What do you call the 1 ft metal pokers divers carry?

[DaleC]

To advise other divers that they are not necessary and might pose a threat to delicate wildlife.

Whether they are necessary or not depends on the diver. How they are used or not used depends on the diver. To each his own. A mature diver understands that the world doesn't always dive his/her way and is ok with it. There are a lot of gear/techniques/philosophies that people use that I think are unnecessary but I don't feel the need to post into threads and criticize.

With a little experience, you will be able to maintain neutral buoyancy without concentrating. This learning process will be quicker if you lose the crutch.

Thanks Dad. Over in the DIR sub forum they call my computer a crutch - should I get rid of that too?

Yet you seem to be doing just that.

Actually it's not so much about me, I take what's useful and leave the rest - and I'm not arguing against reasonable viewpoints that show the potential downsize to something. I just get a little tired of threads being hijacked by posters who want to criticize from their bully pulpits (PADI, Spare Air, Jacket BCD's, split fins, snorkels etc...). Probably it is entertaining for the few to pat each others backs over their witty, subtle little put downs but I think it also drives a lot of other posters away from participation on the board for fear of being ridiculed.
I could have just remained silent and shook my head at the direction of the thread (as I do with others) but the rhetoric just tweaked me the wrong way. This forum is Basic Scuba Discussions and the OP asked for the name of the piece of equipment

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I agree with ya, Dale ... as someone who doesn't believe in, nor need, crutches, the constant put-downs get a little old.

Especially from folks with very little real-world experience outside their own local mudholes ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[cdiver2]

Whether they are necessary or not depends on the diver. How they are used or not used depends on the diver. To each his own. A mature diver understands that the world doesn't always dive his/her way and is ok with it. There are a lot of gear/techniques/philosophies that people use that I think are unnecessary but I don't feel the need to post into threads and criticize.



Thanks Dad. Over in the DIR sub forum they call my computer a crutch - should I get rid of that too?



Actually it's not so much about me, I take what's useful and leave the rest - and I'm not arguing against reasonable viewpoints that show the potential downsize to something. I just get a little tired of threads being hijacked by posters who want to criticize from their bully pulpits (PADI, Spare Air, Jacket BCD's, split fins, snorkels etc...). Probably it is entertaining for the few to pat each others backs over their witty, subtle little put downs but I think it also drives a lot of other posters away from participation on the board for fear of being ridiculed.
I could have just remained silent and shook my head at the direction of the thread (as I do with others) but the rhetoric just tweaked me the wrong way. This forum is Basic Scuba Discussions and the OP asked for the name of the piece of equipment

Thanks you said it more PC than I could

 

[cdiver2]

I agree with ya, Dale ... as someone who doesn't believe in, nor need, crutches, the constant put-downs get a little old.

Especially from folks with very little real-world experience outside their own local mudholes ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Not quiet as PC.....but I like it.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Under water laser pointer instead maybe? Discuss... Make a small circle around the item??

I personally have never needed more than a small spot light to point out even the tiniest of items to new divers.

If I can't see something by finning and controlling myself without touching things, then it's not worth seeing IMHO. I have rarely felt that something wasn't worth seeing if you get my drift.

I understand that some people use these sticks in a "safe" manner but all the people I have seen using them needed to be poked and prodded themselves.

 

[cdiver2]

Under water laser pointer instead maybe? Discuss... Make a small circle around the item??

I personally have never needed more than a small spot light to point out even the tiniest of items to new divers.

If I can't see something by finning and controlling myself without touching things, then it's not worth seeing IMHO. I have rarely felt that something wasn't worth seeing if you get my drift.

I understand that some people use these sticks in a "safe" manner but all the people I have seen using them needed to be poked and prodded themselves.

That's because your diving with New Yorkers

but all the people I have seen using them needed to be poked and prodded themselves

Pygmy Sea Horses are big on photographers want list. Just because you say

If I can't see something by finning and controlling myself without touching things, then it's not worth seeing IMHO.

Others have different ideas. To each there own.

I use a tickle stick and a laser pointer, the stick is to keep me off the reef when I am attempting to photograph something small in the reef

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Under water laser pointer instead maybe? Discuss... Make a small circle around the item??

I personally have never needed more than a small spot light to point out even the tiniest of items to new divers.

If I can't see something by finning and controlling myself without touching things, then it's not worth seeing IMHO. I have rarely felt that something wasn't worth seeing if you get my drift.

Hmmm ... try that here ... or here ... and let me know how it works out ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[fdog]

<sigh>

It's true! The life cycle of contentious subjects here on SB is about 3 months.


All the best, James

 

[J.R.]

Especially from folks with very little real-world experience outside their own local mudholes ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

:cool2: Hey... don't knock my mudhole... you ain't scuba'd 'till ya've dove in45 deg zero vis mud... unless yer' divin' in 41 DEGREE zero vis mud...

But basically I gotta' agree with ol' Grateful there...

I look at crutches like every thing else... as long as you aren't beating somebody else over the head with em'... it doesn't really hurt anything and if it makes you feel better about your divin'... that probably means you aren't as stressed... which means you probably will dive BETTER... which means MY dive will probably go better... so, rock on...

Besides... 'crutch' is a very subjective term... back in the day we didn't have dive computers either... we planned our dives on tables and it worked... of course our dives were MUCH shorter then because... well, we couldn't calculate in real time... so you either planned a multi level dive... or you went directly to your depth... used the max time the table showed and then made a (more or less) direct assect... it worked... but was far from OPITMAL...

Ya' can do things the HARD way... or the EASY way... personally, I kinda' like easy... hard is what I used to do back when I was trying to impress girls...

 

[boulderjohn]

These sticks may have another useful function that has not been mentioned.

When I was in the Galápagos this summer, one of the members in my group (a very expert diver with superb buoyancy control, BTW) carried one. After we determined that I was unable to hear more subtle signalling techniques while wearing a hood, she declared that the next time I was examining a nudibranch under a ledge whilst a manta ray passed overhead, I was going to get it up my behind.