Arrogance and humility among divers

[gypsyjim]

... most photographers I know prefer diving solo ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Most photographers are diving solo, even if part of a buddy team.
That is not criticism, it is merely a reflection of reality.

 

[mdb]

Most photographers are diving solo, even if part of a buddy team.
That is not criticism, it is merely a reflection of reality.

The very good U/W photographers bring our world topside so that others can enjoy the vibrant world beneath the surface.

I always enjoy seeing the good pics and videos that are posted online.

Our pubmate Bob is a very gifted photographer both topside and U/W.

Capturing an image and relaying that moment in time is important.

Images of history and life, the naked girl fleeing napalm in Vietnam, JFK in
Dallas, Dr. King in Washington, Kent state, A sailor at the end of WW11 and
so many more back to the civil war.

I do think photography is a very solo endeavor.

 

[Bogtrotter]

I suppose.

But it seems to me to be the complete opposite. Arrogance requires an audience. Check the web for 'arrogance' tests. Solo divers come and go pretty much unannounced and prefer it that way. No 'Uber Diver' attitude, mostly just "Hey! You diving here tonight?" if our paths cross. I'm betting that you never really see solo divers.

We don't judge, grade, or even give half a .... what you are doing. Knock yourself out.

It was a joke.. as in if a diver is excessively arrogant others will not likely want to dive with them. Perhaps I should have included a happy smiley face. You bet wrong- I do know and have met very nice solo divers

 

[Hoag]

... I do think photography is a very solo endeavor.

Apparently, you haven't been to the Mesa Arch (in Canyonlands National Park) for sunrise lately. To get a good spot, you have to get there at least an hour (two or three is better) before sunrise and by the time sunrise approaches, it is so crowded that you almost have to defend your spot like Gordie Howe going into a corner.

The good news is that while waiting, you might get a shot that is kinda cool if things work out ...

If you are very lucky, and if the conditions are right though, the wait for sunrise is worth it ...

 

[Rich Keller]

It was worst when I was considering diving and had just started. I ran into it at one of the LDSs, where the employee was not taking seriously my questions about gear since I had not completed my certification. I've run into it on boats and other groups of divers. So many divers want to talk about how deep they've dived, how little air they use, and other things that they perceive as accomplishments. Dealing with people in the dive industry, I've encountered egos so large they are incapable of entertaining the idea that, perhaps, they may have made a mistake at some point.

What is it about the diving culture that leads to this sort of hubris?

This is why I dive alone most of the time.

 

[lowviz]

It was a joke..

Ah!

You bet wrong-

It happens...

 

[Wookie]

Apparently, you haven't been to the Mesa Arch (in Canyonlands National Park) for sunrise lately. To get a good spot, you have to get there at least an hour (two or three is better) before sunrise and by the time sunrise approaches, it is so crowded that you almost have to defend your spot like Gordie Howe going into a corner.

The good news is that while waiting, you might get a shot that is kinda cool if things work out ...

I far prefer the pre-dawn shot.

 

[boulderjohn]

There was a marvelous post in a similar thread years ago. I would love to be able to link to it, but I will never find it. I hope this summary will work to illustrate.

I can't remember the circumstances exactly--the writer was a very experienced diver, and he was at some kind of conference. During a lull in activities, a person sitting next to him asked him some questions about what he was doing, and the guy started talking about his diving. The person to whom he was speaking seemed interested, so he started going on and on and on, explaining this and explaining that, feeling quite proud to be able to demonstrate his expertise on the subject.

Eventually, the next phase of conference started as the emcee announced the next speaker. It turned out to be the guy he was talking to--he had never even asked the guy his name, and he was shocked to discover he had been explaining diving to Dr. Richard Pyle, one of the world's most famous divers.

So what is the moral? The poster regretted that he was so eager to talk about himself and his diving that he had not shown enough interest to ask the other person about himself--not even to get his name. If he had done that, he would have shut up and taken advantage of that rare opportunity to talk to someone of that caliber. Was that arrogance, or was it simply enthusiasm?

 

[gypsyjim]

Sometime in the mid 90's I hopped the ferry over to Coz for my first Coz dive. It was an adventure in Mexican diving, but that is another story.
On the ferry back that afternoon, my Insta-buddy from the day's diving struck up a conversation with another diver on the ferry, as this fellow's gear was quite unusual for the times. He carried the first pony bottle I had seen.

This fellow, I figured was total BS, but he told some great stories, so I zipped my mouth, and just enjoyed the fellow's storytelling. And good stories he did tell.
Diving the Andre Doria, doing his own gas blending, diving a German Sub, losing fellow divers on the Andre Doria; over an hour of spell binding fiction I enjoyed, without interrupting.
That was nearly 10 years before Shadow Divers was published, and I have forever thanked myself for just sitting there and enjoying the stories that the man who (I later realized when reading the book) was John Chatterton was telling, rather than call that diver out for his BS and his ego!

 

[BenjaminF]

D

I far prefer the pre-dawn shot.

Definitely!