Which kind of diver are you with respect to gear?

[Lorenzoid]

I thought this was such an interesting comment by @MaxTorque in another thread that it might be worthy of a discussion on its own. I have thought about this before, but Max stated it well.

One question to the OP, what sort of scuba diver are you in terms of how you see your scuba gear?

Let me, try to explain!


There are broadly two kinds of divers in my experience.

1) Divers for whom the actual diving is the sport. The gear they use is a necessary evil, and is seen simply as a tool to enable them to dive

2) Divers for whom the sport is the diving, but also everything else, and especially the gear itself. They are as interested in the gear as the dives - well, maybe not quite, until you get to CCR level...... ;-)


Divers in group 1, really need to choose gear that suits how they dive and stick with it. Yes, get it serviced appropriately and look after it, but they generally don't want to spend too much time understanding or modifying / changing that gear. They'll come back from a dive, wash it, dry it, put it away and that's it.

Divers in group 2 will change everything all the time, modify, rebuild, experiment. For them, this is at least half the fun of the sport! It gives them something to do when out of the water, which, lets be honest, unless you are lucky enough to live somewhere you can dive from your doorstep, and your job allows you to do that, is the majority of the time

. . .

Which kind of diver are you? Group 1 or Group 2?

I'm definitely Group 1. I wish I had gills, etc., so that I wouldn't need any gear at all.

 

[Marie13]

Group 1. I’m not a tinker unless I have to be. I take care of my gear but my first goal when I get home after a day of diving is to put my weary body in a long hot bath. I hang up my drysuit and spread other stuff out to dry. The thought of having to mess with a CCR before I could get into the bathtub? Nope.

 

[Raphus]

I wish I would be in group 1.but good gear is very interesting.. And makes diving more comfortable..

And I would Love to service my own gear.

So yes group 2 for me, even I am not that crazy about gear. I think there are multiple levels of group 2. I am in a light version. And then there are the vintage divers. Or gear hoarders with more gear then dives

 

[graham p]

Definitely group 2.
I don't get out diving as much as I would like so I fill some time "playing" with my gear. I made my own and my wife's backplates and rebuilt our near vintage conshelf regulators. This winter I plan on rebuilding my daughters Titan 2 regulator and maybe building her a backplate system.
I am definitely a "gear head" and enjoy very much taking things apart and putting them back together. There is a satisfaction that I find comes from diving with equipment that I have made, or brought back from dust collecting status.

 

[Akimbo]

I can't think of any piece of my equipment that isn't modified, from snorkel to commercial diving helmet.

 

[PullYourselfTogetherMan]

I'm more of diver 2. Braving a hostile environment, kept alive by my gear, is exhilarating and fascinating. I love the environments usually, too.

 

[rhwestfall]

2+++++++ (with no interest in rebreathers)

 

[Lorenzoid]

I wish I would be in group 1.but good gear is very interesting.. And makes diving more comfortable..

And I would Love to service my own gear.

So yes group 2 for me, even I am not that crazy about gear. I think there are multiple levels of group 2. I am in a light version. And then there are the vintage divers. Or gear hoarders with more gear then dives

Although I too find the gear very interesting, I'm still Group 1. I service my own regulators and find their internal workings fascinating. But in my mind, servicing my regulators is just another "necessary evil," like washing gear after a dive. It gives me no joy other than in the knowledge I am maintaining it ready for the next dive. I would like if my present gear were to last forever.

 

[CT-Rich]

I am group 1 most of the time, but will flip into group 2 periodically. Having enough opportunity to dive gets tempered by resources to pay for the gear. I don’t have 100% of the resources to dive as much as I want or buy all that I fancy. I don’t want to go green with envy at the people who can dive every day after work or can afford all classes to become rebreather pilots and make four live aboards a year.

When I dive it is about diving. When I can’t dive it is about gear-ish things that I can do or can afford....

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I’m both.