I try to learn something on every dive, and I try to suck less each time I dive, but I know that I don't know a lot, and spend as much time diving to suck minimally
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My level of suckage in each situation is directly related to the amount of experience I have at diving in each situation.
I occasionally torture myself on a golf course, and I found that if I keep in mind a concept I cal PAR Power in golf, I can keep my sanity. They concept is in what PAR stands for: Positive Acceptance of Reality. The PAR power system has several key axioms.
1. The reality is you suck. Accept it. Positively.
2. When you hit a bad shot, it is because you suck. It's to be expected. Don't worry about it. Accept it.
I had to laugh at the golf analogy. Great post.
I can't imagine feeling frustrated diving though. Anytime I'm in the water...surfing, body surfing, spearfishing or scuba diving...I never actually "measure" my performance. I'm just really stoked to have the means and to be healthy enough to be out there.
I posted a thread a year or so ago when I had 50+ dives and discussed how, after a year into my diving career, I still sucked.
Well... one year later... I still suck at diving. .
....snip....
The reason I am posting this is because I think it is important from time to time to stop and take stock of where a person is in their diving... look at things objectively, see what needs improvement then actually DO something about improving it... whether it is find somebody to mentor you, take a class, do some travel, or whatever.
People who don't regularly take stock of who they are and where they are in their diving careers are people (IMHO) who are doing themselves a disservice.
But I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to expect that at 100 dives, he should be better than he was at 10; or that at 1000, she should be better than at 100.