Why Diving & Not Tennis?

[Scubagolf]

Used to play tennis, but it got boring and I haven't touched a racquet in ten years....I have played golf for over fourty years and I literally could play 5 or 6 days a week, which I expect to be doing next year after I hang up my "work spikes" for good in January.

I only dive on a half dozen trips a year---all to warm water tourist magnets in the Carribbean or the Pacific. Maybe 20 dives/year, if that. But I look forward to diving every other day of the year, I talk diving when I'm on the golf course with my pals who are also divers.

Why do I like diving? There's the challenge, the beauty of the ocean and the creatures in it, and it gives me something to work on to improve my skills. Besides, not everybody is a diver or thinks they could possibly do it. Some ego gratification there, I guess.

 

[markfm]

I used to go on high mountain trekking vacations, a bit of the road less traveled. After "time off", happy homeowner for a handful of years, it was time to take up something new. Good people, interesting locales, neat fauna, a little exercise -- what more can anyone ask?

 

[Green Hand]

From 1990 to 2001 there have been 1211 summits and 66 deaths, giving 1 in 18. The numbers in 98, 99, and 00 were more like 1/30 or 1/70 than 1/4.

LOL. Not wanting to get into semantics because it isn't really what this post is about.

My revised figure was based on total history of climbs on everest. Between the mid fifties and late seventies there was a far higher mortality rate than today [equipment is far superior but we still can't control nature]. The same can be said of mortality rates in F1 racing. The high rate of mortality early on in the sports history still contribute their historically being a high rate of death overall.

Based on the American Alpine Club stats. 91 climbers and 38 porters have died on Everest b/w 1980-2002. [an average of 5.6 per year]. Based on sucessful summits by climbers [not teams] this equates to 1 in 54 per climber and 1 in 175 per porter.

Interestingly between 1955 and 1994 1 in 25 climbers died on K2. So with 20/20 vision I should have used K2 as my example. LOL

Enough sparing with you. I am not a climber and I think you probably have a keener interest in the sport than I do, although I have lost some friends who were climbing in New Zealand.

Back to discussions on diving.

 

[TheRedHead]

Greenhand,

Continuing this discussion from the Spiegel Grove thread on Accidents forum (around page 27), I think our personality types influence our decision to learn to dive, the way we dive and risks we take.

Introversion vs. extroversion probably has little to do with high risk as defined by Jung: introverted people get their energy from themsleves and extroverted people get their energy from other people. I bet a lot of divers are introverted (which does not mean shy).

Some of you may be familiar with the MBTI and the four basic types: Artisan, Guardian, Rational and Idealist. Artisan types are the thrill seekers. The ISTP and ESTP types are the classic risk takers. Rationals also like risk taking, with a careful analsys of the facts.

Divers who are very eco-aware are probably Idealists and scuba instructors will be more inclined to be Guardians.

All four of the types will be represented, but I think Rationals and Idealists are probably over represented on the net.

The Four Jungian Types: http://keirsey.com/matrix.html

Take the type test: http://www.typelogic.com/

Would I give up diving if my spouse asked me? I wouldn't marry someone who was not in sympatico with my personality. Just asking that someone give up something that is important to their spouse is a control issue. I couldn't stand that because I am an ENTP.

I am a controlled risk taker (Rational) and one of the things I enjoy most about diving is mastery of new ideas and new experiences.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Interesting test - I come out as a ENTJ - another exoverted thinker/controlled risk taker. I would have thought most divers would be introverted in the sense of thinking things out for ourselves, planning, and get strength from ourselves, however most divers are also very sociable - bonding with new people with the same interests is one of the great things about diving: so probably more exoverts than introverts...

I'd say divers will turn out to be thinkers and planners rather than idealists. Lets wait and see...

BTW: the introverts will be too shy to post on this thread anyway....

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[ScubaTwo]

Interesting test - I come out as a ENTJ - another exoverted thinker/controlled risk taker. I would have thought most divers would be introverted in the sense of thinking things out for ourselves, planning, and get strength from ourselves, however most divers are also very sociable - bonding with new people with the same interests is one of the great things about diving: so probably more exoverts than introverts...

I'd say divers will turn out to be thinkers and planners rather than idealists. Lets wait and see...

BTW: the introverts will be too shy to post on this thread anyway....

Cheers,
Rohan.

Hey I said I was an introvert not shy! :05: Oddly It says imma ENFP. Very interesting stuff.

 

[Diver0001]

I got Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging ISTJ

 

[Kevfin]

I do like adrenaline pumping hobbies. Skiing (water/snow), motorcycles, driving too fast, paintballing etc. etc. But, also enjoy reading a good book or playing piano.
Played tennis for a while and it just didn’t do it for me.
Diving has the best of both worlds, can be adventurous adrenaline pumping or serene and relaxing. Much like flying a plane,,, and believe me, diving is cheaper than what it costs me to fly planes.

 

[grazie42]

I got ENTJ (Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging) as well...

 

[jonnythan]

Oh yes.. I've tested out as INTP several times, and the description of INTP fits me perfectly.