When should I stop referring to myself as a beginner

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks for all the comments - most insightful.

There is a practical reason why I’ve asked this. Whenever I initiate correspondence with a dive op who don’t know me, or when I post here and want to put what I say into the proper context, I often will say that I’m a beginner. I think that sets the right context for my opinions in SB and the dive ops will know not to expect too much of me in terms of skills (as an aside, I have a lot of diving knowledge which I got here, but not skills because I literally haven’t dived enough). But after say, 50 dives, if I still think I’m not “good enough”, can I still legitimately call myself a beginner or will people start thinking I’m full of BS?

I'm curious as to why you feel you need to describe yourself to a dive op when making initial inquiries. Most dive ops will do what they can to give you the kind of dives you're interested in and comfortable with. Instead of saying "I'm a beginner," maybe consider something more informative (to the dive op), such as "I prefer to avoid swim-throughs" or "I prefer to avoid dives over 90 feet," or even "I'm a bit of an air hog," etc. I don't know whether I'm a "beginner"--as other replies here suggest, it's a fairly meaningless word--but for Cozumel trips, for example, I tell the divemaster that my thing is marine life, and while I don't fear typical swim-throughs, they just don't excite me as much as seeing the animals. I try to give them a better idea of the kind of dives I am looking for.

As far as using "beginner" as a caveat to your opinions here, it seems to me that anyone who's interested in a poster's background can look up the poster's profile as well as previous posts to get an idea of who is behind the post.

 

[scbaNE2179]

I don't know whether I'm a "beginner"--as other replies here suggest, it's a fairly meaningless word--

100% agree!

 

[Steve_C]

Telling an op that you are a beginner, as opposed to telling them your likes, could result in your being put with divers who have much lower skills then you have with over 25 dives. Modesty is good but don't create problems for yourself. Go with what Lorenzoid said.

 

[Dogbowl]

Thanks! I will stop describing myself as a beginner from now on...seeing how it's really not doing me any favours!

 

[pjhansman]

I was a "beginner" for a while. Now I consider myself an "enthusiastic amateur". And probably will never get beyond that status.

 

[jlcnuke]

I think "how" you dive is a lot more important than "how many dives you have" in describing your skill level as a diver.

If someone described themselves as a "beginner" I'd expect they'd likely have poor buoyancy control or use a lot of air or constantly using their hands or they might need reminding of the "basics". To me, when you're certified and reach the level of skill (and more importantly comfort) that you can safely dive with a buddy without violating limits inadvertently or causing problems for others in a routine recreational dive, then you've progressed past being a "beginner". If that takes 5 dives, great, if it takes 500 dives then that's what it takes; but at that point you're just a "diver" and not a "beginner" ("amateur" or "recreational" diver if you feel the need for adjectives).

 

[falcon125]

50 dives

 

[TMHeimer]

Needless to say, I agree with every post. I got MSD at the 50 required dives. My first (and only) regular buddy moved and I decided to start doing "benign" shallow shore dives solo (which is what I mostly still do). That was at 75 dives. So I'll choose that number if I have to pick one.

 

[arew+4]

Avoid labels and adjectives. Just strive to be competent, self aware, and curious.

Oh yeah, when the s hits the fan and you stay calm look inward and work the problem, u are no longer a newbie.

 

[boulderjohn]

I go to South Florida for two months every year, and I do a good amount of diving while I am there. I see a lot of familiar faces, some of which I have come to know and some that simply look very familiar. These people must dive a lot. I once overheard a conversation between 2 silver haired veterans that will illustrate a point.

One was saying that after all those years and all those dives, he still feels nervous every time he puts on his gear before a dive. The other one replied, "I get nervous every time I see you put on your gear before a dive, too."

The first comment indicated that for many people, they never get over the feeling that they are still just beginners. The response shows they can still joke and laugh about that feeling, which shows they really do feel a true sense of confidence despite that feeling.

What this means to me is there comes a time when you feel like you know what you are doing. You feel like you belong on the boat (or wherever). You are confident that you can do the dive you are about to do safely. At the same time, you have a healthy respect for the inherent danger in what you are about to do.