who claim 10,000 dives are probably instructors who count class dives. There are no rules about what to count, but at least I know that my meager 2200 dives were actually underwater looking around for 30-125 minutes. I'll never get to 5,000.

 

[cerich]

I know one instructor who, when going through her rescue course counted ten dives in a day. I know most of them were 2-3 minute drills but she counted them to pad her numbers. I feel like I dive a lot, just not as much as I would like to. I've made just under 2200 dives in 25 years. I don't count any of my class dives nor pool sessions. I know some count everything. I think those who claim 10,000 dives are probably instructors who count class dives. There are no rules about what to count, but at least I know that my meager 2200 dives were actually underwater looking around for 30-125 minutes. I'll never get to 5,000.

even counting class dives.. that is 3 dives a day (often 2) say every weekend. That won't even break 300 and if they fun dive another 200 a year they are still looking at well over 20 years at that pace to break 10K. If they count pool sessions even still would take a decade plus..and who counts pool sessions as logged dives (cue the list)

I know some instructors that count every dive with students and multiply by the # of students for their dive count. So if they had 8 students on a OW check out weekend and did the 4 cert dives they claim they did 32 dives... it's lame

 

[northernone]

I don't have enough life left to hit 10,000 dives. Darn rebreather bottom times.

 

[cerich]

I don't have enough life left to hit 10,000 dives. Darn rebreather bottom times.

I plan to dive daily when I retire...and will likely get about 300 dives a year then at best

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I got the Cayman job when I took my resume to the Beneath the Sea trade show in NJ. A liveaboard dive boat owner liked me (the only person in the diving industry that ever did) and knew his ex-wife was looking for an instructor for her land based op. It was a small dive operation with only 1 boat captain, 1 instructor, 2 shop managers who were married and did the occasional guiding, photo pro stuff, etc. I had no days off which sucked. Our employer cashed our checks for us since we never would get to the bank. My house was only $450 CI/month. My boss' husband was a former Cayman Airways pilot and was incredible nice. I got to borrow his truck if I needed it. I got off work at 6 or so. The captain filled tanks until late. Mornings started by walking to work 1 mile, swimming out with the captain to unhook the boat from a mooring, tying up to the dock and loading tanks and gear. Once at the dive site, I'd do some freediving while the captain gave the briefing, climb in put my gear on and guide the 2 tank AM and 2 tank PM dives. Wednesdays we would night dive. The manager would often lead those. Thursdays we'd run to Little Cayman and do a 3 dive day. I was 31 years old and had been teaching for a decade. All recreational back then. Specialties I taught were night, deep, wreck, nitrox, equipment, and freediving. I was PDIC which annoyed the shop manager. "Everything we do here is PADI." Really? Most of the customers were SSI certified. The dive instructor who was there before me broke both arms when he fell onto the dock while tying off from what I understood. He was from England. I was supposed to be there for a year, but was injured in a car accident (car hit me like I was a deer) after a couple months. How long could that have been sustained? Who knows? I'm sure one of their employees must have lasted a year. That guy or gal would have easily done 1,000+ dives at the pace we had to work.

 

[cerich]

A liveaboard dive boat owner liked me (the only person in the diving industry that ever did) and knew his ex-wife was looking for an instructor for her land based op..

i like ya Trace, however fewer like me in the dive industry so I am not sure you wanna tell people that

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Chris, it took me over 33 years to get a Platinum Pro. I'm confused because it seems like you read my posts to mean I have 10,000 dives. Not even close! Never going to happen. I'm just saying that professionals in warm water resort areas get a big bump in the number of dives in their lifetime counts during their "living the dream" stints compared to working at most dive centers.

My friend Jimmy has been full time in the industry since 1962 as a shop owner Someone like him might have 10,000 after 55 years.

 

[cerich]

Chris, it took me over 33 years to get a Platinum Pro. I'm confused because it seems like you read my posts to mean I have 10,000 dives. Not even close! Never going to happen. I'm just saying that professionals in warm water resort areas get a big bump in the number of dives in their lifetime counts during their "living the dream" stints compared to working at most dive centers.

dude, i never read your posts to say/infer that you were saying you have 10K dives.

I was just talking about the subject in general. I actually even made the post regards your ability as a instructor because I wanted to make sure nobody thought I was talking about you!

 

[Akimbo]

... If on an instructional day they averaged 3 dives, that is 83 days of instruction per year....

Don't instructors get to dive for fun other times? I was certified at 11 and am 66 now. I don't have 10K dives but have less than two months in tropical water. I bet there are born & bread citizens in the South Pacific and Caribbean that break the the 5-digit mark before being a grandparent.