What does your choice of scuba gear say about you?

[Bob DBF]

I think people care when they think it's going to impact somebody else, especially them. Let's say you get on a dive boat, and you'll have to be paired with an instabuddy. I happen to sit on one side of you, and Joe Bob sits on the other. You realize you can probably strike up a conversation with one of us & buddy up. But who?

I'm 6'1", close to 275 lbs, and male. You might guess I'd be a potential air hog. I wear a jacket BCD (Sherwood Avid) and split fins (Atomic Aquatics Smoke on the Water). So brand name gear, but from the forum you may know splits aren't as good for frog kicking, and especially for back kicking, I'm told. So I'll probably be flutter kicking around much of the time. Let's say this is a coral reef trip; no penetration.

Job Bob, on the other hand, is 6', 200 lbs, also male, but looks physically fitter. He's got a BP/W, paddle fins, and on his wrist is a Shearwater Petrel. Not only is he likely to be better on air, there's a good chance he's a technical diver, and so trained to a level of skill & knowledge that would, on average, be expected to make him a better diver. And probably even better on air.

There are no guarantees. But you paid $120+tips for the privilege of doing this 2-tank boat trip, you've got to pair with one of us, and you don't have time to read our autobiographies.

Smart money says pick Joe Bob. Appearances do say a lot. Our gear is part of, but not all of, that.

Richard.

I'd probably chat up both of you and then try to buddy up with the one that isn't a d**k, assuming the boat dosen't allow solo. I dive for fun, and that trumps the gear, besides the gear I dive is nothing to write home about either.


Bob
---------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[jwelburn]

I found my regular dive buddy and best friend based entirely on a split second decision. We were both on a dive boat and both single divers who needed buddies. I think there was only one pair of divers who came together, everybody else was "single and looking". He was in a DIR setup, and had all his gear set up and ready to go before the boat left. Based only on that I introduced myself and more or less informed him that I would be his buddy that evening. I'd had a string of negative instabuddy experiences around that time during which I felt like a babysitter, and was fairly desperate. I'd have probably peed on his leg to claim a promising buddy like that if I though somebody was trying to steal him. Lucky for us, we hit it off and we've had some pretty awesome adventures together.


Now sure he would have been the same diver if he'd have been in rental gear, but I'd not have known it until we were in the water, and by then it would have been too late either way. Gear isn't the end-all be-all of judging divers, but it's a pretty good place to start with somebody you've only ever seen dry.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

My gear says that I love pink. Does that count? I'm not sure if the color pink makes me swim faster or improves my trim. It does render me instantly recognizable at any recreational depth though.

I have an i3 BCD, which everyone seems to dislike on this forum, but I like it a lot more than the hose kind. I hope the other divers aren't judging my BCD because its different. It's feelings could get hurt.

I have an aqualung legend regulator, but I didn't get the pink one...which made me feel bad when I met an instructor that had one. I hope she didn't judge my regulator too badly because it didn't match my fins.

I know a lot of people on here hate that darn Cressi leonardo computer. Hopefully if I ever need an insta buddy they don't mind it's incessant and annoying beeping to the point they won't dive with me.

I'm not quite sure I understand why anyone would care what anyone else dives with. Except that one couple that was obsessed with their backplate and wings and couldn't stop talking about how great they were. They couldn't believe we were all in regular BCD's and I couldn't figure out how their set up allowed them to fly and I didn't stick around for a demonstration. To each there own I guess.

I've never dove with anyone using one of those BC's. I would be very concerned if I saw a new diver, with all pink gear wearing that BC. If buddied with you, i would have to ask you to demonstrate how I was supposed to orally blow the thing up in an emergency. If i had a choice, I would select someone who was not using that BC..So I would care.

 

[KevinNM]

I've never dove with anyone using one of those BC's. I would be very concerned if I saw a new diver, with all pink gear wearing that BC. If buddied with you, i would have to ask you to demonstrate how I was supposed to orally blow the thing up in an emergency. If i had a choice, I would select someone who was not using that BC..So I would care.

You pull out the inflator hose stowed on top of the divers left shoulder on mine. Of course, if they don't know that...

 

[UserNameBella]

I've never dove with anyone using one of those BC's. I would be very concerned if I saw a new diver, with all pink gear wearing that BC. If buddied with you, i would have to ask you to demonstrate how I was supposed to orally blow the thing up in an emergency. If i had a choice, I would select someone who was not using that BC..So I would care.

I appreciate that you would ask how to blow up my BC in case of emergency. The hose is in the same place as the usual inflator hose btw, just in case. I knew people here hated that BC!!! And how dare you judge my pink gear??? My bestest favouritest instructor has more pink gear than I do. She's been diving since she was nine and if it's good enough for her.... but really, you can see pink forever under the water. No one has ever lost me due to bad visibility.

And new divers make older divers eventually. We all were new at some time. All gear was new at some time too.

I am lucky enough to have a perma buddy so even if the whole dive boat thinks I'm a wierdo I still get to dive, and if he sits out I just dive solo following the pack. So I can buy whatever gear I want.

I still might buy a back plate and wings though. I want to fly. But do they come in pink?

 

[RJP]

I still might buy a back plate and wings though. I want to fly. But do they come in pink?

You betcha!

 

[Steve_C]

Bob DBF called it. I would chat with both and avoid the dork. I have probably had close to a 50 instabuddies at this point, maybe more. In my experience the dive gear is not a good indicator of how good a buddy they will be. I have had several go off and do their own thing instabuddies. More often or not they had a lot of experience and techy looking gear. With less experienced divers there are other things to watch out for.

I depends on the dive. If it is a deeper dive or one I am not comfortable being solo on or a special place then I usually do not instabuddy. I will just rent a DM that day. For something like a Keys reef dive I will often agree to buddying with a newbie. I would rather have somebody playing puppy dog that I do not have to worry about getting lost than some jock that wants to shoot off at high speed while I want to stop and take a couple photos. Cannot help it, it is may nature, if you are my buddy I want to know where you are even if you do not care that I know that, unless solo was agreed on ahead of time.

 

[Ana]

RJP your profession is so scary for me.

I try to actively fight it but I know I'm being manipulated like a puppet. Not in every field but in many, and sometimes, I even give in knowingly. I'm a sucker for items that come in certain containers, sometimes I buy the wine I like to drink and the wine that comes in the pretty bottle that before hand I know I'll just use to soak cedar planks for the grill.

I like to think I'm over marketing tricks as far as dive gear (let me have that fantasy), but clearly remember a Dacor regulator in the late 80's, when I first saw it in the dive shop immediately called my attention. The second stage was encased in plastic pretending to be bronze or copper, brownish brushed metallic flat (I hate shiny). Of course I asked to see it, holly cow it felt amazing in the hand, I HAD TO HAVE IT, it was stupid expensive, but it didn't matter. Before the end of that year I bought it, and loved it, it was one of the biggest pieces of crap I ever owned but even breathing mouthfuls of water I loved it for at least a full year, don't remember what was the virtual squirrel that took its place in that illogical corner of my brain, but I was happy to let go such a useless junk.

I stay away from dive shops now, most shops actually, I'd like to think my dive gear in combination with my body language says "stay away from this person", long time ago I removed the labels that were sawn into the gear, with few exceptions most of what I have is either discontinued or custom made, so not easily identifiable and the bottom of my fins usually have a choice 2 word phrase to be read by whoever may be approaching me underwater, in case there's doubts about the message I try to convey.

 

[UserNameBella]

You betcha!

Oh hells yes.

 

[DaleC]

There are no guarantees. But you paid $120+tips for the privilege of doing this 2-tank boat trip, you've got to pair with one of us, and you don't have time to read our autobiographies.

Smart money says pick Joe Bob. Appearances do say a lot. Our gear is part of, but not all of, that.

Richard.

Funny. My one destination dive trip (to Port Hardy) involved just this event. That was $1000+. One friend wanted to buddy with me. He was a DM, young, fit, and an excellent diver in many ways. BP/W, canlight etc... My other friend was relatively new. We did our first dive as a threesome and the dialed in diver just took off and did his own thing. The newer diver stayed with me and followed our dive plan. Back on the boat I asked him if he wanted to buddy with me for the rest of the trip. I told my other friend we were going to work on skills and didn't want to hold him back, but in reality, he drove me nuts under water.