Alert Diver does Sports' Illustrated

[neil]

I was not offended so much as disappointed that SD missed the opportunity to do a classy dive satire on the SI swimsuit issue. All they managed to do was show middling quality photos of models in ill-fitting dive suits. What a waste of time for them. If the mag weren't free, I would not subscribe.

Neil

 

[blacknet]

Hello,

I am curious if the same people would be complaining if it was a male on the cover rather than a female.

Ed

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by blacknet
Hello,

I am curious if the same people would be complaining if it was a male on the cover rather than a female.

Ed

Yes I would. I think there's plenty of magazines and other media out there for this kind of advertising. I want information about a product and don't need or want such sexual come-ons to get my attention.

 

[CGoheen]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice the cover of my son's Skin Diving magazine. I just started reading DAN when I gave my son a membership last may. I don't think it's a great magazine, but there seem to be very few even good maganizes for scuba.

It caught my eye, but just like the SI swimsuit issue, I wouldn't buy it for the picture. I read Skin Diver hoping to find some technical information, and test my book learned skills. I'm going to drop them a line and tell them I'd like them to concentrate on what they should be good at and leave the T&A to SI.

 

[KC_Scubabunny]

I just returned home from being out of town all weekend and found my issue of Skin Diver in my mail box. When I got a look at the cover and had a chance to discuss its poor taste with my husband, I immediately came here to see if anyone else had posted an objection.

Glad to hear that I was not alone. I have a hard enough time trying to convince my female friends to try diving because they know it is a primarly male sport but if they think that the women who do dive look like Victoria's Secret models then they will never try!

Personally I think it is bad for the sport. Particularly since it was not just the cover photo but also the large print banner on the magazine. If it had just been the advertisement pages in the middle then I would have skipped over it an probably been mildly miffed but the idea that this is sitting on newstands everywhere related to the diving community is very poor PR. It reinforces the sterotype that diving is a men's sport and they are focusing on the old boys club.

I agree that we all need to let Skin Diver and St. Vincent know how we feel but I think we should send a message to the dive industry that diving is for all people of all sizes and not just waifs in bikini's.

KC_Scubabunny

By the way I am 5'7" 130lb size 7 so this is not jealously. It is plain outrage. Okay off soapbox now.

 

[Natasha]

DivingGal: It is not just free to DAN members. It is being sold in the books stores. I was at Borders Friday night, and it was in with the sports mags.
Ed: LOL I have to say you made me laugh. I would rather see a hunk of a man, if I had to choose between the two. But more then either one, a nice beach to shore dive from, with a diver getting ready to enter, would get my attention.
Who said there isn't that many good dive magazines? I think Advanced Diver is one of the best. UnderCurrent, and Imersed are two more. I even like Dive Training, and Rodales is OK to read on the plane.

 

[large_diver]

That was the first dive mag I felt I had to hide from my 5 & 7 year old kids.

My overall impression of SkinDiver is that it is just filled with triup reports, pretty pictures and ads (vs. the inclusion of gear reviews and technique discussions in Rodale's for example). This new "pictorial" only reinforced my "fluff" impression of SD.

If it weren't for the free subscription via my DAN membership, I would not renew.

 

[blacknet]

Hello,

Most of the large dive mags go for that look in submissions. This is nothing new. There are some who doesn't go for that but not many.

Ed

 

[The Chairman]

in his Gold Lamae??? Actually, I thought most of the pictures pretty sophomoric (I just love words like that) though not overly offensive to my male chauvinistic mind. I am not sure that there is much that can be done to make neoprene "tantalizing"... BTW, anyone got a cool looking flame suit I can put on now???

 

[CGoheen]

Who said there isn't that many good dive magazine? I think Advanced Diver is one of the best. UnderCurrent, and Imersed are two more. I even like Dive Training, and Rodales is OK to read on the plane.

Haven't seen the first three magazines you've mentioned. I live in a fairly metropolitan area (fairfax county population is 1 million plus) and they don't show up at the bookstores, magazine stands or libraries. I'll go search them out. Thanks.