Just an observation

[tkdgodess]

Tropical vacations are cheap. Plan a cold water vacation to iceland or scapa flow, throw in a bit of helium.... Heck id much rather dive the great lakes but that will cost me more than hawaii.

 

[gekodivebali]

I never travel for diving. Would love to but can't seem to get any time off. Should I resent the fact that most people I dive with are on holiday? Or would that just be jealousy?

 

[XS-NRG]

Agreed, I wouldn't want to dive the Great Lakes either.

I find that statement odd. If you are a serious diver then shouldn't you want to dive anywhere because.......well......you're diving?!? I live in Alberta and can't wait to come dive the Great Lakes. It will be sweet. I dive in lakes, oceans, mud puddles who cares. Low viz, practice your navigation and buoyancy. Good viz practice buoyancy and some other skill (SAC rate).

Doesn't matter what gear you have or don't have. I buy nice stuff and new stuff but it's not the most expensive. I buy quality but I also don't overdo it. I dive when and where I can. A couple of my trips you could consider vacation dives but at the same time they have been training taking courses whether it's AOW, Nitrox, Drysuit etc etc. In my experience diving and doing some traveling around the world you always find fun, entertaining quality people. I've met only a few snobby bitchy types but guess what.....they aren't the ones you invite to have a beer with or hang out with etc after you're done diving. They can be their own clique'y group somewhere where I'm not. There's always someone that's cool to talk to and just be real with.

I've met some of the poorest divers out there too. Go to some big ticket places like The Whitsundays in Australia and look at how many backpackers are there traveling the world that can't even afford a sandwich yet they work their asses off just to do 1 double dive with rental gear all the time because they love diving. They appreciate the rewards of hard work getting minimum wage and you hang out with people that have a passion for doing it and they always have great stories. Associate with people like that. So many great down to earth people out there in this sport. Forget the snobs. No one cares if they have a $5000 computer. If it works for them, awesome!

 

[FM1520]

After almost 5 decades of snorkeling I will be taking my OW cert class. But I have an observation that I wish to share with the group. Most everyone I have met in this sport is friendly and supportive. Like all sports ego's sometimes get played out, but that is human nature. What i do find a bit dis-heartening is the sense of economic class distinction. The majority of those who spend a good bit of time on the week ends hanging out at my local dive shop are in the upper income levels. I do not have any problem with what a person has or earns. But when the atmosphere is such that unless you can afford at least one or more out of country dive trips a year then you must not be serious about diving it can become discouraging.
I do not mean to offend others with this post but please realize that for many of us this is a dream we are having to make many sacrafices to fufill. And that due to our income levels we may have to take longer to achieve our goals and that a out of country dive trip will at best be a once every five to ten year or more adventure.

I think what you are seeing is specific to that dive shop. Divers and the sport of diving is so diverse I don't think you can generalize at all. Unfortunately, in Oklahoma you may be pretty limited in finding the right crowd.

 

[supergaijin]

After almost 5 decades of snorkeling I will be taking my OW cert class. But I have an observation that I wish to share with the group.

You mean: I want to share this with 'the world' and hope one of 'the group' reads it?

The majority of those who spend a good bit of time on the week ends hanging out at my local dive shop are in the upper income levels. I do not have any problem with what a person has or earns. But when the atmosphere is such that unless you can afford at least one or more out of country dive trips a year then you must not be serious about diving it can become discouraging.

Sounds like a 'country-club' as opposed to a diveshop. If you find the atmosphere a bit snotty, then don't hang around on weekends.

I do not mean to offend others with this post but please realize that for many of us this is a dream we are having to make many sacrafices to fufill. And that due to our income levels we may have to take longer to achieve our goals and that a out of country dive trip will at best be a once every five to ten year or more adventure.

I don't understand. After 50 years I'm sure you've run in to these kind of people before- take a random sample of wealthy people and you're going to find among them, some right proper snobs. Avoid these people when possible. Accept their existance when you cannot. Again, after 50-odd years on this planet, I thought that would have been understood by now.

My personal observation is that some of the 'worst' divers I see have more than 100 dives. At that point they often stop listening to briefings, advice etc. They have survived approximately 100hrs underwater and this is often when they think they know enough and switch off. These people also talk about 'doing the Great Barrier' or 'doing the Galapagos'. They are conquests, much like 'doing their secretary'. I have little time for these people and avoid them when possible- sometimes I have to be there; sometimes it's part of doing my job.

 

[cb5150]

Why do you care what other people think? Do what makes you happy and if it is diving then dive wherever you want.

I agree with EED. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing/not doing and enjoy yourself. I travel a lot, but I also do a lot of local diving. I often hang out at my LDS and talk about my scuba adventures. Am I going to temper my enthusiasm because I might offend someone who can't afford a trip? Nope! Am I going to sulk because someone is headed to Bora Bora and I can't afford it? Nope!

Live YOUR life, dive YOUR dive.

 

[BUDMANOK]

Unfortunately, in Oklahoma you may be pretty limited in finding the right crowd.

not sure what that means but Okies including divers are some of the nicest people you will meet. that is unless you are a Longhorn fan

 

[Tigerman]

I never travel for diving. Would love to but can't seem to get any time off. Should I resent the fact that most people I dive with are on holiday? Or would that just be jealousy?

Youre in Bali? I think your local diving is probably "quite adequate" compared to what most people who want to travel have in their "back yard"

 

[Quero]

After almost 5 decades of snorkeling I will be taking my OW cert class. But I have an observation that I wish to share with the group. Most everyone I have met in this sport is friendly and supportive. Like all sports ego's sometimes get played out, but that is human nature. What i do find a bit dis-heartening is the sense of economic class distinction. The majority of those who spend a good bit of time on the week ends hanging out at my local dive shop are in the upper income levels. I do not have any problem with what a person has or earns. But when the atmosphere is such that unless you can afford at least one or more out of country dive trips a year then you must not be serious about diving it can become discouraging.
I do not mean to offend others with this post but please realize that for many of us this is a dream we are having to make many sacrafices to fufill. And that due to our income levels we may have to take longer to achieve our goals and that a out of country dive trip will at best be a once every five to ten year or more adventure.

Curtis, first of all, cograts on getting everything sorted out to go through with the Open Water course.

Next, without knowing your LDS or the clientele, I'm willing to bet that if you're getting this vibe from the shop owner, it's just his clumsy and not-so-smart way to stay in the black. Dive courses are not money makers; what brings profit to a typical land-locked dive shop is what can be sold to the newly trained diver, which is equipment and dive experiences. Living where you do, it's not surprising to me that "big" trips with their correspondingly big price tags are what the shop pushes. If you don't like the hard-sell, just get your cert and find another way to get your dive experiences. Here on SB we have whole regional forums where divers discuss local diving and find buddies.

Now if you got this vibe from the other customers, well, could it just be that they are so enthusiastic about scuba diving that they like to hang out at the dive shop and talk diving, making plans for trips, and buying the latest gadgets? You don't really know what their spending priorities are, and it's possible they drive ten year old cars instead of getting a new car every few years, and with that money they pay for dive trips. That's what I do, personally--my car is now seven years old and I plan to keep it for a good long while so I can spend money going "abroad" to dive. Just last month, for example, I went "abroad" (from Thailand to Florida) to do some diving, and it cost me A LOT. Additionally, the customers who aren't yet quite so "hooked" have better things to do on their weekends than hang out at the dive shop dreaming of dive travel and maxing out their credit cards on new gear.

So what I'm saying, Curtis, is, cut these folks a little slack. Nobody is going to force you to do anything you don't want to do, and if you see other divers' going on and on about their fancy dive trips, well, it could very well be that they're simply passionate and want to share that passion. I figure that my non-diving friends probably get pretty sick of me "sharing my passion" about diving and dive travel (so I've pretty much stopped talking to them, LOL).

 

[gekodivebali]

Youre in Bali? I think your local diving is probably "quite adequate" compared to what most people who want to travel have in their "back yard"

You're right & am loving it. This thread just got me thinking about the proverbial: when you have time you're broke. When you have money, you ain't got no time!

---------- Post added August 4th, 2013 at 10:33 PM ----------

And no matter how nice the diving is where you are, it's great to go dive in a new location. You get a fresh look at new wildlife, environment, techniques, etc... Never stop learning!