This thread is not about any one particular class, agency or instructor as there are good and not so good ones in every category. This thread is about what drives a diver's desire to take what, if any additional classes.
1. The Obsessive Collector:
This person is driven to excel, not necessarily in diving but in card collecting. They will take every class offered, achieve all the goals offered, not to be a better diver but to have the ability to say they have all the cards.
2. The Rules Follower:
This person will not break the rules. They don't dive outside of their certification level - period. They have a sense that unless they have been certified any number of things can and will go wrong so they stay comfortably between the lines. They almost never volunteer to lead a dive.
3. The Rule Breaker:
They don't care about the rules. They are overconfident and have a sense that they can do anything that the next guy can. They have not experienced a true emergency and sure that they would have survived one anyway. They sometimes attempt to bluff or embellish their dive experience to gain access to sites they are not certified to dive.
4. The Carefree but Confident:
They will take classes when they feel it will help them learn more. But will not take the elective classes. The don't feel the need to have a pocket full of cards but would not hesitate to dive at night, off a boat, navigate a new site or take pictures even though they don't have a certification in that specialty. They dive frequently and are generally very good divers but know their limitations and respect them.
5. The Minimalist:
Generally a vacation diver. Just give me what I need to dive on my next vacation. They may have been pressured by friends or family to get certified and like the sport but don't have a passion for it.
6. The technical diver:
These divers are in a separate class and some have no problem tell others so. They are confident in their skills and gear but do know their limitations. They take the necessary classes from well researched instructors who have established reputations. Passionate about the need for training and recognize the need for the same. Most are extremely good divers, some just think they are. A few have a my way or highway attitude. Most of them just live for the challenge of diving places others would not even consider. Passionate about diving and have all the cool gear.
7. The good teaching professional.
A diver that has some of the good traits from each of the above categories. They are confident but not prone to great risk. They are passionate about diving and have an overwhelming desire to share it. They love to see the thrill in the face of new students when they are comfortable breathing underwater.
What kind of diver are you?
1. The Obsessive Collector:
This person is driven to excel, not necessarily in diving but in card collecting. They will take every class offered, achieve all the goals offered, not to be a better diver but to have the ability to say they have all the cards.
2. The Rules Follower:
This person will not break the rules. They don't dive outside of their certification level - period. They have a sense that unless they have been certified any number of things can and will go wrong so they stay comfortably between the lines. They almost never volunteer to lead a dive.
3. The Rule Breaker:
They don't care about the rules. They are overconfident and have a sense that they can do anything that the next guy can. They have not experienced a true emergency and sure that they would have survived one anyway. They sometimes attempt to bluff or embellish their dive experience to gain access to sites they are not certified to dive.
4. The Carefree but Confident:
They will take classes when they feel it will help them learn more. But will not take the elective classes. The don't feel the need to have a pocket full of cards but would not hesitate to dive at night, off a boat, navigate a new site or take pictures even though they don't have a certification in that specialty. They dive frequently and are generally very good divers but know their limitations and respect them.
5. The Minimalist:
Generally a vacation diver. Just give me what I need to dive on my next vacation. They may have been pressured by friends or family to get certified and like the sport but don't have a passion for it.
6. The technical diver:
These divers are in a separate class and some have no problem tell others so. They are confident in their skills and gear but do know their limitations. They take the necessary classes from well researched instructors who have established reputations. Passionate about the need for training and recognize the need for the same. Most are extremely good divers, some just think they are. A few have a my way or highway attitude. Most of them just live for the challenge of diving places others would not even consider. Passionate about diving and have all the cool gear.
7. The good teaching professional.
A diver that has some of the good traits from each of the above categories. They are confident but not prone to great risk. They are passionate about diving and have an overwhelming desire to share it. They love to see the thrill in the face of new students when they are comfortable breathing underwater.
What kind of diver are you?
