Response to depth questions?

[hroark2112]

205'. Come with me next time!

 

[tbzep]

I usually give an honest answer. However, if they are the "that ain't nuthin" type, I'll deflect, redirect, and make sure these aren't the droids they are looking for. The same type folks ask me how fast I've been on my motorcycles. Whatever my answer, they've been much faster on their Yamasaki GSXR 1200 Ninja Hurricane (a crossbred beast that never existed), but they "had to lay it down" and/or "sold it cause they knew they would kill themselves."

 

[ajduplessis]

Q: How deep have you dived?
A: To the bottom....

 

[blac86]

"Well the deepest I've been is on surface supplied gear haha I do a lot of cave diving and I'm more concerned with extending my bottom time than I am with depth"

It's true and it doesn't put the idea of going to almost 600ft into someones head, if they push further I'll tell them the deepest Ive gone on scuba was 250 and that it took almost six weeks of work up from my previous max of 165.

 

[MegDiver792]

I always tell them, especially if a rec diver, although usually when I mention 200-300ft their eyes glaze over like a deer in headlights.

The question that really annoys me though, is those asking what do I see and why do I dive so deep.

 

[northernone]

Been answering directly the last 8 times I've been asked... No one immediately grabbed their gear and tried to match it following a DSD class.

Embarrassingly, treating adults like adults doesn't hurt and its lead to interesting discussions.

If I suspect it's a p*ssing contest daredevil I'll still deflect.

Thanks all!
Cameron

 

[boulderjohn]

On Labor Day weekend, I was teaching an AOW student at the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, NM. It was a bad time to be there, because the city was sponsoring a HUGE biker rally at the site. The main parking lot was filled with booths, and there were hundreds--maybe thousands-- of people there for the rally. The scuba divers, who normally have their run of the place, were crowded into one small area for our base camps.

While we were at those base areas, those hundreds or thousands of people were milling about, and I can't begin to estimate how many times I was asked about the diving, and 90% of the questions amounted to how deep we could go at that site. (85 feet max, BTW) These were all very friendly and highly interested people, so I tried to answer each time with the same friendly spirit, as if each one was the first to ask me. I told them a little about the bottom topography of the site and anything else they wanted to know. The bikers were particularly enthusiastic in their desire for information, and in many cases they continued on by asking for information about how they could get certified. It sure sounded to them like something they wanted to do.

Why would I want to make any kind of response that would repel them and turn off that enthusiasm?

 

[lowflyer]

I've had people ask me how high I fly and how deep I dive. They know nothing about either topic but are curious. I see no reason to not answer truthfully and will discuss as long as they wish.
I'm sure I have asked silly questions about things I know little about, but I hope to learn by getting a meaningful answer.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Unless I'm being asked about how deep I've ever been, I answer in the context of the current location.

 

[Chilly_Diver]

I've had people ask me how high I fly and how deep I dive. They know nothing about either topic but are curious. I see no reason to not answer truthfully and will discuss as long as they wish.
I'm sure I have asked silly questions about things I know little about, but I hope to learn by getting a meaningful answer.

I wish more people had this outlook on the subject. Self righteous and/or coy answers to people’s questions does nothing to promote our hobby.