Divers vs Underwater Tourists

[JeffG]

The bottom line is, there are many divers out there that have simply survived this long under water by pure luck.

Scuba diving is easy, but the consequences for failure are rather high.

 

[eric gundrum]

I got my OW cert at a Caribbean resort. I had only four dives when I left the Caribbean. A year later I did a couple of boat dives in Hawaii. I was a tourist and very thankful for the group guide. I had no clue what I was in for and I was very nervous. I had a great time on those dives, but I didn't dive again for several years.

My next diving was with a new buddy in the cold waters of Monterey. He was a retired DM who hadn't being diving for several years. He insisted we dive someplace safe to reacquaint ourselves with the sport. He was in charge and I was like a tourist, along for the ride, but I was practicing skills this time. We both made mistakes that day and learned much of what we forgot.

Since then we have been diving more. Now I'm quite comfortable diving in the kelp forests. I have planned and led dives in this environment. I don't think I'd hire a DM for anything similar, though I will seek out and buddy with more experienced divers before I dive a new site that is reported to be much different than what I've done before. (Monastery Beach comes to mind.)

Recently I did a wreck dive for the first time, and it was deep. I was a tourist. I didn't hire a DM, but I had one for a buddy. I was anxious on that dive and it showed in my poor SAC rate. The next day was in kelp and I had the same DM buddy. I was a full buddy on those dives, not simply a tourist.

I think we all can be tourists when we are diving outside our comfort level and just taking a tour. And we can be something more when the diving is just like what we're familiar with, albeit a new location with different things to see.

I also think one doesn't have to hire a DM. But one should know one's limitations and take measures to compensate. Hiring a DM may be the best option, but having a good buddy can be just as good or even better.

 

[ScubaSteve]

This we agree on. But a darwin candidate is a candidate irrespective of dive count.

Scuba diving is easy, but the consequences for failure are rather high.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[BDSC]

If the original post had made no mention of "underwater tourists" and had merely explained what it means to "know your limits and don't exceed them," the post would have been essentially the same and while there would be disagreements on points, no feathers would have been ruffled and the general concept would have met with widespread agreement.

But it did refer to divers as "underwater tourists". Perhaps the OP could have been wiser in his choice of terms.

 

[Teamcasa]

First, I don't know the OP but I do get a sense that he is serious and feels strongly about diver safety. I also think he ruffled a few feathers by labeling or classifying divers that don't dive as frequently as many (who actively post here on SB) of us do.

My view is that unless you are paid to dive then you (and I) are all just tourists in the underwater world. I am proud to say that I love being an underwater tourist.

The argument comes in the parsing out the definitions.
We all know divers that only want to dive on vacation. Some are good divers, some are not and it does not take long to figure it out. We also know some very active divers who feel they are pretty good at it. Some are and again, even though they are active, they just are not all that good at it.

What's the point? There will always be divers with less skill and experience than I have and there will always be divers that have more skill and experience than me. Trying to affix a label to either group will only cause grief but if a label must be applied, please make it; He/She is a safe and competent diver that has a lot of fun diving.

 

[DennisS]

I thought the term underwater tourist didn't make the point.

If you fly somewhere, get a hotel room and get on a bus to see the sights, you're a tourist.

If the sights are underwater, you're an underwater tourist--even if you have 1000s of dives, you're still a tourist visiting the place.

 

[Slonda828]

People get so touchy when somebody hits close to home, do they not?

I am a diver. I am responsible for my own actions, and when I use a DM, he or she is there to point out the cool stuff, cut up a pineapple, and alleviate my wallet of a twenty-dollar bill via their cheeky wit. I like the DM to be there because they know where the good stuff is. That is why I became one, because I like being a local guy who can show people cool things underwater, I like pineapple, I really love twenty-dollar bills, and I am cheeky enough for all parties concerned.

Here's the part I do not like about being a DM:

"No man, your tank is in backwards."

"Miss, your low pressure inflator hose isn't hooked up. No, it's that hose. Yes, the one with the quick release on it."

"What do you mean your computer died and you didn't bring tables?! Here, use mine. You do not know how to use tables?!"

A diver, according to Merriam Webster:

"A person who dives as a sport."

There is a certain amount of implied knowledge in any sport. If you were a baseball player, and had to have a special guy show up and tell you how to hold the bat, people would think you were an idiot, and would be reluctant to call you a baseball player. I feel the same way about diving. If I have to show you how to put your rig together, I will, but you are the one who is in need of better skills. That does not make me an ass, that makes me a professional, and a diver.

When did we become such a bunch of mollycoddlers? When did people stop taking personal responsibility?

(Fire at will, I wear nomex.)

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

Wow! Tough crowd! Especially for a topic(s) that pops-up so frequently.

Aren't we all just underwater tourists? Unlike the locals, we do have to return to terra firma.

I think you're right (and by extension, every other poster that said it). Most of us are just underwater tourists. So, while I generally agree with the OP's concerns, I think I'm one of those that can't agree with redefining the word "tourist" to describe the type of diver the OP is concerned about. I think we're kind of stuck with the fact that while everyone may not like it, anyone who is certified, regardless of skill level (we hope they have at least the minimum skill level of certified OW), is a "diver". We already have enough "advanced" labels if you need to describe skills above basic OW, i.e. Divemaster, DiveCon, MSDT, technical, cave, mixed gas, etc. Why unnecessarily add another term by redefining a word? I'm just saying. . .

This was probably not the OP's point of the thread, but, what can you say? Welcome to the world of public forums.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

gcbryan,

You may have a point, but aside from insulting those less experienced than you consider yourself, I'm not sure what it is. It is nice to know with what contempt you hold new divers who are responsibly trying to learn the sport by making sure they are diving with someone more experienced than themselves.

Nope ... you've missed his point entirely. If anything, he's saying that those who are responsibly trying to learn the sport are (at least on their way to becoming) divers ... while those who are content with letting someone else plan and execute their dives for them are tourists.

I didn't see any contempt or attempt at insult in the least. On the other hand ...

Every post you make has such a condescending tone, that what I get most out of this thread is the level of self-conceit you have.

I've known gcbryan for a long time ... he's one of the least condescending or conceited people I know.

I dove with only dive instructors and DM's for most of my first 50 some dives, predominately because I knew I wasn't an experienced diver . . . currently I'm just returning to diving after more than 18 months of not diving because of an accident. I've called on a very experienced DM budddy of mine to dive with me for the next dozen dives or so. Oh, how badly I must suck in your eyes.

I think you're reading way more into what he said than was really there. It's one thing to ask a more experienced diver for help. It's something else entirely to go your entire life depending on more experienced divers to keep you from harming yourself.

What makes someone a diver depends as much on a mindset toward self-improvement and self-reliance as on skill and experience. Perhaps if he'd used the term "dependent diver" rather than "underwater tourist", it would help you understand what he's getting at.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Ponyfeathers]

I think the word tourist (which does have a negative connotation) is what offended most people, especially when people spent all the time and money to become a certified diver. And when the words underwater tourists come to mind i think more of snorkelers.

IMO, if people can not put together their gear and perform basic operations/skills, they should not be diving without an instructor. But if people feel they still need a DM I dont think a diver title should be stripped from them. If I go out into the ocean for a dive, I will want a DM. Not because i think my gear wont be put together correctly, or that he/she will have to save my life, but because it is someone who has experience. Not only might I learn something from this DM but they can warn me about XY and Z and point out a really cool thing i might have missed if he wasnt there.

Personally I prefer new diver, or learning diver, rather than underwater tourist.