So it's OK just because it only affects a small portion? I know you don't mean it like that but still, why do it at all?
Bottom line, if we help to make diving more fun, more people will keep doing it.
How Can We Keep Divers Diving After Certification?
- Thread starter drbill
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
So it's OK just because it only affects a small portion? I know you don't mean it like that but still, why do it at all?
Bottom line, if we help to make diving more fun, more people will keep doing it.
Bazooka Joe
Contributor
It is a interesting problem, but it cannot be solved by marketing, classes, etc. It your suggesting limiting acceptance to only those who will continue to dive, based on a formula or a credit rating you will doom the sport.
What we are truly talking about is interest and acceptance into the sport by... well us. If you really think about it, how many other sports REQUIRE you to have a buddy? How many sports do you actually depend on that buddy for your life should you need too? I live in Florida, and I have the priviledge to be able to dive whenever I feel like it. The Gulf too cold? I can go over to the east coast. The weather is bad, waves, chop and the boats don't run, I can go to the springs.
Guys this is not about bringing people into the sport, marketing accomplishes that. This is about embracing a newbie, encouraging him to be a excellent dive buddie. Make sure the new guy has someone to dive with, work with them. Teach them how to be a "hole in the water", help them do it right! Fear kills our sport more than anything, a bad experience, lack of someone to be there for them kills it all. I am not talking about chest thumping I can dive this deep and that long, I am talking about ending your dive without complaint because you newer diver sucked his tank dry. Show them, help them how to conserver air, what to look for underwater. If a you as a exp diver alienates a fellow diver because his skill level is below yours, you helping drive them out of the sport.
My wife and I embrace newbies, invite them to come along. Show them how to buy used gear and what to watch out for, don't make my mistakes. I have some of the best friends now that are newbies, they will never catch me in logged dives because they dive with me and I dive with them.
My wife is my best dive buddie, she got me into this sport and she shakes her head in amazement on how dedicated I am about it.
Start a mentoring program at your LDS, make sure that any newbie has a exp dive buddie if they need one. Invite people along, show enthusiasm when you see people attending OW. The ones that stay with the sport are the people who are buying equipment and helping the LDS maintain good pricing.
I was at a party at my wife's work in Miami last year, and everyone I talked to was a certified dive, they have all not dove in years! The live within 45 minutes of Key Largo and one hour from West Palm and they don't dive.
Me? I was lucky, I met a bunch of cave divers and they raised me as one of thier own.
I am not cert'd for cave and not sure I ever will, but they have been where I am now and I can call on anyone of them for advice or a beer.
It's not interest we need, it's encouragement.
What we are truly talking about is interest and acceptance into the sport by... well us. If you really think about it, how many other sports REQUIRE you to have a buddy? How many sports do you actually depend on that buddy for your life should you need too? I live in Florida, and I have the priviledge to be able to dive whenever I feel like it. The Gulf too cold? I can go over to the east coast. The weather is bad, waves, chop and the boats don't run, I can go to the springs.
Guys this is not about bringing people into the sport, marketing accomplishes that. This is about embracing a newbie, encouraging him to be a excellent dive buddie. Make sure the new guy has someone to dive with, work with them. Teach them how to be a "hole in the water", help them do it right! Fear kills our sport more than anything, a bad experience, lack of someone to be there for them kills it all. I am not talking about chest thumping I can dive this deep and that long, I am talking about ending your dive without complaint because you newer diver sucked his tank dry. Show them, help them how to conserver air, what to look for underwater. If a you as a exp diver alienates a fellow diver because his skill level is below yours, you helping drive them out of the sport.
My wife and I embrace newbies, invite them to come along. Show them how to buy used gear and what to watch out for, don't make my mistakes. I have some of the best friends now that are newbies, they will never catch me in logged dives because they dive with me and I dive with them.
My wife is my best dive buddie, she got me into this sport and she shakes her head in amazement on how dedicated I am about it.
Start a mentoring program at your LDS, make sure that any newbie has a exp dive buddie if they need one. Invite people along, show enthusiasm when you see people attending OW. The ones that stay with the sport are the people who are buying equipment and helping the LDS maintain good pricing.
I was at a party at my wife's work in Miami last year, and everyone I talked to was a certified dive, they have all not dove in years! The live within 45 minutes of Key Largo and one hour from West Palm and they don't dive.
Me? I was lucky, I met a bunch of cave divers and they raised me as one of thier own.
I am not cert'd for cave and not sure I ever will, but they have been where I am now and I can call on anyone of them for advice or a beer.It's not interest we need, it's encouragement.
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
I agree. Quality cannot be sacraficed but something has to be done to have the diver fall for the sport. After the fact is usually too late IMO.
Welcoming and encouraging every new diver. Not looking down our noses at another diver's training, gear, styles, etc goes a long way toward creating an expanding community, that encourages people to stick around and join in the fun.
"In the old days," :mooner: this was done through the Clubs. Divers would train through the winter, go out for Chinese Food afterwords (and a few beers)... Spring would come around and there would be diving, BBQs, and group xxx.
Seriously, the social nature of the Club was dynamic. You always had a buddy and mentorship was the way you progressed, until the next winter came around and divers took an advanced class (when it actually meant advanced) and helped with the training of others. Trips to warm climes were arranged and everyone had a blast.
I was the training director of the Underwater Club of Canada in Toronto. At one time we had 3 separate pool sessions per week, in 3 separate pools. 360 active members! What a blast!
Sometimes the answer has already been addressed. Why is it that each new generation feels that the slate is clean and they have to determine the answer for themselves?
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9
Being an inexperienced scuba participant perhaps I can offer something to this converstaion.
What keeps me interested? What makes me want more?
The thrill of being in an alien environment, full of wonderous sights living or not.
The feeling of weighlessness.
The thought of being somewhere and doing something only a few would even consider.
The technology of it all, the theory behind nitrogen loading and offgassing, the need for constant attention to your surroundings. This alone removes all other thoughts from my mind, it paves the way for a whole new set of rules for survival.
The social part of it is extremely important. I am a Vacation Diver. My wife and I like the escourted trips our LDS puts together. We will be going on our second one later this year. My wife is a non-diver, in order for me to justify the expense of these trips it is important that she too is involved, at least in some way, while on these trips. There are pre-trip meetings, where you meet the people going on the trip. There is information available about things to do, other than diving for her. I gain new friends, she gains new friends. There are some that we would never have met otherwise that stay friends long after the trip.
The fact that the LDS does a great job planning, arranging the flights, arranging the accomodations, arranging the diving, equpiment. Knowing the destination, the places to go, what to see, where to stay away. Upfront information about which customs lines to get in, what forms to fill out prior to arrival. In other words the details. This makes for a reasonably worry free trip. Makes it easier, makes it more fun!
LDS personnel that are well informed about equipment, don't try to sell me something that not needed. Don't sell me a $1500.00 regulator when a $300.00 regulator will serve the purpose.
An LDS that is friendly and helpful. One where the employees take the time to just talk about their experiences diving. Maybe offer you a snack, a drink and a coversation even if you are just looking and thinking. One that a non-diver just along for the ride is made to feel important too.
All in all, I think the LDS plays a major roll in keeping the interest level alive.
Scubaboard is also integrated into my desire to continued involvement in the sport. Learning, discussing and asking questions. An outlet for things scuba, right on my desk or in my living room. Some here offer good advise and actually promote safety and learning. Others here, offer their opinion in a highly opinionated manner which at times is caustic but still worthwile in most cases.
These things don't for everybody, but they work for me. Thanks for listening.
What keeps me interested? What makes me want more?
The thrill of being in an alien environment, full of wonderous sights living or not.
The feeling of weighlessness.
The thought of being somewhere and doing something only a few would even consider.
The technology of it all, the theory behind nitrogen loading and offgassing, the need for constant attention to your surroundings. This alone removes all other thoughts from my mind, it paves the way for a whole new set of rules for survival.
The social part of it is extremely important. I am a Vacation Diver. My wife and I like the escourted trips our LDS puts together. We will be going on our second one later this year. My wife is a non-diver, in order for me to justify the expense of these trips it is important that she too is involved, at least in some way, while on these trips. There are pre-trip meetings, where you meet the people going on the trip. There is information available about things to do, other than diving for her. I gain new friends, she gains new friends. There are some that we would never have met otherwise that stay friends long after the trip.
The fact that the LDS does a great job planning, arranging the flights, arranging the accomodations, arranging the diving, equpiment. Knowing the destination, the places to go, what to see, where to stay away. Upfront information about which customs lines to get in, what forms to fill out prior to arrival. In other words the details. This makes for a reasonably worry free trip. Makes it easier, makes it more fun!
LDS personnel that are well informed about equipment, don't try to sell me something that not needed. Don't sell me a $1500.00 regulator when a $300.00 regulator will serve the purpose.
An LDS that is friendly and helpful. One where the employees take the time to just talk about their experiences diving. Maybe offer you a snack, a drink and a coversation even if you are just looking and thinking. One that a non-diver just along for the ride is made to feel important too.
All in all, I think the LDS plays a major roll in keeping the interest level alive.
Scubaboard is also integrated into my desire to continued involvement in the sport. Learning, discussing and asking questions. An outlet for things scuba, right on my desk or in my living room. Some here offer good advise and actually promote safety and learning. Others here, offer their opinion in a highly opinionated manner which at times is caustic but still worthwile in most cases.
These things don't for everybody, but they work for me. Thanks for listening.
Sometimes the answer has already been addressed. Why is it that each new generation feels that the slate is clean and they have to determine the answer for themselves?
Umm...
If not for this approach by "each new generation" you'd be writing your "post" on the wall of a cave in paint made from animal dung and crushed berries.
Diluted training does a really good job of attracting high maintenance students who never will continue after OWD. Unfortunately it also delivers inadequate training to those who would stick around if trained well. So at the end very few stick around.
Out of those who do, one typical "development path" involves passing them from one worthless course straight other worthless course with yet another card confirming how good they are, preferably without real diving included.
Very, very few actually explore a world outside classes, start diving on their own and get competent doing it and find community they can dive with. And mainstream training agencies don't do a jack squat to make transition from non-diver to real world diver any easier.
Training needs to be fixed to develop competent divers rather than scared bunch of "please sign up for my AOWD" potentials.
Out of those who do, one typical "development path" involves passing them from one worthless course straight other worthless course with yet another card confirming how good they are, preferably without real diving included.
Very, very few actually explore a world outside classes, start diving on their own and get competent doing it and find community they can dive with. And mainstream training agencies don't do a jack squat to make transition from non-diver to real world diver any easier.
Training needs to be fixed to develop competent divers rather than scared bunch of "please sign up for my AOWD" potentials.
Similar threads
