Nut Bubblefish
Contributor
A good diver makes you wish you could dive like him/her.
What is a Good Diver?
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I'm thinking about the two best divers I've had the good fortune to dive with, and what they have in common:
1. They're both very experienced -- each over 1,000 dives. But I think you can be a "good" novice or intermediate diver, too.
2. They both have superb control of themselves in the water -- they can be anywhere, in any attitude they want, and accomplish anything they wish without disturbing that, including salvaging whatever mess I've gotten myself into.
3. As a side effect of #2, they don't disturb the underwater environment at all.
4. They both love diving, and it shows, and they inspire others the same way. They both share what they know, and help other divers along the way.
5. They both know their equipment inside and outside. They can take it apart and fix it and put it back together again. They take care of and with their equipment.
6. They both respect the water and its power and potential for harm. As a result, they are careful and methodical in planning what they do, and they don't take chances.
7. Both are superb, attentive buddies whose skills to deal with underwater problems are kept sharp.
8. Both of them are absolutely beautiful to watch underwater.
And yes, I wish I could dive like them!
1. They're both very experienced -- each over 1,000 dives. But I think you can be a "good" novice or intermediate diver, too.
2. They both have superb control of themselves in the water -- they can be anywhere, in any attitude they want, and accomplish anything they wish without disturbing that, including salvaging whatever mess I've gotten myself into.
3. As a side effect of #2, they don't disturb the underwater environment at all.
4. They both love diving, and it shows, and they inspire others the same way. They both share what they know, and help other divers along the way.
5. They both know their equipment inside and outside. They can take it apart and fix it and put it back together again. They take care of and with their equipment.
6. They both respect the water and its power and potential for harm. As a result, they are careful and methodical in planning what they do, and they don't take chances.
7. Both are superb, attentive buddies whose skills to deal with underwater problems are kept sharp.
8. Both of them are absolutely beautiful to watch underwater.
And yes, I wish I could dive like them!
What makes someone a good diver to me:
The basis is:
- Experience (lots of dives in lots of different contexts)
- Expertise (learning and applying that learning within comfort zones)
- Enthusiasm (he/she who has the most fun wins)
- Genuine well earned Confidence
- Discipline
Often you will see people who are very strong in one of those things. Like the instructor with thousands of nearly identical dives (lots of experience, limited expertise outside of one narrow context) or the the card collector who has learned it all but hardly ever does the things they trained for or the OW diver who is highly disciplined but not yet experienced. In my mind you need to keep juggling all of these balls if you want to call yourself a good diver.
Absolute contradictions to being a good diver:
- Arrogance and/or lack of respect
- Tunnel vision, which to me means narrow-mindedness or tunnel vision with respect to paradigm traps
- Poor buddy awareness and lack of ability to manage task loading and unexpected events.
- The belief that gear keeps you safe or that you can solve skills problems with gear
- The belief that your buddy is a danger
- The belief that there is nothing they can't handle
- The belief that they can keep their buddy safe
- Inability to judge conditions and/or risk elements of a particular dive
Most of these elements have to do with the diver who has either become complacent or feels *so* superior to other divers and/or mother nature that they have lost the ability to accurately judge risk with respect to their own limitations or those of their buddy. These divers may be highly experienced but are incredibly dangerous none the less. These are the ones who will take newly certified OW divers on very deep dives or on significant swim-throughs on the misplaced assumption that nothing bad can happen as long as *they* are present.
That's a start.
R..
The basis is:
- Experience (lots of dives in lots of different contexts)
- Expertise (learning and applying that learning within comfort zones)
- Enthusiasm (he/she who has the most fun wins)
- Genuine well earned Confidence
- Discipline
Often you will see people who are very strong in one of those things. Like the instructor with thousands of nearly identical dives (lots of experience, limited expertise outside of one narrow context) or the the card collector who has learned it all but hardly ever does the things they trained for or the OW diver who is highly disciplined but not yet experienced. In my mind you need to keep juggling all of these balls if you want to call yourself a good diver.
Absolute contradictions to being a good diver:
- Arrogance and/or lack of respect
- Tunnel vision, which to me means narrow-mindedness or tunnel vision with respect to paradigm traps
- Poor buddy awareness and lack of ability to manage task loading and unexpected events.
- The belief that gear keeps you safe or that you can solve skills problems with gear
- The belief that your buddy is a danger
- The belief that there is nothing they can't handle
- The belief that they can keep their buddy safe
- Inability to judge conditions and/or risk elements of a particular dive
Most of these elements have to do with the diver who has either become complacent or feels *so* superior to other divers and/or mother nature that they have lost the ability to accurately judge risk with respect to their own limitations or those of their buddy. These divers may be highly experienced but are incredibly dangerous none the less. These are the ones who will take newly certified OW divers on very deep dives or on significant swim-throughs on the misplaced assumption that nothing bad can happen as long as *they* are present.
That's a start.
R..
the two things that you can judge quickly, the first upon meeting- mindset, do they plan the dive and dive the plan? The second you see the second you get in the water with them, Bouyancy.
NWBoiler
Registered
catherine96821:
Catherine96821....... By Golly I think you hit this one directly on the head! I could not have put it better myself! Very very well put!
Vinny!
I have to agree Vinny - I think Catherine has nailed it:
Someone who has through experience surpassed the meaningless chatter of what brand or what gear or what configuration or what training or how many dives or where they have dived – someone who feels most at home submerged and wants share with others their enthusiasm..
Cheers,
Rohan
Someone who has through experience surpassed the meaningless chatter of what brand or what gear or what configuration or what training or how many dives or where they have dived – someone who feels most at home submerged and wants share with others their enthusiasm..
Cheers,
Rohan
If I were to distinguish between a good diver and a bad diver....
A good diver is in search of learning and is aware of this realization.
A bad diver eludes learning and, yes, is aware of this realization.
A good diver is in search of learning and is aware of this realization.
A bad diver eludes learning and, yes, is aware of this realization.
Judging by the above, to be a Good Diver is going to take more constant time in the water than many of us realistically have.
So I propose the Good Enough Diver for the rest of us. Here's the hallmark of the Good Enough Diver:
- Doesn't present a problem to others.
If you can handle your own gear, tip appropriately, keep out of people's way on the boat, don't hog critters, don't bash the environment or other divers or require the local ambulance drivers to break off their poker game to fetch you, then you can raise your hand and proudly declare, "I am a Good Enough Diver."
T-shirts will be available soon.
So I propose the Good Enough Diver for the rest of us. Here's the hallmark of the Good Enough Diver:
- Doesn't present a problem to others.
If you can handle your own gear, tip appropriately, keep out of people's way on the boat, don't hog critters, don't bash the environment or other divers or require the local ambulance drivers to break off their poker game to fetch you, then you can raise your hand and proudly declare, "I am a Good Enough Diver."
T-shirts will be available soon.
Humu-out-of-Water
Contributor
lowwall:
*whew* thanks lowwall, I was starting to get a complex!
Seriously, All the previous posts I agree with I love to watch "good" divers and learn from them (remember you "good divers"... we newbies are like little kids... watching, learning and emulating! In the meantime I hope I am a "good enough" diver!Cool.. I'd like mine in a small, pleaselowwall:
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