Your advice is requested

[tursiops]

Sorry, I don't get it. You assert there is a problem, and then tell us things that are already well-known as a solution.
How does this help?
Item 1 is solved by education, like from REEF.org. Not exactly a revelation.
Item 2 is moot; some people LIKE to zoom around.....so don't dice with them if you want to spend your time peeking under ledges for cryptic fish.
Item 3 is solved by not going on those kinds of boats.
item 4 is solved by diving and training.
Item 5 is the only thing on the list that really really matters, and there is little an individual diver can do about that except to not go to places like that.
NOTHING I've said is new or insightful....
So how does your survey help solve the problem you' ve stated, if it provides nothing new?

 

[chillyinCanada]

@tursiops, assuming our pollster is showing an accurate dive count on his profile, perhaps you could cut a little slack for once?

 

[Joel <°)))><]

Polls are not solving any problem, they are just highlighting them. They might help by telling the story of what casual divers are feeling. I get that you are very experienced, more than 99% of the divers, and that you know where to go to find resources and what type of charter not to board. My survey tells me that regular casual divers don't know about REEF (verified by asking directly during the interviews), don't know how to pick a dive operator for a great experience, and yes, do lack of training. And this needs to be addressed if we want scuba diving to be a sustainable sport, now that it became more accessible than ever.

I've also learned that ScubaBoard is a hermetic den for scuba geeks as I didn't get any of this information from participants originating from here.
At least I felt welcome when I introduced myself - thanks. I guess that some people like to share their passion, and some prefer to protect it from noobs.

 

[tursiops]

Polls are not solving any problem, they are just highlighting them. They might help by telling the story of what casual divers are feeling. I get that you are very experienced, more than 99% of the divers, and that you know where to go to find resources and what type of charter not to board. My survey tells me that regular casual divers don't know about REEF (verified by asking directly during the interviews), don't know how to pick a dive operator for a great experience, and yes, do lack of training. And this needs to be addressed if we want scuba diving to be a sustainable sport, now that it became more accessible than ever.

I don't disagree with any of this.
What I'm disagreeing with is your presumption that these problems are not known...and that somehow your poll will reveal that to the masses. I guess I'm tired of people telling me there is a problem....I'd like to hear someone offering a solution or two. I'd also like to think, for example, that if someone is curious about reef fish, they might try Googling "reef fish." They probably could have done that in less time than it takes to tell you they don't know about reef fish.

Now that you've done your survey -- and thanks for reporting the results -- what do you hope happens next? Are you going to do anything as a result?

 

[Joel <°)))><]

Of course, I'll see what I can do about this. That's why I did put the effort in find the most pressing issues.
I have a few ideas which I am exploring right now to see which ones are feasible and self-sustainable. It will take me a few months to develop and test some of these solutions, while others may take much longer.
I'm not sure I'll be able to post about these on this board if they are products or services, as it would go against the non-commercial policy of SB. If this ends up into improving or helping an NGO (there's already plenty out there, I won't create another one!), then I'll stop by to tell what's happening.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

I've also learned that ScubaBoard is a hermetic den for scuba geeks as I didn't get any of this information from participants originating from here.
At least I felt welcome when I introduced myself - thanks. I guess that some people like to share their passion, and some prefer to protect it from noobs.

You can blame the members here or you can look at what you are asking of them. This has nothing to do with noobs. You had no presence here except for a few posts before your survey. Do you think that you are the first to show up and create a survey? Just look at all the surveys in this forum. Most are from new members with no scuba experience and poor survey designs. I suspect that most of the "surveys" are just attempts to mine data under the guise of scuba diving.

If you really want to understand scuba diving and most things underwater then ask a question in the appropriate forum. You will get more answers than you could possibly hope for, willingly and mostly with kindness. But don't create a pseudo-survey and expect the members to respond. We don't know you and we have been inundated with surveys.

 

[Joel <°)))><]

@Pedro Burrito - point taken and accepted.