metaldector
Contributor
What is a Good Diver?
Almost all of us on this board are divers. Some are new, some have been diving for years, and many are infrequent divers while others are avid divers with 1000s of dives. So our training levels and experiences vary as does age, and accessibility to dive sites. Because of this, Ive been wondering for sometime about a phrase I hear spoken between dives. Oh, hes a good diver! Or the opposite, Man, what a terrible diver, I wont dive with him again! or something to that effect.
What makes a diver a good diver in the eyes of his peers? Is it his coolness, an ambiance in the water? His calmness in demeanor or his aggressive take charge attitude? Is a good diver easy to spot because of his trim, buoyancy, quickness to assemble equipment, buddy skills, his daring do? Or is a good diver someone whom is respected because he is steady, and can be counted on to react the best possible way in a crisis? Is a good diver the guy with the most scuba toys, gear, and the newest stuff, or the diver with the oldest torn up gear and mismatch booties? Is the good diver the guy who shares his knowledge with the new guys or the guy who has a book full of cert cards? What makes the good diver? Is it that he has traveled with world, spent many dives on live-a-boards and has a tale to tell? Is a good diver the person who has dove extremely deep or the diver with a logbook over flowing with notes? Are good divers multi-disciplined as in cave, ocean, wreak diving: as opposed to quarry diving only? Are cold water divers better divers than warm water divers, are wetsuit divers better than drysuit divers? Is the guy with the Instructor badge better than the well trained and practice diver?
I know how to recognize a bad diver, but recognizing a good diver is more subjective. Without naming names think of the person you consider the best respected diver you know. Put into words, why this person in your opinion is worthy of your respect and the title Good Diver. Or tell us what you personally need to do to achieve the title Good Diver.
Almost all of us on this board are divers. Some are new, some have been diving for years, and many are infrequent divers while others are avid divers with 1000s of dives. So our training levels and experiences vary as does age, and accessibility to dive sites. Because of this, Ive been wondering for sometime about a phrase I hear spoken between dives. Oh, hes a good diver! Or the opposite, Man, what a terrible diver, I wont dive with him again! or something to that effect.
What makes a diver a good diver in the eyes of his peers? Is it his coolness, an ambiance in the water? His calmness in demeanor or his aggressive take charge attitude? Is a good diver easy to spot because of his trim, buoyancy, quickness to assemble equipment, buddy skills, his daring do? Or is a good diver someone whom is respected because he is steady, and can be counted on to react the best possible way in a crisis? Is a good diver the guy with the most scuba toys, gear, and the newest stuff, or the diver with the oldest torn up gear and mismatch booties? Is the good diver the guy who shares his knowledge with the new guys or the guy who has a book full of cert cards? What makes the good diver? Is it that he has traveled with world, spent many dives on live-a-boards and has a tale to tell? Is a good diver the person who has dove extremely deep or the diver with a logbook over flowing with notes? Are good divers multi-disciplined as in cave, ocean, wreak diving: as opposed to quarry diving only? Are cold water divers better divers than warm water divers, are wetsuit divers better than drysuit divers? Is the guy with the Instructor badge better than the well trained and practice diver?
I know how to recognize a bad diver, but recognizing a good diver is more subjective. Without naming names think of the person you consider the best respected diver you know. Put into words, why this person in your opinion is worthy of your respect and the title Good Diver. Or tell us what you personally need to do to achieve the title Good Diver.