So what makes a good diver anyway?

[rollerboi]

ive always found divers that are so willing to show/teach/help/mentor me have been good divers

oh,

and colour co-ordinated gear!!!!!

as long as it's black, right?

have to second the whole willing to mentor part.. there's always something you can learn from another diver.

 

[Gary D.]

A good diver plans their dive and dives their plan

I wouldn’t say this one would necessarily determine if one was a good diver or not. Granted one should do it but there are times that it just isn’t going to happen.

Gary D.

 

[PePaw]

A good diver is one that is always striving to become a better one.
Comfortable, but knows their limits and more important is perfectly capable of not making or calling a dive he/she is not comfortable making.
And a good diver is aware. Or themselves and their buddy.

 

[Trixxie]

I wouldn’t say this one would necessarily determine if one was a good diver or not. Granted one should do it but there are times that it just isn’t going to happen.

Gary D.

right, guess you could be a good 'planner' and still not be a good diver eh?

 

[john56]

I see a lot of good technical points here, but in my opinion, a good diver is one who gets what he or she wants out of their dive more often than not. Whether they are photographing, hunting, collecting information or artifacts, or just enjoying being in the environment, this is, in the end, a sport, and the reason for all our training and skills practice is to allow us to enjoy the experience as safely as possible.

In addition, using this definition is the only way I can claim to be a good diver, as what I want most out of my dive is to come up in the same condition as when I went down...

 

[agwatts]

A good diver is one who continues to learn, is safe, stays with the dive plan, and is willing to help other divers become better divers.

 

[nereas]

I am pretty new to this sport, but I am very keen, and in my somewhat limited experience as a diver, here is what I think makes a diver a good diver. Feel free to add / critique this list as you see fit.

So in no particular order:

• A good diver should always know what’s going on with his/her-self: Knowing the depth, rate of descent, rate of ascent, amount of air left, air consumption, what direction the currents are pulling them, ect.
• A good diver should also know what’s going on with his/her buddy: Knowing how much air they have, their air consumption and their general state.. do they look stressed? Could they be narced?, ect.
• A good diver should have good communication skills with their buddy, both pre-dive and during the dive. Pre dive: knowing hand signals, weight ditching techniques, emergency ascent procedures, gas sharing (octo-using) procedures, and anything ells that may be relevant to the particular dive. During the dive: checking with the buddy frequently, giving the ok sign, exchanging air usage info, ect.
• A good diver should never blow their safety stop. Even when it’s not necessary, it’s a good habit to practice every dive.
• A good diver should have good buoyancy control, or at least practice achieving neutral buoyancy.. practice makes perfect.
• A good diver should be willing and able to abort a dive if they or their buddy are experiencing un-due stress.
• A good diver should know their buddy’s dive kit as well as their own (they’re pretty much all the same anyway, but there are plenty of minor differences).
• A good diver should have the comfort of their buddy in mine when planning a dive. You don’t stay under water for an hour and 10 minutes in the dead of winter when you’re diving a dry suit and your buddy dives a wet suit.
• A good diver should be able to use a friggen dive table.
• A good diver should try to anticipate trouble before they’re in it.

That’s all I can think of at the moment. Please one or two (or more) of your own contributions.

You are defining basic skills. There are many elements, yes.

Generally speaking, a good diver:

1) Has strong, sound skills rather than bad habits,

2) Is very experienced rather than a novice,

3) Is completely self-sufficient rather than buddy-dependent, and

4) Sticks with his/her buddy rather than getting separated.

As a new diver, you yourself should take every opportunity to dive with dive-masters and instructors, and then emulate them.

 

[Teamcasa]

Lots of good answers so far. I like to think a good diver is one that does not have to brag about their skills or gear. They are competent and secure in their knowledge. Willing to teach share their skills and information with others when asked and above all, safe and fun to dive with.

 

[paradicio]

...what I want most out of my dive is to come up in the same condition as when I went down...

I agree with this, I would only add...

A good diver leaves the dive site in the same condition they found it.

 

[Desert Pirate]

A good diver knows and stays within his/her limits. nobody needs added stress by pushng limits and placing themselves and others at risk. good divers know and avoid this.