Negativity in Cave Diving Politics

[kensuf]

I tend to think the politics have gotten better, but the politics still suck. Forrest nailed the reason though, a bunch of strong willed people with differing opinions.

I can't believe I just agreed with Forrest..

[cavewoman]

I'll agree with cmint. Our shop used to organize annual trips to Florida. But with all the sniping in all the forums and on Facebook, I take my business to elsewhere. There was just a blowup on the Sidemount Facebook page that had absolutely nothing to do with sidemount diving. Just guys taking runs at each other.

So many of us were trained in Florida, but now we send students to Mexico for training.

I know the group you're speaking of on facebook, such a despicable place....I posted in response to a photo that was posted once because too often on there people nit-pick about everything the diver is 'doing wrong' while diving sidemount. Mind you this image was of an open water sidemount course (meaning people who had NEVER been in sidemount before and were training in open water....not an overhead.) I was so annoyed with people tearing them apart I had to say something. Of course once someone came to defend these people these bullies removed the post. We all came from somewhere, heck I remember well when I used to suck. I didn't want to embarrass myself or my instructors so I practiced and got better. With this kind of bullying, I can see why people give up diving. It's really sad. I guess it makes these people feel better about their diving, even though I'm sure most of it is done via the internet....

The politics suck. I just want to dive and have fun and hear about the fun my customers and friends are having while diving because that's why I started doing this.

[Sludge]

I can't believe I just agreed with Forrest..

... when he says that this is what you get when you have a room full of alpha males.

[LiteHedded]

i have to agree it seems way better to me.
EE socials and gue conference have people from all agencies and other shops attending.
wkpp is open to divers from any agency. KUR and wkpp working together.

there will always be arguing about one thing or another but as far as 'politics' goes these days it's significantly better

[Draker]

i have to agree it seems way better to me.
EE socials and gue conference have people from all agencies and other shops attending.
wkpp is open to divers from any agency. KUR and wkpp working together.

there will always be arguing about one thing or another but as far as 'politics' goes these days it's significantly better

I think even AJ made a friend this weekend.

[FW]

...So many of us were trained in Florida, but now we send students to Mexico for training.

That will work, as long as you don't look at any Mexican forums, or facebook pages

[LiteHedded]

I think even AJ made a friend this weekend.

now THAT is progress

[MarkR]

...With this kind of bullying, I can see why people give up diving. It's really sad. I guess it makes these people feel better about their diving, even though I'm sure most of it is done via the internet....

The politics suck. I just want to dive and have fun and hear about the fun my customers and friends are having while diving because that's why I started doing this.

I think it pre-dates the internet. My OW intructor back in '91 cautioned our class about 'cave divers' that we might encounter at Ginnie. He was a cave instructor too, FWIW. He cautioned us about lights, courtesy, staying out of peoples way etc. I will say that he was pretty good about making sure we were set up pretty well for just an OW class. He just let us know that we might encounter some folks with attitudes, and that we should just be gracious and try to learn from what we saw.

As a side note. I just saw a youtube video from a good friend who got OW certived with his wife and sone down in S.Fla. The 10m GoPro video just made me cringe. Just horrible technique, fins and knees bouncing off coral and the bottom on multiple occasions. I had to really surpress the urge to comment on that. I don't want to be that guy bithcing at OW students for having poor technique and tearing up the reef, but why the heck don't these instructors try a little harder?

[adam_Hughes]

The message boards and internet posts are not an accurate portrayal of how day-to-day life really is in Cave county. Truth is, the vast majority of the locals, and those diving on the river every weekend, couldn't care less about which agency is doing what or how you're bungee'ing tanks to yourself. The one's regularly diving, training, and finding new cave every weekend are surprisingly some of the most easy going people you'd ever meet.


Other than occasionally getting cucumbered, or caught sneaking something, life in cave country is far more sedate than what the message boards would lead you to believe.

[PsychDiver]

I've been cave diving for about 3 years now I think (I'm old and my memory isn't very good). I've been really surprised about how friendly folks are. I started out not knowing any cave divers but have never not been able to dive because I couldn't find a buddy. I've gotten to dive with a lot of really accomplished, highly skilled cave divers. I've heard some people speak ill of other people and seen a kerfluffle or two, but it doesn't bother me. Maybe if I was involved with one or more of the organizations I'd be more invested, but I just give a few of them some membership fees and let someone else serve on committees.

This isn't something that's special about cave divers. I'm a university professor and serve on a number of committees there. You get exactly the same stuff in departments and committees except there everyone has a PhD. I'm amazed at how when you put a dozen PhDs in a room they can argue for two hours about parking spaces (the most valued thing at a university isn't teaching or research or even football; it's parking space).

I'm playing hooky tomorrow, driving up to Ginnie after work today, get a dive in this evening, two tomorrow; couldn't be more delighted!