Hobby or Sport???

[diver 85]

People die doing it, no one wins doing it, I think that qualifies as extreme sport.

Hobbies on the other hand...

I say both for these reasons------hobby from a gear standpoint, new bells & whisles coming out all the time & sport cause of the sport of it, lol...

 

[Kingpatzer]

Sport connotes an element of competition.

Only in one particular definition is that true. And while that particular usage is rarely applied to Scuba, it is not unheard of. There are scuba "records" after all.

However, "sport" also includes the explicit definition and connotation of any physical pastime.

If I go out and engage in a few games of golf, I am playing a sport -- even though I do not keep score, or if I am on the course by myself.

Other usages, such as any diversion or pastime, is decidedly archaic.

 

[Kingpatzer]

They call curling a sport...that one I don't get. How drunk were they when they figured out that one.

It is competitive and requires an immense amount of physical skill.

If you're a sweep you're abdomen will be cramped for days if you're just starting out and aren't in excellent shape. And trying to skip the rock just so requires a level of balance precision that goes largely unappreciated by those who have never tried it.

 

[Herk_Man]

Puleee heeee heeeese. Can we just stop this insane discourse?! If you were trying for "Most Useless Thread on Scubaboard" you did it. Now on to actual real scuba discussions.

 

[DaleC]

This isn't an arguement; it's just contradiction

...and very close to violating section 21 if I do say so myself.

 

[spectrum]

What if I go bowling..... alone?

IMO which need not be anyone else's scuba diving is a sport. It can be physically demanding and can entail plenty of skill. Competition can be with oneself in pursuit of excellence.

If you want to call it a hobby, past-time, activity so be it. When we go camping it falls into one of those categories. Diving is a sport to me.

Pete

 

[boulderjohn]

This is, frankly, a rather silly discussion in which people compare their own personal definitions of a word (sport). It has nothing to do with the activity itself. You are not arguing over scuba; you are arguing over how you define the word sport. In that case, no one can be wrong, and no one can be right, because you are all using your own personal definitions.

As many have pointed out, the word sport has been used many times over the centuries to include activities that would easily include scuba. Pick up a copy of Sports Afield magazine and see what their definition of a sportsman is. Ask yourself why betting on the winner of a horse race is called "the sport of kings."

This discussion is better suited to a web site devoted to a discussion among lexicographers on the evolution of the meaning of words, if such a site exists.

 

[austin.takahashi]

Well said sir boulderjohn, after browsing through the whole discussion i think your opinion does clarify a lot of turmoil on this post. And as for my answer, its a little bit of both but when i think it through, i think its more of a hobby than a sport. Cheers!

 

[vladimir]

This is, frankly, a rather silly discussion

It's a good thing that there's only one silly discussion here on Scubaboard, and that you and others have taken the time to identify it, deploy dead-horse icons, and bump it back to the top of the "Latest Threads" queue. That'll put an end to it! Thanks!

 

[mikemikethepike]

I agree that diving MAY not be a Game, but it is definately a sport. It is a physical activity done for enjoyment. An while there is a relaxation element to diving, for many the relaxation is part of the challenge. That is puspose of the relaxation is not an end in its self, it is a means to extend their depths and bottom times. They are competing with themselves to reduce their SAC in much the same way a runner compete with themselves to decrease their time in a 10k. Many divers spend a lot of time cycling, swimming, an hitting the gym on a relular basis so that they can reduce the SAC.

So if you are measuring your SAC and training to reduce your SAC, is that not competition? How is this different from a running measuring their personal best in the 10k? In that sense is it a game? What if two divers compare their SAC after a dive?

However, if your are diving to relax as a source of relaxation as an end in itself, well that fits the defination of hobby a bit closer. And there are many people that dive as a source of relaxation. I would imagine that these are the majority of divers, but this is not all divers for sure.

So, I think that the answer to this question is much the same as a lot of questions:

It depends.