Scuba Extremists

[boulderjohn]

In my opening post I was not thinking DIR at all. I was thinking of several completely different situations with which I have been dealing lately.

Here is an old non-DIR example. A former ScubaBoard regular who no longer participates used to argue that all new OW divers needed to be able to tie a bowline with one hand while wearing three fingered mittens in order to be certified. I thought that was a bit on the extreme side.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

In my opening post I was not thinking DIR at all. I was thinking of several completely different situations with which I have been dealing lately.

Here is an old non-DIR example. A former ScubaBoard regular who no longer participates used to argue that all new OW divers needed to be able to tie a bowline with one hand while wearing three fingered mittens in order to be certified. I thought that was a bit on the extreme side.

... especially in Hawaii, where nobody ever wears three fingered mittens ...

The 100-hour OW courses were a nice idea though ... for college students who had all semester to get certified, and a school subsidized pool to learn in ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Nemrod]

My extreme position is a vote to remove this entire extreme thread. And that sincerely means no disrespect to the op. Extremist are largely unable to identify extreme views except from others who are surely more extreme than they and this entire board is populated by extremist. It is just something to fight over that accomplishes no good. Because none of us will change our minds as a result that the other guy is not way more extreme.N

 

[Patoux01]

Because none of us will change our minds as a result that the other guy is not way more extreme.N

No, I won't change my mind because I'm right. You won't change yours because you're an extremist.


Am I doing this right guys?

 

[DaleC]

If you felt a smug sense of self satisfaction at "sticking it to the man" then yes.. yes you are.

I don't see this as a DIR centric thread either. I participate in a couple of vintage forums and speak about extremists... Well mostly not, but a few have very fixed ideas on what does and does not constitute proper old gear and will argue till the hills come home about it.

 

[drrich2]

Oh, I left out solo, pony bottles, spearfishing, Spare Air, Integrated Inflators, good grief and then one of my all time favorites, your gonna die if you use an Air Buddy.

Seems to me the hostility toward solo diving used to be more intense, but it's gradually eroding as it becomes better known. For the most part on the forum, I think it's become a case of arguing how it stacks up against the buddy system rather than 'right way vs. wrong way.' But it's still forbidden outright at a number of places.

Richard.

 

[ev780]

Seems to me the hostility toward solo diving used to be more intense, but it's gradually eroding as it becomes better known. For the most part on the forum, I think it's become a case of arguing how it stacks up against the buddy system rather than 'right way vs. wrong way.' But it's still forbidden outright at a number of places.

Richard.

I agree. I have some older posts here about killing the buddy system and doing group or true solo diving. Seems to be gaining some traction.

"Death to the Buddy System!!!!!" Is that too extreme?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Nothing wrong with the buddy system ... if you have a mental commitment to being a dive buddy and are prepared to be a dive buddy.

Nothing wrong with solo diving ... if you have a mental commitment to diving solo and are prepared to dive solo.

Nothing wrong with group diving ... if you are in a place where diving in that manner is practical and understand the limitations of diving that way.

The appropriate approach to any given dive depends more on circumstances, profile, comfort level, environment, and personal preference than it does on equipment, agency preference, or rules of thumb.

Is that too extreme?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ev780]

Nothing wrong with the buddy system ... if you have a mental commitment to being a dive buddy and are prepared to be a dive buddy.

Nothing wrong with solo diving ... if you have a mental commitment to diving solo and are prepared to dive solo.

Nothing wrong with group diving ... if you are in a place where diving in that manner is practical and understand the limitations of diving that way.

The appropriate approach to any given dive depends more on circumstances, profile, comfort level, environment, and personal preference than it does on equipment, agency preference, or rules of thumb.

Is that too extreme?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Depends. Depends on the thread. You are an extreme open minded SCUBA thinker! Might actually be the rarest extreme SCUBAist of them all.

 

[WarrenZ]

I feel left out I've never run into any DIR folks extremist or otherwise. The only scuba extremist I've ever run into was one of our local dive shop owners.

He ended up being one of the reasons I changed my plan and pursued training with a different agency.