Is the term "expedition" grossly overused?

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nippurmagnum

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This has become a pet peeve of mine: I see liveaboards doing the same routes that they have been doing for years, week after week, to well known dive sites, calling themselves "expeditions." Anyone else find that an exaggerated use of that term? To me, an expedition is a voyage of discovery to uncharted areas. Looking for an undiscovered shipwreck, exploring areas that have never been dived before -- those are expeditions. Everything else is just a liveaboard trip. Not that there is anything wrong with liveaboard trips.
 
You never know what you're going to find down there. A recent storm can uncover buried treasure.
 
I always thought of a "diving expedition" as planning a operation in a remote location, charter a suitable vessel of opportunity, and provide all the gear necessary to support diving operations -- chambers, compressors, ladders & dive stages, etc. The cost is usually underwritten by a client, sponsors, or investors.
 
expedition - merriam-webster definition: a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose

That fits the definition of a liveaboard trip almost perfectly.
 
Be it known, that from this point henceforth, we shall refer to all liveaboards as "Scuba Safaris"... cue the Beach Buys:


That, or you can vote with your fins and not go. I've become inured to marketing hype, so I'm OK with it.​
 
expedition - merriam-webster definition: a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose

What a lame definition. Then how is "journey" or "excursion" not exactly synonymous with "expedition"? Even the most routine journeys or excursions are undertaken for the specific purpose of reaching a destination or traversing a route.
 
I think I prefer Dictionary.com version better...a journey or voyage undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose, especially that of exploration, scientific research, or war.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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