I know this is an older post but the rude diver phenomenon has been an increasing bugbear in the dive world and it's getting worse.
I think part of the problem is that diving has become so accessible over the last ten years - not necessarily because of pricing - and in a way this is a resounding success story but I've watched the industry change from what was once the preserve of people who dived solely for the privelage and pleasure of being underwater and witnessing all the majesty that the Ocean has to offer to what has become over the years, rather unfortunately, a sort of status symbol rather than an activity to be enjoyed, so instead of people diving because they love it, a lot of people dive so they can brag about it later.
There's a definite attitude that goes with it, and it has to be said that there are certain nationalities who provide more of these rude people than others, and the rise of underwater photography and social media has definitely played a part. I'm not saying that all photographers are rude divers - far, far from it, most are lovely - but I have seen so many groups of divers chasing wildlife with their cameras, driving the wildlife away and thus spoiling it for everybody else in the water. So focused are they on their cameras that they are oblivious to anything else underwater - it's the same sort of irritating behaviour exhibited by people who can't put down their smartphones whilst walking down a busy street and just bump into people like a human pinball. Every now and then they get their just desserts and walk into a lamp-post; the problem being that the underwater equivalent of bumping into a lamp post is smashing into a fragile head of coral.
It was a topic of constant, frustrated amusement and bewilderment amongst my colleagues and I - the typical "advanced" diver who apparently knows everything there is to know about everything (few of them on SB, actually!) and it may be that back in their home town they are the most experienced diver in the area and somehow transfer that sense of superiority to every dive boat they board. Every now and then we listen to some ego-fuelled idiot who can't stop blabbing about how they have the best kit and why their particular style of windmilling through the water is superior to standard buoyancy techniques and we just sort of politely nod our heads, try not to laugh, and keep a careful eye on them as 'person most likely to get into trouble during a dive".
Of course - back at the dive centre bar later, we have a beer and laugh our backsides off - and the joke is shared between all the other very cool and lovely divers who were on the boat that day. Fortunately, the rude, arrogant diver is so superior that they cannot possible hang out with such inferior people as the rest of us, and so we get to share our stories while they retire for the evening to polish their egos and upload blurry photos of the butts of terrified fish to their twitterbooks.
Fortunately, although they get everywhere, they are still very much in the minority and most of the divers (and photographers) that I have encountered over the years are genuinely lovely people, passionate about their diving and the preservation of the environment, and even the most inexperienced can see that stupid really is as stupid often does.
Cheers
C.
