What's the most unpopular benign/non-polarizing opinion you hold re: diving?

[NYCNaiad]

I don't mean something that has been endlessly debated with opposing factions of divers which becomes a serious discussion (e.g., force fins vs other fins, snorkel vs. no snorkel, etc.). I mean something benign/silly/weird which other divers may even snicker to hear you say.

Mine: I think it's possible to enjoy the safety stop more than the dive. I'm not talking about seeing something magical while at the safety stop or reaching your safety stop after having a bad dive/accident. I mean just you at the safety stop after a good dive.

This is not because I haven't been diving somewhere great cause I've been some fantastic places like the Solomon Islands, Philippines & Maldives. I just love that feeling of floating and zoning out. And I still think of the rigid hang bar on the Belize Aggressor IV (aka Sundancer II) with delight even after some really nice dives around Belize. I adored flying on that bar & looping around like a gymnast. I may have doubled or even tripled the amount of time spent at the safety...you know, just to be really safe.

 

[rabe]

Same here: I love the quiet of the safety stop moment... Just floating with no goals or thoughts...


I think my unpopular thing is: "diving doesn't make me tired". I'm an ultra-runner and I am very well trained to fatigue and exhaustion, therefore after a dive I'm usually super fine and still super active...

 

[NYCNaiad]

Same here: I love the quiet of the safety stop moment... Just floating with no goals or thoughts...

I think my unpopular thing is: "diving doesn't make me tired". I'm an ultra-runner and I am very well trained to fatigue and exhaustion, therefore after a dive I'm usually super fine and still super active...

I thought no one would agree with me re: the safety stops. lol

So what about multiple dives a day--do they make you tired? 4 or 5 dives a day on a liveaboard just exhaust me. Of course I'm not an ultra runner. <shudder> Ultra running sounds impressive, but horrifying to me. I'm all about my bike.

 

[rabe]

Unfortunately, I haven't been on a liveabord yet (I'm planning it though), and I guess that 4 or 5 dives might make me a little bit tired, but just a little bit.
I've done several triple dives, sometimes in hard conditions, but it wasn't enough to make me tired...
The ultra-running thing is also a mental training, that helps to manage the tiredness by controlling the level of stress your mind go through during those hard long runs (my favourite races are 80 or 100 km, and I never run anything shorter than 50 km)...

 

[NYCNaiad]

Unfortunately, I haven't been on a liveabord yet (I'm planning it though), and I guess that 4 or 5 dives might make me a little bit tired, but just a little bit.
I've done several triple dives, sometimes in hard conditions, but it wasn't enough to make me tired...
The ultra-running thing is also a mental training, that helps to manage the tiredness by controlling the level of stress your mind go through during those hard long runs (my favourite races are 80 or 100 km, and I never run anything shorter than 50 km)...

I've done 80+km bike rides. I can't even contemplate doing the same while running. I'd like to hate you for not getting tired while diving, but you work hard for it. That was a great one to add to the thread.

 

[rabe]

Eheheh thank you

 

[blatter]

For me, 4 or 5 dives on a good liveaboard like Bilikiki in the Solomons is fine. Easy diving and great dive sites with lots to see and photograph. Dive, eat sleep as they say and at least 6 hours in the water a day.

As mentioned in first post, stops can be good - I like to watch the plankton drift by in mid water - or take the time to look at the life on the reef when ascending along the seabed.

I guess the most controversial benign things I like, in no particular order are: solo diving, shore diving and diving in temperate or polar waters.

Have some great dive buddies, but often like to just do my own thing. Helps to be alone if you are photographing shy marine life, and the whole concept of instabuddies on dive charters is too horrible to contemplate.

Like shore diving for much the same reason - sometimes it is nice not to have to fit in with boat schedules or feel guilty about keeping others waiting while I finish a dive. The better dive charters and liveaboards can make this happen as well of course, but for me there is something nice about being totally independent of others and not have to mess around with boats.

Have done some great tropical diving, but cooler waters provide an additional challenge and the opportunity to see and experience some really diverse environments that are less often visited and less well known. Have dived with leopard seals and stellar sea lions, snorkelled with belugas with a polar bear on the beach nearby, dived the kelp forests of invertebrate communities of British Columbia and southern Australia and wrecks off the UK to mention just a few highlights. Great stuff and worth the extra effort.

 

[NYCNaiad]

I guess the most controversial benign things I like, in no particular order are: solo diving, shore diving and diving in temperate or polar waters.

What's funny is I was going to include the fact that I don't like shore diving, but decided too many people like it so I shouldn't put that. lol

 

[tbone1004]

I thought no one would agree with me re: the safety stops. lol

So what about multiple dives a day--do they make you tired? 4 or 5 dives a day on a liveaboard just exhaust me. Of course I'm not an ultra runner. <shudder> Ultra running sounds impressive, but horrifying to me. I'm all about my bike.

a few tech divers will agree with you because our deco stops are where we get to really "process" what happened on the dive and that's quite enjoyable for some of us. It's a bit unpopular in general, but is what it is.

the rest of my strong unpopular opinions are all pretty polarizing

 

[Fin Finder]

"dived".. not "dove".