How many SB'ers have you met?

[koozemani]

A recent thread has got me thinking about the SB community. The thread was about to SB'ers who got together and met for lunch.

This got me thinking about this topic. Considering the global reach of SB, and the shear number of members, are we simply an online community, or to what extent do these relationships extend outside of cyber space? How many SB'ers have you met in person? More specifically, how many have you met because of SB that you wouldn't have met otherwise.

I've only met two that I know of. Both of whom I found on SB after having met them in person.

I will be meeting at least one more on my next trip in a few weeks when I book dives through their shop. Which is a direct result of using SB as a research tool.

Let's hear some stories...

 

[Thiad]

I have hopes to meet a few in the near future!

I've "witnessed" Dr. Bill at Catalina - surrounded by crowds at the Dive Park. I do believe the man is a legend on the island.

 

[BabyDuck]

i've met likely in the hundreds in person - not kidding in any way. i love my sb friends.

 

[TSandM]

Oh, man, I've been here for six years, and the list of people I have met is long.

I think the first was kidspot, who is rarely here any more. He was our regular dive buddy on Maui for several years.

I met two of my closest diving friends through SB, Mo2vation and HBDiveGirl. Despite the distance between us, we remain friends and dive together several times a year. I , also met limeyx, who's become a good friend and dive buddy. I met rjack through ScubaBoard, although he was local to me.

I met a wonderful bunch of folks down in Monterey, including Ben V, nilsdiver, awaingold, rhlee, KMD, and a number of others. I've made several trips to the area, and they have arranged boats and dived with me -- wonderful people!

I made my first trip to salt water in Florida last year entirely as a result of SB, and met dan volker, Errol Kalayci, HenrikBP, ScubaFeend, katenptl (I think I mangled that screen name), Jax, Lobzilla, Rubis, ucfdiver, SelkieDVM, and a couple of other people whose screen names I don't remember.

A few folks I've met but haven't gotten to spend any real time with -- Doc Intrepid, who is also rarely here any more. Diver0001, who made time in a busy schedule to meet me and Peter at the Amsterdam airport for coffee. Now Rhone Man, who shared lunch with us yesterday. I've gotten to hang out on rare occasions with Uncle Pug (who also doesn't post here much any more), and with OE2X (ditto). I had a nice dinner with battle2a5 a few years ago. I got to meet and say hi to dannobee at Monterey, and we've ended up good FB friends.

And no list would be complete without the man who is probably responsible for me still being a diver, six years later: NWGratefulDiver, who took me under his wing as a flailing newbie, and started me on the path to where I am today (a path I would NEVER have predicted six years ago!)

[I'm sure I have left people out -- please don't think it isn't because you are not memorable, but because my brain is old and sieve-like.]

 

[soltari675]

I've so far met two specifically through SB and it was pretty awesome. Hope to meet more at some point.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

We met WyrmDawg (screen name quite probably butchered) in Cancun in May. On Cozumel this month we met a bunch of SBers: CVChief, DJDiverDan, ColinGray, RossAndMaureen, Sideways, Pelagic-By-Nature, KattieBelle, Christi, Bearkely, and a few whose names escape me, like the lady who posts here from the Cozumel Red Cross and a couple ladies from the online Cozumel Radio.

With all the different resorts/dive ops, we didn't get to dive with anybody other than Bearkely and her hubby, but they seemed like great people, and we certainly hope to dive with them again.

 

[Jaydubya]

Quite a few that I know of and probably a many times more than that. I don't recall ever being asked if I was on scubaboard and I never ask people I dive with if they are on scubaboard. When I dive with people we tend to talk about diving and not about these crazy message boards, that are mostly just a waste of time.

Not that I'm against wasting time occasionally. It can help recharge the batteries. But I really don't get the "Oh no, I can't go to bed now. Someone on the internet is wrong" mentality that some people seem to have.

 

[Abidon]

I've only met one in person, but she was a doozy... ScubaSam. :cool3: I've come close to meeting a couple of others, but circumstances keep getting in the way.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Easily close to 100. Many of us from the Midwest and Great Lakes area meet up every spring and fall at Gilboa Quarry in northwest Ohio. I've also met SBers at other Midwest quarries, diving the Great Lakes and diving in Florida.

 

[TMHeimer]

I've met one. Knew him from getting air fills (900 miles from home) and just happen to find out on SB that it was in fact him.