Not everyone thinks cave diving is the pinnacle of SCUBA!

[Scuba_Noob]

People have different preferences. I'm not interested at all in cave diving...ever...but I get that people appreciate the challenge and the topography.

I believe the pinnacle of diving is experiencing as many interesting species of marine wildlife as possible, and yes, I do try to convert people. I'm all about marine life. Personally, I believe that caves (and lifeless wrecks) would get boring after a short while. That doesn't mean that my views generalize to everyone, and the only incorrect view is to believe that your way is the right way for everyone.

 

[RJP]

There are lots of ***holes in the world. Some of them are cave divers. Why does this continue to surprise people?

 

[AfterDark]

Just shows that diving is like most any other sport. Tell'em you're an undocumented cave diver. When they ask what that is tell'em self trained. That'll get their panties knoted up the crack of areses for sure! Oh and if some A-hole tries to manhandle you pull a Sea Hunt on 'em and cut their air line. They'll remember you and leave you alone next time!

 

[DevonDiver]

I live in the Philippines... locals always want me to eat 'Balut' (look it up). If I decline, they pester and pester. Nowadays, I just say "I tried it a few times, it's not my favorite though". Then they don't pester any more.

How hard would it be... "Yeah, I've got my full cave. Today I'm just enjoying some single-tank though..."

Stick an NACD or NSS-CDS patch in an obvious spot on your wetsuit. No more man-handling shennanigans in the cavern areas..

 

[vladimir]

People have different preferences. I'm not interested at all in cave diving...ever...but I get that people appreciate the challenge and the topography.

I believe the pinnacle of diving is experiencing as many interesting species of marine wildlife as possible, and yes, I do try to convert people. I'm all about marine life. Personally, I believe that caves (and lifeless wrecks) would get boring after a short while. That doesn't mean that my views generalize to everyone, and the only incorrect view is to believe that your way is the right way for everyone.

Me too. I'm a little bit envious of the diving that this guy, Rick_C, is doing. Not just his unique experience, but getting out for a kayak dive at night. Seems like a great way to commune with nature:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/gopro-video/447089-amazing-sea-lion-encounter.html#post6647335

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm interested in caves. I just like to dive them through someone else's eyes and see the pictures they take. I prefer wrecks. If cave diving is the pinnacle then fine. For the person that has that opinion. For me it'd be something now like the Britannic. Or the Saratoga. Used to be the Doria for me. But the more I hear the more I fear it'll just be a mound of rust by the time I'd get to it.

As for cavers stopping OW diver from entering? Ask the people that Edd Sorenson pulled out, who would have surely died had he not, if they wished a caver would have blocked their way and stopped them from doing something so stupid. If you're not cave trained stay the hell out. Or leave instructions that your body is to be pushed to the side or into a out of the way hole so as to not block the passage for others. And not recovered so that people trained to dive there don't have to risk their lives to pull your sorry stupid carcass out.


As for the attitude that was supposedly encountered. Don't go back. It's like TV. Change the damn channel. I don;t like the Lifetime Network. TV for idiots. So rather than get pissed and go on a rant about it, I don't watch it. Problem solved. Don't like cavers attitudes? Don't go around them. Go ahead and miss out on the examples of great skills, proper dive planning(for the most part), the importance of configuring gear certain ways, and the opportunity to meet some of the greatest, most compassionate, caring, conservation minded people I have ever met.

 

[Diver0001]

My point is that this kind of attitude and behavior is driving people away from the sport. Non-cave/ tech divers should not be looked down upon. I know that I am not the only one that feels this way but has anyone in this forum noticed it?

Elitist attitude is an indication of competitive thinking. In my mind scuba diving is a sport where competitive thinking has no role.

However, the more "me, me, me" orientated people could make a competition out of peeing (do you sit, do you stand, how far...) and unfortunately they sometimes get into scuba diving.

I wish my reaction to that kind of BS was clear and pure but it isn't. It bothers me. I keep pointing it out and fighting against it and every couple of years it burns me out to the point that I need to take a break from SB.

What I *wish* I could do is respond like the Dalai Lama. In his meeting with GW Bush in the height of Bush's war crimes he said "as a man, I respect and honour you... but some of your decisions baffle me".

Personally I'm too prone to writing arrogant buggers off.... but maybe that makes me the arrogant bugger.

R..

 

[RichmondKYdiver]

Hey, it's kind of like anything. One of the guys I run with at lunch in an avid sail boat owner, the other is an avid traveler, all of us are avid runners. Running, hiking, biking, drinking or boozing....if you're truly into something one has to be careful and not go over the top but we are all going to talk about what we enjoy. I'm sure you talk highly about what you enjoy in diving. I know what I enjoy about what I have recently found in diving. I enjoy it all, reefs, wrecks, underwater life and now, overhead. It's all good, there's snotty reef divers, there's snotty cave divers, don't let the few affect how you feel about the many, we're all in this underwater sand box together...let's play nice.

 

[jnunn04]

To each his/her own. When questioned about why I'm not interested in cave diving, I just tell them that I like looking at the underwater critters more. They normally let the topic drop. But yes, there's one in every crowd...

 

[RJP]

Personally I'm too prone to writing arrogant buggers off.... but maybe that makes me the arrogant bugger.

"The first step is admitting that you have a problem..."

:d