Arrogance and humility among divers

[AZNetEng]

I haven't met an overly arrogant diver yet on our dive vacations. From the dive op to all the fellow divers, from newbies to Master Divers, they have all been genuine, happy to have chats about what they do and why, and have been from all walks, all ages, etc.

I'm sure Ill meet one at some point, but haven't so far.

 

[NorCalDM]

No matter what sport I’ve been involved in over the years there is always this behavior to some extent. I think solo sports more so than team sports but those who have a reason to brag usually don’t there actions or skills do it for them. With diving once their head goes under water it’s pretty easy to see who the blow hard is.

 

[stevensamler]

I'm always surprised by the local groups who won't dive with other groups because the others are full of FIGJAM's. I've found that there is lots to be learned from all of those groups, and that they're all very friendly when you take some time to chat with them. Sometimes it feels like high school cliques. I'm happy that I'm not cool enough to be a core member of any of them, but at the same time I don't feel ostracized by any of them either. The worst I've had was from a PADI instructor who was hostile to my DIR configuration - but I've known many more PADI instructors who are cool, so I don't let one bad apple sour the bunch. Respect FTW!

right on Vam how's the fin keepers?

 

[diver0008]

It's elitism; they think that they are better than you. You are a peasant. Some people need to demote others to promote themselves or set themselves upon some sort of pedestal to support their ego. It's quite human, regrettably, but exists in many realms in addition to scuba diving, from my experience. It's quite easy when you have a well-tuned set of skills and lots of experience to notice the shortcomings in others, particularly when you feel some sort of ownership of the domain, but a true master will be pleasant in his excellence, and helpful to others. Life is competitive, but it doesn't have to be if you are a winner.

 

[dhaines429]

I run into the occasional diver who it seems forgets that they were once a newb. Ask them a question and they look at you like you are dumb. Shortly after my OW I was out on a fun dive that one of the lds does on weekend and the DM just had an attitude and didn't seem happy that he was stuck answering my questions and having to be my buddy because of my inexperience. Luckily it's not common and I have found that as I have progressed I have met a lot of very humble and helpful divers along the way.

 

[vam]

right on Vam how's the fin keepers?

Ha, still working their magic on every dry suit dive! I’ve had a couple of times when my foot still cramps but it passes soon enough.

 

[Captain Swoop]

If you want to see unbridled arrogance join an Archery club in the UK, preferably one that has some traditional English 'Longbow' proponents.

 

[sh1513]

Before I achieved OW I couldn't have been happier with my chosen LDS, the staff and training were great. Once I was certified however, I soon found out that there were several distinct groups within the club who seemed to think they were better then everyone else and that "newbies" were very much outsiders to be kept at arms length. It was a bit like a pi**ing competition and you were looked down upon for having new or inferior gear. The business went down the pan before I left and went somewhere else so the choice was made for me. I'm now with a much better like minded group.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Sometimes people just don't express themselves very well. They come across as braggarts when they are just too enthusiastic about wanting the share the experiences they have enjoyed.

Yeah I have met a few who want to impress with the number of dives or their SBR or whatever. Mostly it seems to me they are trying to convince themselves that they are that good. Some are just jerks but most divers I have run into are pretty awesome folk who want to share the sport they love!

 

[Steve_C]

I feel fortunate not to have encountered much arrogance. Some, but not much. Either it's not as prevalent as you make it sound, or I'm oblivious, or both. I think I tend to tune out people who start talking at me about themselves, whether it's about their diving or anything else.

Also, is it arrogance, ego, testosterone, or what? I don't know. And is it "the diving culture" as you put it, or is this sort of thing common in other sporting endeavors?

Part of human nature. You notice it more in a community that you spend more time in. I have seen it among divers, at work, in church, in the neighborhood., and in businesses. I remember walking into a car dealer in my 20s ready to buy a new car and the entire sales staff were off to the side ignoring us because we looked like college students. When I run across arrogant people I just try to avoid them. I find them kind of pathetic.