Diver image. Do you even think about it?

[gcarter]

I have noticed something very interesting on a lot of the comments which many may not be aware of. While most tried there best to say they did not care about their image or the way they looked, they actually do. Let me explain why.

First off all I'm sure most of you have color preferences and for that reason, if you had a choice of colors you would choose the color that you like.
I like the color black I think I look good in it. Perhaps you like black or also some blues. Perhaps if you were to have gear that had colors you didn't like you would not feel as good as when you had the colored gear of your choice.. I'm just saying that there is an inherent degree of image, I just don't think many are aware or even think of it in that way.

Equally important is how one attaches their loose gear, and carries themselves. This also presents a good image. It shows that you are sharp and not sloppy.

I also want to add that when one contemplates what to choose based on a particular color it demonstrates that they have a preference when it comes to style or color. This is a component of an image. It has nothing to do with function.
All manufactures know that, and take into consideration when the final look of the product is done. Again this has nothing to do with function. Packaging is another way of form of image portrayal,and is key for the success of attracting potential buyers. Function and price still remains the ideal reason for the purchase but the underlying divider between two similar product will always be the image. The way the product looks as well as the packaging it is in, attracts and sends a message that appeals to the buyer.

Just because you think something looks sharp or cool or presents a good image does not mean that the person you are looking at cares about that. Maybe I like blue because I just like blue. Maybe I really don't give a **** how it looks on me. Maybe the colour does have a function - my son and I have the same fins and they are a different colour on purpose. Maybe I tuck my gear neatly because I am borderline OCD about being streamlined. Maybe a bunch of other stuff that has nothing to do with anything other than what it is. When you contend that this is because people care about image you are projecting. Not everyone seeks external approval in all things.

 

[Z Gear]

I care not a whit for what some Joe or Jane Q Public thinks of me kitting up. I don't look pretty in a tight rubber suit, 98% of divers don't. Diver's makeup? Great look, eh? Speedo jammers for comfort underneath that tight rubber suit? NICE!!! Waddle to the water carrying a **** ton of gear? Very elegant.

If you want image, this is not the sport for you. Stick to surfing or some other activity that has as active a fashion scene as it does an actual sport scene.

I do care what those I dive with think about how I acquit myself underwater. It helps me get better. That's all.

Hey its real simple I want to improve on my image I don't want to be sloppy, it is personal preference. If you want to be sloppy good for you that's your choice.

As far as sticking to surfing, I always surf when the surf is up and when there is no surf its time to for me to go diving!

 

[gcarter]

Hey its real simple I want to improve on my image I don't want to be sloppy, it is personal preference. If you want to be sloppy good for you that's your choice.

As far as sticking to surfing, I always surf when the surf is up and when there is no surf its time to for me to go diving!

Where did you get that? You are equating not caring what image you project with being sloppy? False equivalence, and very presumptuous.

I select and set up my gear for function, not image. Sloppy is not in that mix.

 

[Rich Keller]

I know we spend almost the entire time underwater but I think you take pride in your image. Example: How you carry your self, putting on your gear walking out to entry point. How is your gear is displayed is it all sloppy flopping all over the place,tank paint all peeling off, etc.. Or have you found ways to keeps it neater,streamlined and you look and act like you got it together.I am still learning to do this part but it is something I really want to do because I want that image versus the sloppy image.

I have a very streamlined setup but that is done for how it preforms underwater not how it looks above the water. I do not care what the tank looks like or any other piece of equipment for that matter as long as it works properly. What others think of how any of this looks is meaningless to me.

 

[KeithG]

First of most of us have color preferences. Choosing colors certain color to accent your gear is an image choice. It is your colors it is your creation of what you want to be seen as. Whether you think its just for you or you want the world to see it is still an image of you.

So what color is "grumpy old fart"? I want to make sure I project a true image.

 

[Z Gear]

Where did you get that? You are equating not caring what image you project with being sloppy? False equivalence, and very presumptuous.

I select and set up my gear for function, not image. Sloppy is not in that mix.

You are either very shallow or deliberately trolling.

I did not get to read your second post on taking time to neatly tuck in your gear (time to hit the sack). This to me presents an image statement. Yes you do it for function but wanting things to look neat or being ocd is mainly display trait not always function. By doing so you send a statement that you care about the way things look. Don't take things to personal I was just bringing up a topic that is rarely discussed.
Setting an example of being neat is actually a good thing to look at this can inspire others who were once really sloppy, on picking up this habit and being neater or sharper.

 

[DaleC]

I don't know about that image thing. In the last couple of months I have dived with two women who are just over 5' tall. Seeing as most gear is the same size regardless of the user it's really hard to look streamlined and sharp but they were/are awesome divers. I would also be a little careful of the colour scheme thing. Sometimes you may think you are projecting one image when in fact you are projecting another. If a diver IRL started talking about the importance of colour schemes I think most of us would certainly raise an eyebrow... but for the wrong reason. I would certainly be laughing on the inside. The only time this seems acceptable is for women who want pink.

 

[KathyV]

All this talk about image makes me laugh because it reminds of a passage from "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson about Bill Nagle. He was the hard-drinking captain of "The Seeker", the boat that John Chatterton was on when he first discovered the wreck of an unknown U-boat off New Jersey (see below). Nagle certainly didn't care much about "image"! Or maybe he cared about "macho diver image" a lot and he didn't like the image projected by "tourist divers"?!

He sounds like an interesting guy, I wish I could have met him but he wouldn't have liked me. Most of my equipment is old and my fins are black and gray (NOT lime green) but I'm definitely a warm water "tourist diver"!

If you still haven't read it, this is a great book!

http://ebooksbeus.weebly.com/uploads/6/3/0/8/6308108/shadow_divers_-_robert_kurson.pdf

“…Nagle had envisioned his business as
an endless series of trips to deep and dangerous wrecks
like the Doria or the Choapa. But his patrons desired
only the easy, nearby sites, wrecks like the Stolt
Dagali, SS Mohawk, and the Tolten. To Nagle, these
people weren’t divers, they were tourists. He watched
them climb onto the Seeker with their brand-new lime
green fins—lime green!—and listened to their giddy
plans to take pictures of lobsters or touch the side of a
“real” shipwreck, and he could not hide his contempt
for them. He had established a business in order to
explore, and now he was beholden to customers who
were thrilled precisely because they didn’t have to.
And Nagle was drinking. Jim Beam didn’t like the
Seeker’s customers any more than Nagle did. Before
long, Nagle became surly with his clients. Often, he
stood outside the wheelhouse atop his boat and rained
down commentary on stunned customers. He’d shout,
“This isn’t what diving’s about!” or “Look at you
greenhorns—go to the Caribbean with those green
fins!” or “You dive shop guys got b*lls selling that
garbage equipment to these innocents—you’re
crooks!” …”

 

[Bob DBF]

So what color is "grumpy old fart"? I want to make sure I project a true image.

It's that dull weathered grayish look all gear gets, regardless of original color, when you use it forever. Or you could just wear the BFK.



Bob
----------------------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

My tanks are all steel...faded, scratched steel. My black Jetfins have bungee straps, made from whichever bungee I happened to grab first. Currently I have one yellow and one red. My wing was black when I bought it, but is now so sun-faded that it has no color left. My first and second stages are from different manufacturers. I have a yellow seven foot hose in case an out-of-air diver needs to find it quickly. My gloves are blue Atlas 495s. Everything else is black, not because it's what the cool kids are wearing but because I don't like colorful dive gear. I've managed to dive safely for a few decades without looking good.