Suggestion "Useful tips" sub-forum?

[black_sea]

I've been, like many others, finding lots of useful tit-bits of information on scubaboard.

A cd does make a good emergency signaling mirror, and yellow fins help to signal once you're on the surface if your signaling buoy is gone... etc etc.

Is there an existing sub-forum for this, or should we start one?

 

[super7]

Hi black sea!

Like you and many others, I've picked up quite a few hints on this board, and I do see your point. While I do think that sort of sub forum may come in handy, I also think that accumulating knick-knacks and keeping the sub forum lively may be somewhat difficult.

Thats because an advice may be valuable to some users, while others may be quite uninterested. Some issues may be gear-oriented and be better served in the equipment section, while some questions may be technique related and belong to the basic, advanced or technical diving section. Considering the diversity of topics that may land in this suggested subforum, moderators might have quite a handful just keeping up with the posts, unless the whole subforum goes south.

For the time being, I will search the topic I'm interested in, and if the search comes out blank, or I don't find what I needed, I'll post the question. Thinking about which forum I should post also helps sorting out what I really need to ask.

Just my opinion.

ps. If the tidbits sub forum does come into existance, I sure will benefit from it.

Kaza

 

[black_sea]

Thank you for your feedback, I see your point Kaza!
I do think that a digest of the forum's wisdom in shorter format is in order, as so many of us *myself included* sometimes deviate from the topic at hand, and to find something useful one has to sift through a lot of emotional discourse.
I'd rather see the idea -

"carry a signal mirror made from a CD" Than read the usual suspects preaching about how "Why bother, it would never happen with proper training".

Thus, the ever popular format of "Useful tips", so often seen in magazines, could definetely become something, well, usefull!

 

[Jax]

It does sound like a good idea for the Basic Forum or New to Diving, as a sticky. I suggest those forums due to their "flame-free" zone.

 

[black_sea]

I still think it should be a separate sub-forum, Jax.

For example, I travel a lot and I know that half the outfits dont have a full aid kit, and no oxygen.
Anyone that has seen bends will tell you that having o2 on the boat - and taking it with the first sign of DCS suspicion- is the first step to take, and the most vital, before a deco chamber and doctor are reached.

Clearly, check for O2 at your dive center and boat

is a tip everyone can use.

 

[Jax]

But why a sub-forum? why not a sticky thread?

It 'sounds like' you'd have potfuls of one-liner threads . . .

 

[black_sea]

Because I'm not sure it fits in just the beginner forum. But either or, not our decision, ultimately.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I think you'd have to have a consensus on what constitutes a good tip, and since we can even argue over things like "Don't hold your breath", I think it might be almost impossible to get consensus on very many things. (For example, I've read an article on emergency signaling devices that says a CD is pretty worthless, in terms of being able to be seen at any distance.)

I think we'd end up with things like, "It's better to dive than not to dive," and "Don't run out of gas."

 

[black_sea]

Thank You TSandM!

I think if people post to the tip sub-forum, a lively discussion per tip is quite all right. Hence the need for a sub-forum and not just a sticky.
And I'm sure most people can make up their own mind on other's opinion. Thought that does make me an idealist.

I'll have to tell my kid next time he almost blinds me with a cd and some sun reflection at arrpoximately 1 mile distance that it does not work!