Not everyone thinks cave diving is the pinnacle of SCUBA!

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Ummm. What the heck happened here? I swear I said this thread could be closed. Do you people not listen?! GOSH!!!!!
 
I recently had another thought on the subject, and that is, With the marketing of training that exists in scuba, the most common certs are those that can be done by instructors that cert ow and aow. There is a group of certs that fall into the realm of that instruction group. Many other threads bring up the topic of selling cards. I wont say it doesnt happen, I am no fool. But you dont hear complaints of tech or cave cards being sold for grocery money. Look at a padi dm card. Only takes what 60 dives. The zero to hero concept. Fair outlook on things or not,,, it is a reality. It is no wonder that the recreational cards issued are not considered impressive to anyone. Could it be the tech or cave card seems to be a cert that redeems or validates the rec cards held. I know that the words ow or aow mean little to me when someone says they have one. The master gets my attention, and the tech/cave demands a level of respect from me toward the holder. Cave even more. It doesnt mean that Those holders are substandard. I know there are OW holders that can dive circles around most divers. The card does not reflect thier rabilities it just gets them air. Cheapend values spur cheapend expectations. Some would insist tht unless youhold a gue or udt card you are inferior also. Some just dont subscribe to the theory. Just human nature i guess.
 
All this pinnacle talk is nonsense. It's all relative to what's personally important to you.

If you enjoy recreational diving, then being a considerate, competent buddy should probably be the pinnacle of diving behavior (wouldn't that be nice); considering the time/money rationed for that activity.

To a vintage equipment diver, being able to hold horizontal trim means very little. Learning techniques from the past from a good mentor might be a higher priority.

If you are into photo/videography, what those who can capture the best images do may represent the goals you aspire towards.

If you are far a field and that one piece of equipment you can't replace just broke, the DIY'r in the crowd may suddenly become a very valuable asset.

If you are supervising an UW historical site, divers who really understand archaeological principles may represent the highest skill sets you desire.

If you are a marine biologist, solid dive skills may be all you require dive-wise, the apex coming from an understanding of science.


And, if you wish to dive in caves, competent cave divers would probably represent the uber direction you are focused on.
 
Live and let live...
Ian fleming said it as..... " Live and Let Die"....James Bond - Live and let die - title song - YouTube ( starts 21 seconds in)
Metaphorically, Live and Let die could be Fleming weighing on on this thread about the need to have real dive buddies, and anyone else, is not your problem ( the strong issues of friends and allies in the storyline).
:wink:
 
Yeah, those were the good old days before Sheck examined the huge number of cave diving deaths to find the commonalities so that training could all but eliminate them. For a number of years the world averaged about two cave diving deaths a year, but now we seem to be getting back to the good old days when people didn't see it as anything special again. "Just divers" are flocking to the caves again, and the number of deaths has skyrocketed in the past two years.
agreed
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cave-diving/419760-pace-cave-diving-instructional-progress.html
 
Yeah, those were the good old days before Sheck examined the huge number of cave diving deaths to find the commonalities so that training could all but eliminate them. For a number of years the world averaged about two cave diving deaths a year, but now we seem to be getting back to the good old days when people didn't see it as anything special again. "Just divers" are flocking to the caves again, and the number of deaths has skyrocketed in the past two years.

Cave divers died in caves, wreck divers died in wrecks, OW divers died in open water, diving was a dangerous sport. May be it was the lack of cards that minimized the amount of a**hats, or perhaps it was the large dive knives, but now that the underwater world is a safe place, ask an OW instructor, there seem to be a lot of divers that believe that to their detriment. Poor skills and the best gear are a lethal combination in the hands of a wannabe.


An old Smothers Brothers take on the "Streets of Larado" sums up the problem quite well.

I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy;
I see by your outfit you are a cowboy, too;
We see by our outfits that we are both cowboys.
If you get an outfit, you can be a cowboy, too.




Bob
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I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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