Making scuba a real "sport"???

[drbill]

I think it would be good to have a SCUBA contest with marine life ID's. The heck with making the darned activity a sport... too darned many of those as it is. I suppose the technically best SCUBA divers would start making tens of millions a year. Hmmm... wait a minute! I'm beginning to change my mind about this after all.

Jean-Michel Cousteau and I were recently interviewed for an article on diving Catalina. During his interview he was very specific that SCUBA diving was not a sport but an activity. Don't know if that was his father's take as well. I view it as a religious experience... you know, Cathedral of the Kelp Forest on Sunday morning (good thing my minister is a certified DM).

 

[jbd]

The typical American male sees everything as a competiton; however, conventional diving is not a true 'sport'.

I'm not the typical American male---I don't like sports. If diving became a real sport--it would ruin diving for me.

 

[Bratface]

Can't be a sport, we never see it on tv unless it's a documentary.

 

[friscuba]

I've always thought an underwater game with a semi elaborate course/stage (lots of pillars and culverts) and spearguns - call it "spear hunter" - with rubber tipped shafts, sort of along the lines of paintball, would really fly.

 

[Sam Miller III]

I would suggest that you and others do historical research rather than reinventing the wheel at every opportunity. The same suggestion has been made many many times in a number of publications and by several agenies who actually atempted competitions in various formats. All have been for naught.

Possibly the closest to competion is the spear fishing contest which have been on going on since June 1950.

sdm

 

[dlndavid]

I like to think of SCUBA as an immersion, rather than an activity or sport

 

[DennisS]

I've always considered scuba like hiking and hunting. There's the local woods, a faraway wilderness and some like to do Evererest.

If you want a sport throw in speed, distance and navigation, -underwater orienteering-. I think I'll pass though, I like to take my time, watch fish, ramble and grab the unsuspecting lobster. Orienteers love to run through the woods, I like to walk.

 

[highdesert]

I dont see why americans have to make everything a competition ....

So the organizer can make money off of it ... DUH!!!!

 

[ClayJar]

Coal mining is dangerous and strenuous, too, but it isn't a sport. No one is going to pay money to engage in, or watch, competitive coal mining.

Chopping, splitting, slicing, and in other ways mangling large amounts of wood is quite dangerous and strenuous, but it isn't...

Um, this just in, apparently it *is* a sport, and people *do* watch it.

Go figure. :biggrin:

 

[PhinDiver]

http://www.underwater-society.org/
I went by this booth last year at DEMA. The website does not have the information that was at the booths, but the scuba competetions included diferent drill contests (mask removal, etc), as well as navigation courses and underwater obstacle courses.