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First off, things are a bit slow on the board. I'm actually reading a NAUI vs. PADI thread.
Up-front: This thread is a "free-fire" zone.
The whole NAUI/PADI industry race to the bottom thing leaves me a bit cold. It is so predictable, just another clever way to raise prices.
Look, people learn at different rates. I'm old enough to know that the way that I assimilate new skills hasn't changed much over the years. So if I'm not changing, and the courses are getting shorter, then I'll just have to spend more money to take more of them. Guess who wins on that one.
I also like to mix up the instructors. People have different ways of interpreting the world, you never know what you might learn from a new perspective.
This actually works for me. I like small bites of new skills. But damn, it's getting expensive...
The difference that I see between now and several years back, is that older divers talked incessantly about what they were diving for: artifacts, photography, finding an un-fished or unknown wreck, pushing the limits, exploring new places, etc. Divers tended to focus on only one aspect and thus became really educated in one narrow avenue of diving. They "owned" it. OK, maybe basic skills suffered. I won't even mention their jury-rigged gear. I got started late in this game, but thankfully, not too late.
Problem is, I just don't see the excitement of the chase anymore. Like reading about how it was when divers were trying to get information about enriched air diving out of the US Navy in the old days. Or a diver that finally got a set of coveted deck plans by driving to Washington, DC and doing his own research at the National Archives enduring "you're one of those people" looks from the librarian with each new request.
Maybe it's because I'm a child of the Cold War era, but unrolling a laminated set of "impossible to get" deck plans on a wreck at depth is even better than watching "The Man from Uncle." A rusted pile of oddly shaped metal now has a name,a place, and a function. OMG look, that steam piping is exactly where it should be. OK, where is the Captain's quarters from here...
To me, today's diver discussions are more like playing poker with your certs. If I can't cover the last C-Card you dealt, you win. Unless, of course, my gear is totally bad and yours just sucks.
That is just so "Today".
Up-front: This thread is a "free-fire" zone.
The whole NAUI/PADI industry race to the bottom thing leaves me a bit cold. It is so predictable, just another clever way to raise prices.
Look, people learn at different rates. I'm old enough to know that the way that I assimilate new skills hasn't changed much over the years. So if I'm not changing, and the courses are getting shorter, then I'll just have to spend more money to take more of them. Guess who wins on that one.
I also like to mix up the instructors. People have different ways of interpreting the world, you never know what you might learn from a new perspective.
This actually works for me. I like small bites of new skills. But damn, it's getting expensive...
The difference that I see between now and several years back, is that older divers talked incessantly about what they were diving for: artifacts, photography, finding an un-fished or unknown wreck, pushing the limits, exploring new places, etc. Divers tended to focus on only one aspect and thus became really educated in one narrow avenue of diving. They "owned" it. OK, maybe basic skills suffered. I won't even mention their jury-rigged gear. I got started late in this game, but thankfully, not too late.
Problem is, I just don't see the excitement of the chase anymore. Like reading about how it was when divers were trying to get information about enriched air diving out of the US Navy in the old days. Or a diver that finally got a set of coveted deck plans by driving to Washington, DC and doing his own research at the National Archives enduring "you're one of those people" looks from the librarian with each new request.
Maybe it's because I'm a child of the Cold War era, but unrolling a laminated set of "impossible to get" deck plans on a wreck at depth is even better than watching "The Man from Uncle." A rusted pile of oddly shaped metal now has a name,a place, and a function. OMG look, that steam piping is exactly where it should be. OK, where is the Captain's quarters from here...
To me, today's diver discussions are more like playing poker with your certs. If I can't cover the last C-Card you dealt, you win. Unless, of course, my gear is totally bad and yours just sucks.
That is just so "Today".
Funny that you should mention that particular thread - I had just noticed it in the new postings for the upteenth time and thought - cold day (way) down south before I open that thread! LOL
and so I do try to keep a balance. I'm not collecting cards, I'm honing my skills so that I can move forward at a speed that feels right to me.
