Diver image. Do you even think about it?
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Contrary to belief, I really don't care what others gear looks like. I don't care about the brands and you can use whatever you want. What my bitch is about is those who seem to want to judge me for what I use.
BDSC
Contributor
Image is something I have struggled with all my life. But my problem is just the opposite from so many others. I'm just too cool for my own good. I can't help the fact that I was born a good looking guy who turned out to be a real stud. Sometimes when I'm in the mall folks will come up and want to take a selfie with me to post on their FB page. When I go to restaurants people will just come and sit at my table hoping some of my coolness will rub off on them. I haven't been to the beach in years because I am mobbed by all the pretty women.
I was once at the Beneath the Sea show walking down an aisle and the Atomic folks saw me and said, "Here, have a T2X reg because we would love for a cool guy like you to use our products." Same thing happend with masks, fins, and BC's. I heard later that the orders of T2X's had exploded after I started using one.
I was coming in from a shore dive in Bonaire once and some folks pulled up and asked if I had been diving and I said "Of course....why?" They said, "Because you look like you just stepped out of a GQ magazine." This kinda thing happens to me all the time. Do I care about how I look.....NO! But as hard as I try to just blend in like a regular person, I fail. I can't help it. My greatness has a way of coming out no matter what the situation. Women love me, men probably hate me, and little children want to grow up to be like me. I tell you it's a lot of pressure.
Sometimes I wish I hadn't been born so good looking, cool, rich, desirable, etc. but that was not the hand I was dealt so I deal with it like the man I am. It's not easy being me. Don't try it at home.
I was once at the Beneath the Sea show walking down an aisle and the Atomic folks saw me and said, "Here, have a T2X reg because we would love for a cool guy like you to use our products." Same thing happend with masks, fins, and BC's. I heard later that the orders of T2X's had exploded after I started using one.
I was coming in from a shore dive in Bonaire once and some folks pulled up and asked if I had been diving and I said "Of course....why?" They said, "Because you look like you just stepped out of a GQ magazine." This kinda thing happens to me all the time. Do I care about how I look.....NO! But as hard as I try to just blend in like a regular person, I fail. I can't help it. My greatness has a way of coming out no matter what the situation. Women love me, men probably hate me, and little children want to grow up to be like me. I tell you it's a lot of pressure.
Sometimes I wish I hadn't been born so good looking, cool, rich, desirable, etc. but that was not the hand I was dealt so I deal with it like the man I am. It's not easy being me. Don't try it at home.
It's not image so much as safety and proper use of gear. Some of my equipment is "gently used" and some has a lot of mileage. However, I know not to walk in fins, and I never turn down a buddy assist to don my bcd and tank and regs. "Looking good" usually is an indication of competence, not style. Debbie and I have a routine for gearing up developed over hundreds of dives that is efficient, constant, and easy for us, whether on shore or on a boat. Since we are both 60 something, it surprises a lot of people that we are usually first in the water ( and also usually last out- it's a thing with us. Now if you want to talk about style and looking godd, let's watch divers exist from some serious surf conditions. In that circumstance, just getting out with all your gear and your buddy intact is great style!
DivemasterDennis
DivemasterDennis
aside from copious amounts of snot, no.......
mikeycanuk
Contributor
KevinG58
Contributor
Yes, I get making it look easy is a great goal. And is certainly to be admired. However the op also addressed his "tactical look" preference and "carrying yourself well".
The divers image (as in, looks, appearance to others) I am concerned with is, adhering to fish & game and any area regulations. Don't harass the critters. Don't litter, pick up other trash that may be blowing or floating about. Set an example for others to learn how to take care of their little parts of the sea and beaches. That's the image I worry about.
And I'm not saying I don't hope I look cool ("Do you have that in a darker shade of black?"), but, well, there's reality to consider
The divers image (as in, looks, appearance to others) I am concerned with is, adhering to fish & game and any area regulations. Don't harass the critters. Don't litter, pick up other trash that may be blowing or floating about. Set an example for others to learn how to take care of their little parts of the sea and beaches. That's the image I worry about.
And I'm not saying I don't hope I look cool ("Do you have that in a darker shade of black?"), but, well, there's reality to consider
DaleC
Contributor
It's like BDSC was reading my diary. Creepy.
Being just an average sort of local diver, I have been very privileged to dive with some fairly accomplished divers who have "been there, done that" all over the world, some for a long time. None of them seem to care about how they themselves look as far as dive gear goes. It's just stuff to get in the water with. They do however, talk for hours about their camera systems, which lens they use and what settings for which conditions etc...
The image they are concerned with is the one they capture on their memory card during the dive. I like that. As a nerd, it's more about what we do, not what we look like. And, to help each other do better.
Being just an average sort of local diver, I have been very privileged to dive with some fairly accomplished divers who have "been there, done that" all over the world, some for a long time. None of them seem to care about how they themselves look as far as dive gear goes. It's just stuff to get in the water with. They do however, talk for hours about their camera systems, which lens they use and what settings for which conditions etc...
The image they are concerned with is the one they capture on their memory card during the dive. I like that. As a nerd, it's more about what we do, not what we look like. And, to help each other do better.
Saltyhawg
Contributor
Interesting read for a newbie like me. Never thought it possible to look "cool" in SCUBA gear.LOL I have enough to worry about trying to maintain proper buoyancy and not break any unwritten rules that bother the more experienced divers.
Out of the water? That's different. I'm addicted to diving and I love wearing/using stuff that announces it. My best Christmas gift this year was a T shirt that said "I'm a SCUBA diving grandpa...kind of like a regular grandpa only cooler". I confess.... I have a dive flag sticker on my truck. My flip flops have dive flags on them.
Out of the water? That's different. I'm addicted to diving and I love wearing/using stuff that announces it. My best Christmas gift this year was a T shirt that said "I'm a SCUBA diving grandpa...kind of like a regular grandpa only cooler". I confess.... I have a dive flag sticker on my truck. My flip flops have dive flags on them.
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