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DA Aquamaster:
We have 3000 to 4000 divers in the area but only about 100 that dive locally and may 10 of us who are obsessed. I tend to question the committment to the sport of any diver that does not have at least 10 regs and at least that many tanks sitting around the house.

I have a vinyl scuba diver stuck on the back window and a scuba related licence plate holder on my vehicle. But that is light weight stuff done mostly by warm water divers (who never have dive gear in the car anyway.) Last summer my wife got mad and insisted I mow the lawn rather than go dive. So I added dive flag and "I'd rather be diving" to the back of the seat on our lawn tractor.
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This is really starting to sound like a little kids spitting match. I have more dives than you, more equipment than you, I'm a real diver, you don't count......

Please can we be grown-ups here???? I do not support judging others, particularly those we know nothing about... and all of this about who loves their sport more??? which makes you what? A better person?

I would love to spend every free moment and penny diving, however, with small children, one of whom has a disability, I have to make some hard choices about my time and money. I might easily have 10 regs and tanks sitting around my house, if we weren't paying for therapy and doctors appointments, but that is our choice, and I think it is the right one. Does this mean we aren't real divers? Dont' love our sport? Aren't committed???? Get real. Remember, the one who dies with the most toys, STILL dies!!!


Not trying to start a war here.. but gosh, give some of us a break please.

Peace and warm water,
 
neophytediver:
...that had a dive sticker on his car. I asked him how long had he been diving and the other typical questions you would ask of another junkie and was astonished to find out that he was strictlly a "vacation" diver.
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I hate to break it to y'all, but everyone who drives around with those # 3 and # 24 sickers on their cars aren't all Nascar drivers either. :shocked:

Also, people who play basketball every other weekend, might not love it any less than someone who plays every week. oh, yeah and my daddy can beat up all your daddys, too! :boxing_sm

seriously though, I saw an SUV at the bar last month with a diver down flag sticker and a liscense plate "2dive4"... I didn't get to talk to the owner, but I would have probably been pretty disappointed if he/she wasn't a total nut. I see a lot of bumper stickers here and wonder how many of those people dive more than once or twice a year (not that they should be struck down by Poseidon if they don't :lightning). I personally don't have one (yet) because I feel like I haven't been diving long enough to represent like that. But I certainly don't (and hope I would never) look down upon a "vacation diver" who does want to represent.
 
I dunno ... I can't get too worked up about what kind of stickers people put on their cars. I guess I get mildly annoyed by those who drive around with American flags stuck all over their bumpers but can't even get up the gumption to vote once a year. But dive flags? Mostly when I see one I end up peering into the car to see if it's somebody I know (it often is).

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
AmyJ - I'm with you 100%. I hope you get to dive more and that your kids grow to enjoy it too!

I would tend to cut DA some slack - he's a terrific poster and I think part of his comment is tongue in cheek. I'm sure he was not insinuating you had to have 10 tanks to be diver (heavens, I sold or gave away all mine when I moved!)

In any sport, there are always people that go way over the top, mostly because they just love it - more power to them... I used to be that, and may be again one day...

I've got a buddy that must have every golf club ever made. Until 2 years ago, I played with the same set I played with when I was 20 (which was too da** long ago). I can still beat him when we play, even though I play maybe 15 times a year and he plays 100+. So who's the lesser golfer? Neither - we both love the sport and give it all the time we can.

So, if you are a warm-water, recreational, part-time, 1 or 2 dive trips a year type of diver stuck away from a real dive site - you're still a diver. Dress up in a dive flag for the office party and put a DAN sticker on your bathroom mirror - you've earned it, because you've found a great sport!
 
DA Aquamaster:
We have 3000 to 4000 divers in the area but only about 100 that dive locally and may 10 of us who are obsessed. I tend to question the committment to the sport of any diver that does not have at least 10 regs and at least that many tanks sitting around the house.

I have a vinyl scuba diver stuck on the back window and a scuba related licence plate holder on my vehicle. But that is light weight stuff done mostly by warm water divers (who never have dive gear in the car anyway.) Last summer my wife got mad and insisted I mow the lawn rather than go dive. So I added dive flag and "I'd rather be diving" to the back of the seat on our lawn tractor.
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I tend to question you SO CALLED obsessed divers more than the others!!!!
 
AmyJ:
This is really starting to sound like a little kids spitting match. I have more dives than you, more equipment than you, I'm a real diver, you don't count......

Please can we be grown-ups here???? I do not support judging others, particularly those we know nothing about... and all of this about who loves their sport more??? which makes you what? A better person?

I would love to spend every free moment and penny diving, however, with small children, one of whom has a disability, I have to make some hard choices about my time and money. I might easily have 10 regs and tanks sitting around my house, if we weren't paying for therapy and doctors appointments, but that is our choice, and I think it is the right one. Does this mean we aren't real divers? Dont' love our sport? Aren't committed???? Get real. Remember, the one who dies with the most toys, STILL dies!!!
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Sorry you took offense...it was very much a tounge in cheek commentary. I realize having a house that resembles a dive shop is not real normal but then I also figured out awhile ago that life is a lot more fun if you can maintain a sense of humor during the rougher parts.

One of the reasons I am obsessed with diving is that it is very much a family thing and something we can all do together. So it's more of a family obsession.

I am a parent/foster parent and also work for a state agency as a rehabilitation counselor serving children and adults with disabilities. I earn less than half what I could in private practice counseling well healed clients with mental health problems but stay in my job because I am needed and that means more than money to me.

Diving is a very social activity and serves as a common interest for people from dive-rse backgrounds and I really enjoy helping new divers get a start. I am also intimately acquainted with the economic and emotional challenges that can face many divers and usually have some of the 15 or so regs and 20 or so tanks I own out on a long term loan to neophyte and economically challenged divers until they can afford their own. I also do about half my dives every year with newly minted divers and the family boat is always open free of charge to any diver who wants to meet me at the slip Saturday morning.

Amy, if you ever happen to be in my neck of the woods some Saturday, drop by. The boat leaves at 9am and I can supply just about everything you need except a wet suit.
 
neophytediver:
Yes I did... and don't call me Shirley.
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LOL.. if we were keeping some kind of score here, you'd get a googa-kla-gillion points for quoting the Airplane! :god: :god: ... sorry, I'm easily amused! :smileysto
 
DA Aquamaster:
Sorry you took offense...it was very much a tounge in cheek commentary. I realize having a house that resembles a dive shop is not real normal but then I also figured out awhile ago that life is a lot more fun if you can maintain a sense of humor during the rougher parts.

QUOTE]

Sorry... I didn't mean to sound so defensive.... :( My bad. But I'm not really offended... It takes alot for that to happen! :) Just sounding off.

I would love to dive together sometime... :) Thanks for the invite!!!! It's all good! :)

Peace and warm water,
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Alpha flag on my rear window.

Very few people (divers included) that see it even know what it is...
 
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