SCUBA: extreme sport?

[leo311]

Well, I'm sure you don't have a policy covering Stamp Collectors regarding paper cuts that is payable by LLoyds of London. Depending on where you live, how much you dive, past stupid experiences, propensity for stupidity, etc, you could consider scuba diving an extreme sport. That would of course be determined by your insurance company, their input from you signifigant other, how often your dive buddy cuts a hole in your dry suit, how many dives you have before you beer, etc.

 

[lamont]

if "extreme sport" is defined narrowly in the eMpTyVee adrenaline-junkie sense, then I don't think scuba is extreme. if you're just doing warm water rec dives, there isn't much extreme about it. if you're talking about the dictionary definition of extreme, then 12,000 feet back in a cave is pretty extreme, ice diving is pretty extreme, 400 fsw down on a wreck is pretty extreme. even diving in cold water with a drysuit on is a little extreme. and for external validation of its extremeness, i've got co-workers who think i'm completely nuts, that scuba diving is rediculously dangerous and they couldn't understand why i'd ever want to do it, and they just shake their head when i try to explain.

the kind of cool thing is that its a stealth extreme sport -- all you have to do is hang out down there a little longer or go a little bit deeper...

it definitely seems a little bit categorically different than just riding your bike around town, playing golf or bowling...

 

[PhotoTJ]

Is there a scoring system? Do you keep score? Not a sport, then!

 

[wolf eel]

Motocross and auto-racing. Those are "extreme", but the normal use of a motorcycle or car to go to work, shop, take a vacation, haul your dive gear to the site/boat, etc. is not extreme. (OK, maybe in some cities, but the one who live there think it's normal.)

Do people really feel that a motocross race and race car driving are Extreme sports ?
And the other Everest is Extreme and so is deep tech diving but regular diving is not too Extreme if done right. It was funny how I never read ice climbing or rock climbing or base jumping and so on, but race car driving ? extreme If you are doing Extreme dives then yes it is but just diving itself is not.

 

[fsik]

i've got co-workers who think i'm completely nuts, that scuba diving is rediculously dangerous and they couldn't understand why i'd ever want to do it, and they just shake their head when i try to explain.

I think that's really on-target: 'extreme' is often a perception. People inside an activity are used to the preparation and training. Few, if any activities are 'show up and risk your life'. Maybe BASE jumping, but even that crowd has sobered up a bit in terms of establishing procedures, etc. Motorcross and auto racing are lots of mechanical work, theory and experience. Most do seem to share quantitatively extreme cost for equipment, training, and travel. And within these activities, truly extreme stuff that pushes limits seems to take more rather than less planning (and money!).

Thing is, people on the outside of an activity rarely, if ever see the training and planning. Once you get to TV and movies, good showmanship dictates it's bad form to let them in on that. They just see the money shot, the stunt, the great photo or the helmetcam, without any inkling of the days/weeks/months/dollars/pounds/euros that went into planning it safely.

I sent out a bunch of pics of my decidedly nonextreme warm water dives a couple weeks ago...for my nondiving friends, the 'money shot' was us in a school of barracuda. They thought we were stark raving mad (as if we'd invited the school along). But in my log book? I was more concerned with the fact I was getting a bit chilly in my 2mil, and that I saw an indigo hamlet (fairly rare where we were).

Maybe it's just a matter of 'If you haven't seen it, it's extreme to you'...

 

[DiveGolfSki]

.... Plus it's way funner with the chicks with the scuba/extreme sport thing.

I think that's the defining line, if a scuba diver, a motorXer, climber, etc. enter a bar, who will be the most successful. .

 

[jonnythan]

Speaking of chicks, most don't seem impressed if you're "just" a scuba diver.

However, if you say you do something cool on its own (like rock climbing, caving, etc), AND you scuba dive, the scuba diving seems to increase your coolness.

Women are complicated

 

[lamont]

Is there a scoring system? Do you keep score? Not a sport, then!

is rock climbing a sport? do you keep score?

 

[wolf eel]

lamont is rock climbing a sport? do you keep score?

Sorry if the comment about racing being a sport. I did not mean to upset anybody.
I do not keep score. The Extreme part is what I was meaning when talking about sports. And yes it is a sport we compete.
The bar is what would make the difference as chicks dig it (CDI) climbing but divers with boats have more flash so I would put my hard earned money on the diver and then when the diver guy goes away for a diving trip the chick meets the climber out for a walk with the dog at the local crag and a new saga begins because chick dig it and they can see and touch the climbing world plus they are skinner and healther then most divers.

 

[miketsp]

I think that's the defining line, if a scuba diver, a motorXer, climber, etc. enter a bar, who will be the most successful. .

Did you see this post?
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1059596&postcount=12