This one is going to hurt: advice to new divers

[edasque]

Just wrote that, let me know what you think in the article comments:

Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men | Thinking Diver

 

[Slonda828]

I think your site is great, and I applaud you for expressing yourself. I would double check your grammar and spelling a bit. Keep in mind that a bunch of people may piss and moan, like they did when I first posted my own personal site. Realize that those people are probably waterheads, make a stiff drink, and drive on.

If you keep adding to your site, then I will keep reading it.

 

[oreocookie]

Keep in mind that a bunch of people may piss and moan, like they did when I first posted my own personal site. Realize that those people are probably waterheads, make a stiff drink, and drive on.

You've asked for comments, so I hope you expect some criticism, some constructive, some not so much. Think about the responses that you get and make adjustments accordingly. Not everybody's going to agree with you, but their advice may be just as helpful to someone as your's is to someone else.

While I don't necessarily agree with everything you've written, I noticed a few statements that have nothing supporting them. As a new diver, a reason why I should get paddle fins instead of splits is useful or why not to get a jacket bc (for the record, I have paddle fins and am looking into getting a back inflate bc). I find it hard to accept such statements; the lack of support behind them makes me want to question them.

 

[Sas]

It's nice that you are trying to put together a website to help new divers. Some comments from me (you can take or leave, just stuff that stood out to me so not meant to be a criticism or to tell you not to post what you want):

Firstly the title is offputting to me, as a female. I know you've said it is inspired by a poem but I would not bother to read an article with a title like that if I stumbled across it. You can change the title to be gender neutral and still mention it is inspired by the poem.

DonÃÕ rush your recreational scuba training. Yes, you can get your Advanced Open Water certification (or equivalent) right after your Open Water but why would you ?

This has barely any detail to support your argument about not rushing. It would be better if it had the pros and cons of doing AOW after OW and conclude from that.

Dive Master training can be fascinating but understand what youÃÓe getting into.

Not very detailed and you have not described why it is fascinating or what one would get into with DM training making the statement not very helpful.

Prefer paddle fins to split fins. But thatÃÔ just my opinion. Buy a good mask as well. Later on buy a Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) and then a regulator.

For BCD, donÃÕ buy a jacket style, buy a back-inflated BC or a Backplate/Harness/Wing (BP/W) combination. The later is my preference and is likely to last you for a very long time. Find a used one, theyÃÓe just great.

Why? You have not put any details as to why one would do these things.

Learn the Frog Kick from the get go and forget about Flutter kick. You will not regret it.

Again, there is nothing to explain why one should learn frog kicking.

Focus on Buoyancy and Finning. Those are key skills.

Why? Also I would think you would be more helpful mentioning a bunch of skills to learn. And also explaining how to achieve better results with buoyancy and finning.

Anyway, hope that helps! Good luck with your article.

 

[pacchill]

Make stickers of your logo!

 

[driftwood]

Great site and thanks for building it.

I agree with the other posts that you need to flesh it out more regarding gear choices training and techniques. Really expand on what is a 'good' mask for a person.

You also might add that the zen of scuba is being relaxed. Once you have confidence in your training, gear and environment, then you can hit the zone and really enjoy a dive. It takes practice and that means local diving.

 

[vladimir]

Great site! I am going out to buy a used bp/w. Why? Because you told me "they're just great." And I'm going to learn the frog kick, because you told me I "will not regret it." I am going to focus on buoyancy and finning, too: "They are key skills."

Where is the exposition? How have you provoked any thought? What service are you providing? Who is your target audience? Wouldn't they be better off with a link to Scubaboard?

Good luck, though.

 

[Colliam7]

Just wrote that, let me know what you think in the article comments

While I understand the comments that exposition would be helpful, I woudn't add too much, if any. The point is to get the new diver to ask, 'Why?', after reading the advice, and learn from the pursuit of the answer to that question, not for you to provide the detailed explanantion. The poem doesn't say. 'Don't write poetry because: 1) it is exhilirating, but 2) frustrating, 3) mind-expanding, but 4) futile, 5) poignant yet 6) pointless, 7) richly rewarding, yet 8) economically unviable, and 9) condemns the poet to a life of isolation, 10) provides notariety but 11) provokes public criticism and 12) ultimately drives one mad.' Instead, it allows the reader to infer the rewards of writing poetry, by comparison to the rewards of a variety of other pursuits, some rationale, some bizarre, some unusual, some mundane. If a new diver asks 'Why would someone say that?', and seeks out answers from other divers, from a LDS, from SB, from other resources, they will benefit greatly from the experience. Likewise, while I understand saspotato's comment, if a female diver is put off by the title, 'So what?' That is not a gender-biased comment. Rather, it appears that you are provding advice, for those who might care to consider it. If someone chooses not to consider it, so be it. If one of my daughters were to say, 'I won't read the poem because it is obviously intended only for men', I would conclude that, with that attitude, she wouldn't benefit from reading it anyway. And, if the title was changed to substitute 'women' for 'men', and my son made a similar comment, I would draw the same conclusion.

As an editor, I would suggest you continue to tweak the language, the words, the flow. Leave the exposition for others.

 

[spectrum]

You lost me in the first sentence, BTS? While LDS is a fairly common in the idiom most readers will miss that too.

When you got to specialty training I don't see the need to single PADI out.

There's some good advice and a good lot of opinion both stated an implied. There is a place for opinion in scuba since there are very few absolutes. Your opinion is of infinitely higher value when you take the time to walk the reader through your thought process. It's even better when you also explain the though process that supports alternative opinion(s). New divers are very impressionable and they need information, not unsupported opinion.

As a fellow diver who has chosen to have his own soapbox on the net I will say that an objective of mine was to have a place to say what I wanted to say the way I wanted to say it, no more and no less.

Be careful in seeking edification or you may loose your identity.

Pete

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I would use a different picture.

Having a photo of a diver in a vertical position wearing a partially-inflated, ill-fitting BCD gives me the impression that this diver is overweighted and poorly-trained.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)