Dive/snorkel Experience Research

[smiley-emily]

I am a graduate research assistant working with research psychologists Joanne Vining (snorkeler) at the University of Illinois at Urbana and Deborah Winter (diver) at Whitman College.

We would be very grateful for your answers to the questions for our survey, which are found on our website (link found below). The questions are open-ended to provide you with the opportunity to tell us whatever you think is important -- for example, experiences, perceptions, feelings, who, where, what, etc.

Background information about the survey, as well as information about protection of human subjects information, can be found by following this link: http://humannaturelab.nres.uiuc.edu/subject_information/snorky_dive_info.html

Please follow this link to answer the questions and click on the submit button when you are done: http://humannaturelab.nres.uiuc.edu/subject_information/snorky_dive_survey.html

The time needed to answer the questions will vary depending on the length of your responses but should range between 5 and 20 minutes. If you wish, you may print the questions and send your answers to us at the following address:

Prof. Joanne Vining
University of Illinois
1201 S. Dorner Dr.
Urbana, IL USA 61801

Please feel free to send the link to this questionnaire to anyone you know who is interested in snorkeling or diving. Also, if you know of other listservs or clubs that might be interested, please let us know.

Thank you very much for your help with this exploratory study. You may send your responses to jvining@uiuc.edu by email or by mail to the address listed above, or by simply clicking the "submit" button. If you would like to see a summary of the results, please provide your email address on the survey form. As we noted above, any identifying information will be removed from your response.

 

[Fotoz4FX]

We are research psychologists and a snorkeler (Joanne Vining, University of Illinois at Urbana) and a scuba diver (Deborah Winter, Whitman College). Because of our own experiences, we have become interested in studying snorkeling and diving experiences. As a beginning, we are asking for help in identifying some of the important characteristics of underwater experience.

We would be very grateful for your answers to the questions below. The questions are open-ended to provide you with the opportunity to tell us whatever you think is important -- for example, experiences, perceptions, feelings, who, where, what, etc.

Your participation in this research is strictly voluntary. You may refuse to answer any of the questions without penalty or simply stop at any time and choose not to submit your survey responses. When we receive your answers we will eliminate any identifying information before entering your answers in our database and your name will never be associated with your answers in reports of the results of this study. Your participation in this project should not involve risks beyond the relatively minor risk of re-experiencing negative emotions related to snorkeling or diving experiences. Please note that you must be 18 years of age or older to participate in this study. Completion and return of this questionnaire implies consent to participate in our study. You are welcome to print a copy of this document for your records.

If you have any questions or concerns you are welcome to contact either of us at jvining@uiuc.edu (217.333.6145) or winterd@whitman.edu (509.527-5123). You may also contact the University of Illinois Institutional Review Board at irb@uiuc.edu or 217.333.2670 with questions about research participants’ rights.

Please answer the following questions and send your answers to jvining@uiuc.edu. The time needed to answer the questions will vary depending on the length of your responses but should range between 10 and 30 minutes. If you wish, you may print the questions and send your answers to us at the following address:

Prof. Joanne Vining
University of Illinois
1201 S. Dorner Dr.
Urbana, IL USA 61801


1. Do you mainly snorkel, dive, or both?

2. What drew you to snorkeling or diving initially?

3. What caused you to continue?

4. Please describe one or more of your most memorable experiences while diving or snorkeling.

5. If you were trying to persuade someone to take up diving or snorkeling, what would you say?

6. Do you see in yourself any link between your snorkeling and diving experiences and environmental concern? If so, please describe.

7. Approximately how many days do you dive or snorkel each year?

8. How many years have you been diving or snorkeling?

9. Are you male or female?

10. What is your age?

11. Where (in what outlet) did you find this survey?

12. If there is anything else you would like to tell us, this would be the place.



Please feel free to forward this questionnaire to anyone you know who is interested in snorkeling or diving. Also, if you know of other listservs or clubs that might be interested, please let us know.

Thank you very much for your help with this exploratory study. You may send your responses to jvining@uiuc.edu by email or by mail to the address listed above. If you would like to see a summary of the results, please provide your email address below. As we noted above, any identifying information will be removed from your response.

1. I primarily Dive but do both when the surface interval provides the opportunity

2. The military. I was stationed at Subic Bay in the Philippines and was in the Dispensary (Hospital Corpsman) when a group of UDT/SEAL came running across my view carrying a telephone pole on their shoulders. At that same moment, the Sargeant/Major of the Platoon walked by my room and asked me if I wanted to learn to dive... that they needed a Corpsman. The rest is history. I never looked back.

3. There is nothing like it. I have jumped out of Airplanes... nice thrill but short-lived, ridden rapids... again it gets mundane after awhile. Diving is another world... it is flying weightless and effortless in the embrace of Nature.

4. Recently, while diving the SPAR off the coast of North Carolina (a USCG Cutter recently sank on the artificial reef program) I had the unique opportunity to be brushed by a 12 foot Eagle Ray that swam passed me on the right side as I observed one of my diving partners approaching the bow of the ship. This Ray touched my right arm as it went by and I was astounded to see the size of it because it covered every bit of the bow railing (ran into it) as it tried to get away from a couple of amber jacks that were harassing it. Awesome.

5. I would first ask them if they have ever snorkeled in a pool or worn a mask (a lot of people have claustrophobia when it comes to putting their face in the water. If they were planning a vacation, I would highly suggest taking a Resort Diving course and experiencing the incredible world they don't see while informing them that 3/4ths of the earth is covered by water. If the subject of sharks came up I would inform them that there has NEVER been a documented case of an unprovoked attack on a diver... that sharks are opportunist predators who seek wounded or floundering sources of food... swimmers get spit out when they don't taste like seals but divers swim right along with the sharks without fear of aggression.

6. I am so much more aware of my environment and it's delicate balance as a result of my diving experiences. I appreciate Nature and am embraced by her.

7. In the area of 100 dives each year... recreational, instructional and technical/rescue.

8. Since before 1970 (I started Diving then but snorkeled before that)

9. Male

10. 56

11. Scubaboard (???)

12. I would like to do this as my primary employ... nothing gives me more pleasure than teaching and diving with people who are discovering this pastime. I love the discovery... the delicacy of the environment and the skills I have mastered in my quest to be at peace with my surroundings. What is life without Diving?

 

[smiley-emily]

Thanks to all of you who have already responded to our requests for participants by filling out our brief survey on diving and/or snorkeling experiences. We are still working on collecting responses, so are still in need of your help. If you have not already participated in our survey, please read the information below, and take 5 to 20 minutes of your time to help us out. The link the survey can be found in my quoted message below, but here it is again for your convenience: http://humannaturelab.nres.uiuc.edu/subject_information/snorky_dive_survey.html

If you have already participated in the survey, but know of others who have not, please pass the information on to them.

Thanks for your help!

I am a graduate research assistant working with research psychologists Joanne Vining (snorkeler) at the University of Illinois at Urbana and Deborah Winter (diver) at Whitman College.

We would be very grateful for your answers to the questions for our survey, which are found on our website (link found below). The questions are open-ended to provide you with the opportunity to tell us whatever you think is important -- for example, experiences, perceptions, feelings, who, where, what, etc.

Background information about the survey, as well as information about protection of human subjects information, can be found by following this link: http://humannaturelab.nres.uiuc.edu/subject_information/snorky_dive_info.html

Please follow this link to answer the questions and click on the submit button when you are done: http://humannaturelab.nres.uiuc.edu/subject_information/snorky_dive_survey.html

The time needed to answer the questions will vary depending on the length of your responses but should range between 5 and 20 minutes. If you wish, you may print the questions and send your answers to us at the following address:

Prof. Joanne Vining
University of Illinois
1201 S. Dorner Dr.
Urbana, IL USA 61801

Please feel free to send the link to this questionnaire to anyone you know who is interested in snorkeling or diving. Also, if you know of other listservs or clubs that might be interested, please let us know.

Thank you very much for your help with this exploratory study. You may send your responses to jvining@uiuc.edu by email or by mail to the address listed above, or by simply clicking the "submit" button. If you would like to see a summary of the results, please provide your email address on the survey form. As we noted above, any identifying information will be removed from your response.

 

[smiley-emily]

I want to once again thank everyone who has already responded to our requests for participants by filling out our brief survey on diving and/or snorkeling experiences. We are still working on collecting responses, so are still in need of your help. If you have not already participated in our survey, please read the information below, and take 5 to 20 minutes of your time to help us out. The link the survey can be found in previous posts, but is presented again here for your convenience:
http://humannaturelab.nres.uiuc.edu/subject_information/snorky_dive_survey.html

Once again, if you have already participated in the survey, but know of others who have not, please pass the information on to them.

We hope to publish our findings in relevant journals, as well as posting a brief summary on ScubaBoard.com, but need to have more responses in order to draw relevant conclusions.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Humble older aquaman]

1. Do you mainly snorkel, dive, or both?

More dive than snorkel

2. What drew you to snorkeling or diving initially?

Tired of coming back to surface for air since I was young enough to know I needed to come back to surface for air!

3. What caused you to continue?

Only happy when in, on, around the water.

4. Please describe one or more of your most memorable experiences while diving or snorkeling.

Playing with my kids, now grand child in the water.

5. If you were trying to persuade someone to take up diving or snorkeling, what would you say?

You live on a water planet, want to see the rest of thwe world?

6. Do you see in yourself any link between your snorkeling and diving experiences and environmental concern? If so, please describe.

The water world needs folks like us to spread the word about the good, and the bad of this wet planet. Without healthy oceans, can we humans exist?

7. Approximately how many days do you dive or snorkel each year?

Hundreds

8. How many years have you been diving or snorkeling?

Four plus decades now

9. Are you male or female?

Mermaid I'm not!

10. What is your age?

Wrong side of 50...looking for the century mark!

11. Where (in what outlet) did you find this survey?

Scuba Board

12. If there is anything else you would like to tell us, this would be the place.

The ironic thing about humans...Very high percentage can't swim...more can't dive. The majority of the so called highest form of life on our planet can't even survive, never mind thrive in the majority of our planet.

This imbalance may not be doom of our future...but for most people, they'll be doomed to a small view of a very big world!