Egomaniacs

[Blu Diver]

I discovered diving ego's 16 years ago on my Open Water trip to Florida. I specifically recall one knuckle head wearing a light jacket with every PADI patch available. Open Water, Adv, Rescue, Dive Master and a ton specialties. His entire back was one huge circle of patches. This guy really took pride in his jacket and thought he was God's gift to diving. I was fortunate enough to be stuck car pooling with him. What a knuckle head.

There are a lot of ego's and flat out cocky people in diving! It doesn't matter if you're a freshwater or salt water diver. A wreck diver or a cave diver. Welcome to the fold big boy!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Where you dive is irrelevent.

How much enjoyment you get from it is what counts.

People need to remember that diving ... for almost all of us ... is a recreational activity.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Doc]

Ergonomics?

I think that depends on the shape of your body and we know that discussion will quickly devolve into how overweight people shouldn't be diving or traveling because you need to buy two airline seats if they are over 200# and certainly not teaching because they are a bad example and are likely to be a hazard to themselves or .....

Egomaniacs? Is that what you said? Oh.

Never mind. (Emily Litella) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0

 

[sandmanz32]

Each are equally complex. In the open ocean you have current, preditors, surge, etc to deal with. In lakes, rivers, and other forms of fresh water you have very cold temps in some places, wicked thermoclines, poor to no viz, etc. IMO if both of your friends only has experience in one body of water and they both think they are super bad ass divers they need to get a grip because neither of them is truly experienced. Until you dove it all, you can't talk crap to someone was hasn't. Even when you have dove it all, why would you want to brag about it? Much less bust someone else's chops because they haven't. Egos are good and bad things. It's good to have a little ego and be confident, it's another to just be an arse!

 

[Delta74]

As others have said, some guys are just an ass, while some is just having fun with your buddies, and its not just when diving, I ride as well and prefer to ride a rice burning crotch rocket, not one of them over weight, under powered,over priced, cant corner, missing muffler Harleys like my buddy. to each there own.

Just ignore them, or better yet, listen while they go on and on, and then call them on it infront of a crowd and watch them squirm if there god's gift to diving.

I dont care how good of a diver you are, there will always be someone better and can back that up, no-one has mastered it all and does not learn something or improve after each dive.

 

[David_57]

I'd have to say diving in the cold St Lawrence river with low vis, ripping currentsand all the additional equipment to deal with is the real thing.

Just kidding

Who gives a crap diving is diving, by the way my other hobby is riding a Harley Road King the only real bike whoops here I go again sorry !!!

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

Even ignoring the "ego" thing, I'm not really sure one has it worse than the other (can't really say without knowing the specific areas):

I've dove in both Pacific Northwest Ocean and Lake Huron.

The main differences were:

- weighting: less weight in fresh water makes it a bit easier

- tides: not tides made dive planning easier

- current: I felt no current in the lake, although this may have been luck as the lake can become current sensitive.

- visibility: lake vis far better

- temperature: this one is interesting, while Puget Sound's water is colder on the surface (in summer) it is pretty consistent year round and as you descend. Lake Huron gets much colder in spring and fall and the temperature drops much more as you descend (and the risk of thermoclines, although I didn't feel one). Fresh water makes reg freezing more likely. I'd give the "More complicated" to the lake on this one.


So I guess it really depends on what ocean vs what lake. I'm sure diving in the ocean in the Carribean is less complicated than most lakes up in Canada. Similarly, in my particular experience, the lake had superior vis, but I'm sure someone who dives in quarries at home and the ocean on vacation (to somewhere hot) considers oceans to have much better vis.

In my experience with one lake and one part of the ocean, ocean is somewhat more complicated, although the temperatures are more problematic in the lake. The ocean by Seattle is between 40 and 50 more or less year round and as deep as you want to go.

 

[uncleavi]

I have taught 15 yr old girls to Dive In Sault Ste Marie Ontario and also in Ketchikan Alaska.
If you have to use diving to build up your Ego there is a deeper problem lurking in there.

 

[Andy077]

Fresh water is for drinking.

Are you sure? Fish have sex in there.
Drink beer.

 

[Slonda828]

Can someone tell me, why? & how? Can some divers criticize other divers over their choice of diving preferences.. for example “a dive buddy of mine has logged over 250 fresh water dives as deep as 222 feet in lakes and at the bottom of some dam’s, another dive buddy of mine has logged about the same number off the NC/SC coast doing deep and wreck diving..
So here is the problem, they just cannot get along, the sea diver calls the fresh diver not a real diver and the fresh diver tells the ocean diver to get the salt out of his ass.
Is there any real..And I mean REAL difference between the two, there both water and both can kill you just as quick if you’re not up to the challenge . please do not tell me the easy answers.

Here's the thing. Lots of people have boring lives, and mundane jobs. Diving is their way of being elite, or cool, or whatever. If people had a dangerous job or did something super important for a living, then diving would be their way to relax. This is why I see a lot of Doctors that dive. When you have a stressful job, it is relaxing to jump in the ocean (or quarry for that matter). However, if you punch a keyboard or wear a monkey suit all day, then diving is your excitement. That's why some people get all pissy when you are not doing it "their way". It is the only thing that they have in their lives with which they identify.

Here is an article on the social psychology of athletes:

Social psychology in sport - Google Books

Sound familiar?