Revelations while describing diving to others.

[Thanshin]

One month away from my next diving holidays I just can't shut up about diving, so I have discovered certain responses to diving I really didn't expect:

- "I thought they made it illegal because a lot of people die and that's why everybody goes to third world countries to dive".
- "I'm afraid of the sea. You can't see the sharks coming."

And the most surprising, coming from a twenty year old high-middle class girl:
"I can't swim."

Seriously!? There are people who can't swim?

Aparently, there are. A lot.

Am I the only one amazed?

 

[Searcaigh]

The funniest comment I ever heard was "have you ever ridden a seahorse?"

 

[emoreira]

My wife is affraid of being in the water and not touching the bottom with the feet. She can't swim, she can't float and hardly can submerge her head.

 

[Guba]

I talk to a lot of youth groups and elementary classes concerning the ocean. The one question that gets asked over and over..."Have you ever seen a SHARK?" (the asker of the question invariably has wide-open eyes the size of saucers) After saying "Yes, quite a few times." The next question is almost always, still with the wide eyes, "What did you DO?"

"I got my camera ready. I'm always trying to get better closeups of sharks."

After that, the responses vary widely.

 

[Doc]

.... The one question that gets asked over and over..."Have you ever seen a SHARK?" ....

Followed, inevitably, by "How deep do you go?" and....

How long does a tank of Oxygen last?

In the bygone era of Sea Hunt (Mike Nelson) it was, "Do you ever get the bends?"

And the most surprising, coming from a twenty year old high-middle class girl:
"I can't swim."

All you gotta do is sink, sweetie.

 

[sambolino44]

We get "What do you see down there?" a lot while gearing up or returning from a dive. It's really fun to show them the video I just shot on my camera, especially little kids.

I, too, am disturbed at the general lack of knowledge about the sea, and especially the hysteria about sharks. And if you ask me, there's no excuse for raising a child and not teaching them how to swim.

 

[Thanshin]

the hysteria about sharks.

It's both sad and worrying that a species may go extinct just because it scares us.

I close to start answering "I'm afraid of sharks" with "you're an idiot.". I still manage to refrain and give a more constructive answer.

 

[Red fins]

I always get stuck when they ask me to explain what a nudi looks like. I always end up breaking it down to "they look like a small colourfull slug".
Also I dont get how people can not teach their kids to swim. its such an important life skill even of you hate the water. i have a friend whos baby is 6 months old and they are already taking her to swimming leassons.

 

[Garrobo]

A lot of the people I talk to say that they would be afraid to dive and you always get the shark issue. Thank you "Jaws".

 

[emoreira]

And if you ask me, there's no excuse for raising a child and not teaching them how to swim.

I have two kids. My 19 yo daugther swims like a fish and did already 5 "discover scuba" dives. I'm pushing her to take the OWD course, but now she is busy with the university. My 15 yo son, also swims like a fish, but the first time he did a "discover scuba" dive he couldn't clear ears and he disliked the experience. I've been trying to convince him to try again with no success. He is now in that part of youth that make them guys with very bad temper and everything that thier parents do or do not do is wrong.