Asian Diving club

[Clammy]

Sorry, I have to continue with this. Racism by it's nature is exclusionary, as people have mentioned. However, to seek out like people groups is not being racist unless your sole purpose to do so is to the exclusion of all other people groups. There's a big social difference that doesn't even border racism. There is no hate of other races or exclusion of other races. On the contrary, I would love for other races to hang out with asians in their culture more. It helps all parties involved understand each other. Similarly, I would love to see more asians americans get into scuba diving. Having an asian dive club would help people in that way. Just like having a dive club with say young adults would probably encourage more young adults to get into diving. It's wholly an avenue to be INCLUSIVE not EXCLUSIVE.

 

[Clammy]

Clammy, Check out these guys. They are predominantly Asian and run a great program and have a very active club.
Ocean Safari Scuba

Thanks!

 

[Kevfin]

Clammy, I'll be interested in the results of this thread.

Me too.

Not so much because of the Korean aspect (have had many Korean friends and they have always been way cool), but how does one go about finding such a group?

I've seen tons of Korean divers on boats and the beach. They're always hunting. Never spoke with them regarding a club.

I'll keep your inquiry in mind.

Oh well, let me know what happens.

 

[Empty V]

In July Gabriel from Ocean Safari was nice enough to release 9 spots to me for a trip on the Peace to San Miguel. Most of his people are Korean hunters and none of us had any issues with being non-Asians on a predominantly Asian charter.

Hey you're lucky, if I was going to start an Arab/Middle Eastern dive club it would consist of me and Rene(SouthBayRen) and I think that would be it. I think the fact that the potentiality of having to remove your shirt in public and reading in the Sunday morning paper about a big foot sighting and your picture front and center might turn off potential participants that share this same ethnic trait.

Seriously though I think that an ethnicity focused group can accomplish a lot of good. It gives one the opportunity to gel different aspects of their lives and bring it back to something that's very important to most of us, our cultures. It can also be seen as a barrier between the ethnocentric group and the general populous. I think that as long at the group maintains open arms and has some events where everyone is invited, the vibes and the dives will always remain positive. If the Group goes down the dark "DIR" (just an example) Elitist mentality then it's unsaid mission statement will not hold true.

Good topic bro! This is a new one for me too. Hey if you do join or start a group, one thing that we all could benefit from is a class on how to be an ethical and responsible hunter and practice logic and protocol which goes for everyone hunting u/w. Wow now I feel the ambien kicking in. Time to stop typing because in 5 minutes I wont be able to understand what'll be written
:banana: iiiiit's peanut butter jelly time! :banana:

:banana: iiiiit's peanut butter jelly time! :banana:

Billy

 

[Clammy]

In July Gabriel from Ocean Safari was nice enough to release 9 spots to me for a trip on the Peace to San Miguel. Most of his people are Korean hunters and none of us had any issues with being non-Asians on a predominantly Asian charter.

Hey you're lucky, if I was going to start an Arab/Middle Eastern dive club it would consist of me and Rene(SouthBayRen) and I think that would be it. I think the fact that the potentiality of having to remove your shirt in public and reading in the Sunday morning paper about a big foot sighting and your picture front and center might turn off potential divers that we share this commonality with.

Seriously though I think that an ethnicity focused group can accomplish a lot of good. It gives one the opportunity to gel different aspects of their life and bring it back to something that's very important to most of us, our cultures. It can also be seen as a barrier between the ethnocentric group and the general populous. I think that as long at the group maintains open arms and has some events where everyone is invited, the vibes and the dives will always remain positive. If the Group does down the dark "DIR" (just an example) Elitist mentality then it's unsaid mission statement will not hold true.

Good topic bro! This is a new one for me too. Hey if you do join or start a group, one thing that we all could benefit from is a class on how to be an ethical and responsible hunter and practice logic and protocol which goes for everyone hunting u/w. Wow now I feel the ambien kicking in. Time to stop typing because in 5 minutes I wont be able to understand what'll be written
:banana: iiiiit's peanut butter jelly time! :banana:

:banana: iiiiit's peanut butter jelly time! :banana:

Billy

It's hard to read what you type when I'm trying to avert my eyes from your avatar! HA HA HA

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'd like to find an Italian dive club. We are great underwater because of how we can carry on a coversation with just our hands and eyebrows(or in my case eyebrow, Long Live the Unibrow!)!

 

[Clammy]

I'd like to find an Italian dive club. We are great underwater because of how we can carry on a coversation with just our hands and eyebrows(or in my case eyebrow, Long Live the Unibrow!)!

LOL, full blown underwater scuba argument with hands and eyebrows!

 

[liuk3]

I wouldn't think that the club would have to be exclusionary. For instance, when I first heard about LABUE (Los Angeles Black Underwater Explorers), I asked one of the members about it. They told me you don't have to be black to be in it and that they had non-black members. So, I wouldn't call ethnic dive clubs racist at all. It's just as mentioned above perhaps to create an environment of cultural comfort.

On the other hand, I do believe that it might be difficult to start. As it is, there are not a ton of active divers. I think that just trying to start a dive club in general is a lot of work. Trying to get a bunch of people in general together on a regular basis is a lot of work to try to initiate. Just look at the Beach Crabs. It's taken a lot of work on Rick's part to get the group going. It is non-denominational and non-ethnic, and I know that it was tough to get a regular group going. Narrowing the group to a specific ethnic group or other category would have made it even much more difficult to get off the ground.

Having said that, I don't think that it is impossible to start, but my favorite dive buddies are mixed all over in terms of ethnicities. I never thought about their ethnicities. I just valued the fact that I can depend on them and always have a great time. It's about dependability and fun. It's tough enough to find good dive buddies you totally click with.

 

[drbill]

I certainly agree with Clammy, liuk3 and others that a desire to be in a group that is primarily of folks with similar cultural backgrounds is not racist at all IMHO. I only wish there were others in this particular solar system who shared my unique genetic background due to my mother and father being abducted by aliens for breeding experiments.

 

[dpbishop]

Exclusionary organizations are only racist if there is an economic benefit to them. The reason golf clubs, yacht clubs, etc. were forced to change membership rules that excluded people on the basis of race or gender is that they can function as an "old boys" network that gives their members a business advantage. (At least, that's what I've heard, it's never worked for me)

I've seen black ski clubs on the slopes and I think it's great; anything that gets more minorities involved in upscale hobbies like skiing and scuba will hasten the breakdown of social barriers.

Plus, when people share a cultural background, it's easier to decide where to eat after a dive.