I went to the thread where the OP went to announce her departure from diving. Wow. Um, hory sheet. I am also an Asian female in San Francisco, 32, but work in corporate retail, not a "hot" industry in her words. I am lucky that my job allows me to afford the vacation time and liveaboards that I have been on and plan to be on. I believe it is a privilege that I have worked hard to attain and it makes each vacation and trip that much sweeter. The bonus is meeting so many new and different people. I don't think aggression is a quality to pat oneself on the back for but I do think hard work, dedication, drive, determination, and all of that is. That is not where my issue is.....
In response to her post, I could not disagree with her post and her attitude any more. In fact, it's a huge shame and I hope it does not make others think this is representative of the demographic I fall into or the region where I live. There were some very broad, sweeping generalizations. In all honesty, it was chock full of bigotry and I am getting the impression that the attitude she had boarding the liveaboard was probably what set up the experience for disaster.
Marketing to younger people: Circling to point 3 in her post, citing your idea that it is complicated or how you have to fly somewhere far to see anything worthwhile - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Many people love to dive locally in our cold waters and people even come from across the country or from other countries to see the kelp forests. Reward doesn't come without hard work or effort. A sense of entitlement will make you think otherwise. After so much "trouble" to get from here to there to dive somewhere amazing, I want to dive, dive, dive....If you want to do other things instead of purely diving, charter a boat with your friends, do some diving, and tell the charter where you want to go and what you want to do. You can dictate the schedule and the itinerary/activities.
Point 4 in her post: If you know what you want to see, do your research. I recommend Indonesia, heart of the coral triangle. I have not dived the Maldives but I am aware that there is significant bleaching in some areas there. Indonesia has mind blowing, jaw dropping dives that you will not be disappointed about that will be your gold standard. Raja Ampat and Komodo immediately come to mind.
While I am not a Trump supporter, the bigotry and generalizations are what really got to me. Travel is about meeting people from different cultures with different mindsets and backgrounds. If you are intolerant of such things, don't travel and for sure, don't put yourself in a situation where you would be stuck on a liveaboard for a full week with no escape route. I really hope I never run into someone like you on a boat and hope that others do not define who I am based on your attitude and ideas. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. This is probably the most mean thing I have ever written to anyone on Scubaboard but.....I am okay with it.
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