8/1/2006 - blink

In one single minute yesterday as I was sitting at a table surrounded by friends drinking coffee, an old man was suffering a heart attack. In that minute I realised just how unaware we all are about most things.

To my perception, the only thing concerning me at that point in time, that single minute, was my coffee and the fun I was having with friends. To that old man... who knows what he was thinking. In that minute where my life brushed so briefly with his before he died, I caught the smallest, most profound glimpse of how one single minute, the same one, affects so many people differently.

My life has continued past that minute. I'm still diving. I'm still laughing. I'm still drinking coffee with my friends. But that old man has died, and there are no more minutes for him. There are no more minutes with him for his family. That minute changed the lives of all his family and friends because suddenly they have an unexpected void in their lives.

Why post this dark, moody thought in a dive blog?

Diving is dangerous. It only takes a small brush with a tiny problem and in one minute, as dramatic as it sounds, everything could change for you.

I don't care what association you dive with, which dive flag you wave or what your diving beliefs are. Do a rescue course of some descript. Make sure your first aid skills are up to date.

Don't be content just having done a rescue course and keeping your certification card in your purse - keep your skills fresh. Practice rescue scenarios. Take them seriously. It's amazingly easy how quickly things go wrong, and if things go wrong you really don't want to be floundering around wishing like hell you'd taken the time to do things properly or utilised a weekend to do a course which could teach you life saving skills.

6/7/2006 - The health of diving

One of my favourite dive buddies [and people] is one of those people who engages in so many bad habits it just makes me roll my eyes and shake my head and wonder when he's going to find himself a girlfriend that will take care of those habits.

[I know where he could find a girl, he just hasn't realised it yet! I am, however, working on getting it through into his thick skull, but I'm old fashioned and romantic at heart, even though waiting for the guy to make his move is really starting to wear thin... but this isn't about my lack of lovelife...]

He smokes like a chimney. Drinks more than a whale. Has horrendously awful driving habits. Swears more than a sailor. Is terribly bad at being reliable. Doesn't understand the concept of punctuality. Has no idea what tact is. [And yet, I still love the guy... bizarre, isn't it?]

So this guy, Will [hehehe, "Will & Grace"], is probably along the lines of your typical aussie bloke when it comes to things like drinking and partying and having a good time. He's been promising me for years and years and years that he'll quit smoking. He's tried telling me a number of times that he's only a "social drinker" [apparently he has a very, very busy social life] and tries to convince me that he's taken up jogging or cycling or hockey each time I start nagging him about his terribly bad exercise and living habits.

I'm no supermodel or healthnut when it comes to looking after myself. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I'm a bit too involved with chocolate, and my ass could probably be a third of the size it is now. Still, I play a lot of sport (netball & tennis) on top of my diving, but having a desk-type-job is really not conducive to maintaining a beautiful figure at the best of times. It's why I love my drysuit so much - it's much more forgiving about extra curves and handles than those second-skin neoprene buggers of a wetsuit are!

Anyway. Purpose of this post is not to lament about my larger-than-life sizing, nor to whine about the bad habits of a guy who isn't actually mine to whine about [minor technicality there which I'm sure I'll get sorted out in the soonish future... I've been saying that for the last year or so though...] , but rather the reason why those things irritate me.

Way back, when I was in fifth grade, my school did a "Doc for a Day" program at our local hospital. The program consisted of us kids being ushered into an operating theatre by a scary surgeon wearing a bright white coat and a very darth-vaderish looking face protector "This is where I operate on people with lung cancer." He then proceded to pass around a preserved smoker's lung set in a clear resin (I have no idea what those freaks use to freeze things in time like that, but damn it was like a very ugly paperweight).

Then we got taken to a small room and shown video after video after video of bad lungs and coughing and cigarettes and the evil of smoking.

I have never, EVER liked smoking. Even when I was a little girl, apparently I used to walk around all the smokers and take their cigarettes telling them they were being "Naughty". My parents swear high and low they had nothing to do with me exercising that sort of propoganda - my Dad even used to be a smoker!! So I've always had it in for smoking.

One of my best friend's mother was killed by a drunk driver. Hence, I have an intrinsic hatred for people who drive under the influence. I don't mind drinking - I've been known to enjoy a bottle of red or *gasp* girly drinks every now and then. Responsible drinking, though, is the key.

Why am I harping on this?

Diving is a pretty intense sport. It requires a surprising level of fitness and health, and the risks associated with it are pretty damn severe if you really stop and think about them for a few minutes. That said, it's a very 'safe' sport because of the awareness that it could be dangerous.

If you are an active diver, I think you need to take some responsibility for your health and fitness level. You don't need to have the greatest body on the face of the planet, or need to be some fitfreak who bulges muscle when they walk, but a certain level of healthy lifestyle is, in my opinion, required. I know that when it comes to looking like a healthy diver, I probably don't fit the bill because I am overweight (so this could be taken as a bit of pot-calling-kettle-black posting). That said, I try to be responsible as a general rule when it comes to living a healthy life by exercising regularly (diving, tennis & netball mainly) and not smoking (which is something I DETEST).

Just in case you couldn't tell, I absolutely adore Will. I've hassled him about his smoking and drinking and other habits since before I knew I liked him, the same way I hassle and nag everyone else who I know that smokes and drinks and whatnot. Some people possibly find it annoying, but I normally ask people if it offends them when I nag. Usually they say no, they know they should quit, and I just remind them about it. In reality, I'm not naive enough these days to believe people when they tell me they'll quit smoking or drinking, so there's not much point in hassling. Still, I hassle them anyway because I care about them.

I know what smoking does to your lungs. More so, given my occupation, than the average person. I know what drinking does to your liver and your brain and every other system as a result. God, I see the results on an almost daily basis. The intricate effects of those biological pathways that get triggered and how they snowball into something so out of control it completely takes over your body and your life.

I hassle, because I care, and I think the people I hassle realise that. At least, I hope they do.

When you look at these habits on their own, they're bad enough. Then you combine them to diving, which has its own inherent risks, and suddenly you have this time bomb waiting to go off. The tiniest little bit of air trapped in your lungs because of the smoking, and you could be dead. Just like that. A big night out with the boys and the beer, and you could be bent, just like that.

All these habits are so, so self-destructive, and yet, people can't seem to stop them. I imagine some of you reading this smoke (in fact, statistically I'd be very surprised if most of you didn't). Or drink a lot. And most of you will sigh and think that "Grace is too big for her boots; she thinks she knows what it's like."

You know what? I don't know what it's like to smoke, because I have never had any desire to engage in it. I'm frustrated because I see people I care about harming themselves in a way that they'll only realise in the future. By then it's permanent, and too late, and doubtlessly the end of their diving lives. For good. If not their normal lives.

If you smoke, and you love diving, you need to realise that there's a very, VERY high chance that one day in the future you're going to have to choose between diving and smoking. They're both expensive, they're both dangerous. I guess it's up to you which one is more fun and more important to you.

6/6/2006 - Cheap Imitation?

In our store, we stock a wide range of good quality branded Scuba gear (as most dive centers usually tend to do). I'm not going to bother naming them all, but included in our suppliers is TUSA/TABATA who makes absolutely brilliant software. While I think about it, and before I get too carried away with my usual rambling, I'd just like to say here and now that I truly do love the TUSA software for a number of reasons including quality, appearance and reliability. This post is in no way meant to offend anyone associated with TUSA or whatever, it's just my opinion and seeing as it's on my blog, I hope you can respect that.

As wonderful as I think the TUSA software is, I also think it's completely over-priced. Why, really, would someone pay over $100 for a mask when you can buy perfectly acceptable quality and style for half that? Maybe the mask doesn't last as long (by a year or two at most, in my opinion, depending on brand) or doesn't have the same grade of silicon, but ultimately there isn't that much to the masks and snorkels that I would pay that premium for them. I'd much rather buy a 'cheaper brand that's good quality' such as Apollo or Cressi or Oceanic to name a few, than spend that exhorbitant amount on a mask I'll probably get tired of in two or three years anyway.

In my local area, people are very very price conscious and would rather buy something cheap and nasty and replace it, than fork out a big wad of cash for a mask they might lose or break anyway... Which, to me, does make sense in a way. I'm not inclined to buy cheap and nasty equipment, but I won't buy things purely on brand value - I like looking for quality and performance rather than the little logo attached to the side. Besides, a lot of the gear is produced in the same factory anyway, it just has a different band name attached to it.

Which brings me to the whole point of this particular entry - cheap brand imitations.

I've used the TUSA masks in this post mainly because they have the biggest price tags, everyone respects their quality, and there are a million and one imitation TUSA masks around. If you look at Saeko Dive, they have at least three masks that are the exact same in style and colour. The only differences that might exist between them, would be manufacturing quality such as the grade of silicone used and care taken with which the frame was molded, materials it was made of, and the way it's put together in the end. Even then, I honestly can't see that much of a different between them. TUSA has this wonderful mask, the M-16 I think is the number, "Visulator" is its swanky name. Saekodive has the same mask, for almost half the price.

I've compared the two masks side by side. I've had a good look at the silicone, and the small details like buckles and clips and pins. Ultimately, I can't see that much of a difference between the two masks. I understand that TUSA has brand names and overheads to pay that Saekodive probably doesn't, because of production and design, but to me, that price difference is astronomical and the quality hasn't appeared to be all that different, in my opinion. Certainly, the people who get offered the TUSA mask versus the Saekodive rip-off almost always buy the Saekodive even though we might say it's not the same quality (which we don't know for certain, because how can you really ever be sure of quality?).

Everything is always being ripped off in some way or another. You just have to look at LEVIs versus LeVIS in the jeans industry. Or the watch industry. Hell, even the car industry has its cheap impersonations and rip-offs. Clothing. Electronic equipment.

In all of those industries though, you pay for what you get. You know that if you buy a very cheap, very shoddy piece of equipment that it will fail on you. That's a risk you take, and you are well aware that what you pay for is what you get.

I guess my frustration and irritation with the scuba software imitations that I've just highlighted is that I can't see any physical benefits of paying double for the TUSA brand, over paying half for a cheaper rip-off. Doubtlessly half the people reading this will throw their hands up in horror and declare me to be guilty of some crime or another because I condone the sale of the cheap, imitation masks over and above the TUSA masks (which, I don't) and the other half will be mortally offended at the TUSA prices compared to the possible prices.

I like TUSA. I think they have good gear and I have no problems in selling it to people with the konwledge that they have bought quality. At the same time, I can't have that same peace of mind when I sell cheaper gear to someone - how do I know that it won't fail?

This is only about masks though, and masks are a grey area at the best of times in the scuba industry given the manufacturing happens in the same factories and everyone steals designs and patents left right and center. For a mask, I could still stand there and tell you "Buy the cheaper one because I honestly don't see a difference in performance and life expectancy provided you look after them". When it comes to things like BCs and Regs, there is NO WAY I would sell cheap imitations, no matter how good they appear, because you just don't have that quality assurance you get with the branded, reliable equipment.

What's my point? Not sure, now. I've talked myself in circles again. As stated several times, TUSA does a lovely mask. Their silicon is definitely very soft and comfortable, their designs are always modern and sleek and beautiful colours (which, given I'm female, is very important!!). Still, I wouldn't pay for a TUSA mask what they ask, knowing what is available elsewhere. Even if I didn't have the cheap Saekodives as the example, I just have to look at the RRPs on an Oceanic mask or the midline Cressi masks, and I'd get the same performance of range of features out of them.

From a business point of view, if you can offer a quality product at a lower price than your competitor, you stand to win, right? Unfortunately, if there isn't much of a difference in quality then you'll be looking at price to make your choice, right? Which then stands to reason these cheaper masks which have physically got the same quality as the more expensive masks will outsell the more expensive ones by a mile, right? Right.

By the way, the biggest brands (for those who don't know) in Australia are Aqualung, Scubapro, Oceanic & Mares. I'm pretty sure it's these four anyway, and I know there's some stomping and climbing happening in the ranks because of changing industry. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

Just to reaffirm what I've already said - I really like the TUSA equipment, and I tell everyone it's the best quality because I honestly believe that fact. Their silicon is SO NICE and their colours... but ultimately, that very, very small difference in lifespan the huge difference in silicon grade offers just isn't worth paying double for, unless, of course, you're a through and through TUSA supporter (which I wouldn't blame you if you were). It's very hard to know what's the right and wrong ethically if there's a lot of wheeling and dealing behind the scenes between manufacturers, suppliers & wholesalers, but ultimately most buyers aren't really too concerned about the ethics. If you want a mask, you're going to go shopping for the best VALUE mask in terms of features compared to price, right? And consumer demand being what drives the industry, I guess the scuba centers can't help but supply the demand or miss out, and business is all about delivering what customers want.

Me? I'd not buy Saeko on principle, but I wouldn't buy the TUSA because of price. I'd pick another brand with pretty colours and good customers service, and sweep the whole issue under the carpet

6/5/2006 - Doing It Right

This is a personal rant. Please be aware of that when reading!

I am a dive instructor because I love diving. I don't teach diving because I make a lot of money out of it. In fact, that is ridiculously far from the truth. I'd make more money an hour if I worked somewhere like Macca's flipping burgers for a few hours, than I do teaching most dive courses. Teaching diving is also a lot harder work than flipping burgers at MacDonald's - it's a lot more demanding physically and mentally and logistically. It's also more expensive in terms of having to own your 'uniform' and equipment.

So making money is not my primary objective for teaching diving.

6/3/2006 - Why?

What do you say when people ask you “Why do you dive?” or “What’s diving like?” Saying things like “it’s amazing!” or “because I absolutely love it!” just doesn’t cut it as an  explanatin – for either my own personal satisfaction or for the person asking the question.

More often than not, if I’ve given them an answer like “Because I love it” or “It’s absolutely amazing” they reply, “Yes, but why?!”

So why? What is it about diving that makes it so addictive? What is it about piling on so much cumbersome gear and weight and awkward equipment that makes you keep doing it again and again. Why do I continually throw myself into bloody freezing water time after time after time, finding myself looking forward to getting cold and tired and salt encrusted.

How do you put into words, what Scuba diving means to you. Why it continues to hold you in it’s grip?

I was fortunate enough to attend a diving conference a while ago where the idea of ‘marketing diving’ was raised. Basically, in order for an industry and a sport to continue growing it needs a continual input of new participants. In our case, new divers. How can we sell diving as a sport so that people choose it over and above other potential activities and hobbies? Effectively, the conclusion was that we have to sell the experience of diving to people.

I find myself wondering how exactly it’s possible to sell that experience fully, when I (verbose as I am) find it difficult enough to explain to my non-diving friends what diving means to me, and why I adore it as much as I do. You can show people photos of beautiful, bright things. Pictures of couples diving together in the tropics, holding hands in crystal blue water while the fishlife swims lazily past them. Or the darker, murkier temperate waters brimming with wrecks and caves and adventure. Or the idea of exploring different things.

And yet, even with these stereotypical, somewhat cliched diving marketing ideas, I find myself completely dissatisfied with that portrayal of diving.

What sold you on diving? Why did you decide to do your OW course and start blowing bubbles. My story I’ve told you all already, I think. My parents ran a huge dive resort when I was little, and my childhood consisted of me playing in the bottom of the pool with the scuba gear at the end of the day with the left over air in the tanks. Following it through to getting my certification took a while longer than it should have, but it was a natural extension of my love of being underwater and the certain knowledge that one day, I would dive. There was never, in my mind, the thought that I wouldn’t.

If I look at my growing up environment a little more closely though, maybe it was the atmosphere around the divers that convinced me I wanted to be one of them when I grew up. Divers have fun. They’re real people who love life and living.

Is diving just about that time you’re underwater? Or is it more than that?

To some people I guess it’s only about being underwater. About the fish or the wrecks or something underwater that just grabs them and drags them in to a life of discovery. And yet, you can’t dive and not be sucked into the associated social activities of diving. Diving with other people – PADI has the dreaded “Meet people, Go Places, Do Things” commercial view of diving, and yet, it’s based on a very valid truth.

This all comes back to the original questions – WHY do you dive and what is diving like?

Ultimately I guess each person can only answer that for themselves because diving is a very individual and personal experience a lot of the time. What one person gets out of diving is not necessarily what another person gets. Of the priorities and important components of a dive of one person differ considerably to another person’s opinion of what makes a dive good and why they’d do it again.

I honestly don’t know exactly what it is about diving that keeps me coming back. I can’t pinpoint what it is that has me gripped so tightly it’s something I never, ever want to stop doing.

When I first started, years after my parents started in another industry away from the diving, it was about the diving. It was about being underwater. That’s a feeling you can’t describe, or explain why it addicts you so much, but it does. A natural extension an intrinsic love of water.

Then it became about exploring another world. Seeing things that were absolutely remarkable. And again, that absolute awe when I considered the fact that I was however deep underwater, effectively ‘weightless’ and blowing bubbles and swimming with fish. It’s amazing how much of a turn on just thinking about things can be, isn’t it?!

And slowly I’ve stopped judging how good a dive was based on vis and critters and excitement, and focus more now on overall experience. I truly believe every dive is a good dive, however the people you dive with and things you do before/after diving have a lot of importance to how much you enjoy yourself.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think things like vis and the site itself are important, but they are not the be-all end-all.

I still haven’t managed to answer the question – why do I dive and what’s it like.

I keep rambling and waffling and thinking, but for some reason my brain keeps taking detours and avoiding the real meat of my question.

Why do I dive? Because I love it. Why? How do I put that into words?

People are divided into two broad categories – divers, who understand it when I say “it’s amazing” because they know exactly what I mean even though those words as so woefully inadequate, and non-divers who just look at me and go “why is it amazing?”

If any of you can put down in words what it is that makes diving so amazing, or offer some insight and suggestions, I would definitely love to hear from you. I can think of a million little things that just add together which give disjointed illustrations of why I love it, but I cannot for the life of me explain what it is about diving that makes it so unbelievably amazing.

What’s it like?

Why don’t you try it with me, and find out, because as cliched as it sounds, there’s no way I can tell you what diving is really like.

5/28/2006 - This Man's World

Ultimately, this all leads up and helps add to the fact that where I dive, diving is a very male-dominated arena. Majority of the local divers are in it for the hunting – crayfish, abalone, scallops, spearfishing, and the like. Diving is seen as a ‘guy’ thing, even though there are women doing it.

In some ways, this is very frustrating, because it would be nice to have more female company on the dive boat and for fun dives. It’d be nice to socialize with people who don’t think farting competitions are a standard requirement for a good evening, and to be with people who don’t often regress to talk about breasts and the like after a few beers.

Still, there is obviously something about the lifestyle and the guys that keep me going back for more rude, crass jokes and farting competitions. Either I’m completely whacked (which is a distinct possibility if you knew the guys I hang out with) or there is more to them than being rude and obnoxious.

I’m sure in some areas, females equal males in terms of dive numbers and skills and the like, but unfortunately where I live this simply isn’t the case. Which makes me an aberration to the rule – it’s not often to find a female instructor in this area, let alone one in her early twenties. Thankfully, I’ve had very little in terms of having to prove myself to guys. The guys that give me the most grief are the older ‘I’ve been diving for longer than you’ve been alive, missy’ men who’ve been ‘diving since 1945 and I don’t need no stinking dive ticket’.

Righto, bucko, suit yourself. I’m not about to break my back if you’ve got that attitude, and apparently you wouldn’t break your back to make sure you get on one of my courses, so I guess in the grand scheme of things, we’re even.

What really infuriates me, though, is the perception by some of the men that because I am female, I do not understand gear or diving or boats. This isn’t so much with the guys who I dive with regularly, but several of the regular ‘bigwig commercial divers’ have that attitude when they come into our retail center, and hang around deliberately ignoring my attempts to serve them, until one of the ‘men’ are free.

I’m not an all-out feminist. I like the idea of equality and mutual respect, but I also quite happily accept that men and women are different in a lot of aspects. I just find it insulting that these men don’t understand or give me the chance to let them realize that, contrary to popular opinion, I do know what I’m talking about.

I mean, look at my regular dive buddies – they have no issues with me giving them advice, and fixing things for them if they can’t, and I’m a female who’s usually about half their age. I think nothing of it, and I’m pretty sure they don’t really give it much thought either.

I'm their instructor; I've done most of their dive courses and looked after them until they were finished with their DM courses. I've taught them a lot, and yet, they also look after me. They'll help me with my gear, and fix technical problems because they're guys and they like things like that, where as I much prefer throwing my hands up in the air and wailing theatrically because the stupid thing is broken. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly capable of fixing it, but it's nice to have the big strong guys look after me. Is that too much against the feminism of today? The idea that women need big strong men to look after them?

You know what, I really don't care. My guys know I'm capable, and they know I can (and do) kick their asses when they need it. I never doubt that they have faith in me, and I think me stepping back to let them do all the important 'fix-it' and 'lift-it' and 'build-it' jobs not only lets them know I have confidence and faith in their abilities, but it's also a way of telling them we're equals in ability.

Besides, what kind of moron would refuse an offer that makes their life easier?!

Ultimately, I’m not usually too upset to be the only woman diving with them. In fact, lately I’ve found myself getting jealous if we have other girls around because I have to share my guys, damn it! In reality, they aren’t that rude either. When they get a bit rowdy, or too crude, they normally settle down without me having to say anything, and look at me sheepishly with a mumbled “Sorry, Gracie,” like naughty little boys with their hands caught in the cookie jar.

I love my guys, and they are a big part of the reason I love diving as much as I do. They all come from different walks of life and have different experiences and knowledge they're so happy to share with me, it humbles me to call them all friends. I look at people who come into the shop and mentally categorise me as “female and therefore knows nothing about anything of value” and wonder how they get through life and really appreciate everything they could about their wives and daughters and mothers, if they can’t even acknowledge that as a professional diver, I have something of value to offer them.

It just makes me sad, but then I remember my guys and the entire purpose of this post seems kinda academic because good guys exist too.

Girls are kinda silly in that they analyse relationships and friendships, and place a lot more importance on them than guys do. It’s part of what makes us different from the guys, and when you find the guys that understand and accept that as a typical female trait, and are okay with you being like that, then I guess you can consider yourself ‘one of the guys’.

And you know what? It’s pretty damn cool being one of the guys, because girls can fart and burp too!

5/26/2006 - Diving blood

So what is it that makes a great diver? Is it a person's dive skills, or their technique, or their attitude, or their skill level and experience? Or is it their ability to be a good dive buddy and be reliable?

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Having taught a lot of divers in the last few years, I've seen a wide range of abilities come and go from my classes. Some people take to diving and are just meant to be there. The skills are natural extensions of what they can already do, and they're confident and graceful under the water.

Other people have difficulty in adjusting to life under pressure. The water scares them. The scuba gear is challenging with its high pressure components and unknown entities. The depth of the ocean and creatures it hides under its weeds is too intimidating for them to truly relax, who knows what might be lurking behind that rock! And most importantly, to me, they have no (or very little) self-confidence in their own ability.

I've always been a waterbaby. A born Aquarian, my Dad was a firm believer that I was meant for the water. He loves regaling people with tales of throwing me in the deep end (literally) before I could walk, and of me standing on the bottom of the pool staring up at him. I don't actually remember learning how to swim; it was something I could always do, and I couldn't understand why some people had such difficulty putting their heads under the water when to me, it was the best place to be. My favourite game as a child was playing "mermaids" with my friends and trying to stay underwater for as long as possible. Of course, Disney's The Little Mermaid might have had some influence over this pastime!

Diving was a natural extension of a love of the ocean. I've never lived, or been, to an area where I could not see or smell the ocean. When I did my dive course, I was one of those lucky people that sailed through. Underwater was the one place where I felt graceful (being a fairly severe klutz on land means I always knock things over and feel as though I'm in the way, and it's a horribly awkward sensation). Underwater, I felt  as though I could fly and sail and glide around without creating a ripple with my presence. I hadn't even finished my OW course when I decided that I had to dive all the time, and it very quickly escalated into a lot more than just a hobby.

I'm not the only waterbaby in existence. I want to tell you about two of my students who, funnily enough, share the same name. For the sake of making it easier for you to tell them apart, I'll call them Fred and Mark.

Mark is one of those annoyingly brilliant people. He's good at everything he does and has a disgustingly huge amount of self-confidence. He's got a lovely personality - fairly loud, quite witty and definitely very loyal - and he's got a lovely arrogance to go with that personality. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect and affection for Mark, but I'm well aware of his flaws! When he did his course with me, he'd already researched diving so thoroughly his level of technical knowledge was terrifying. Thankfully, I'm interested in the technical side of diving physiology and physics, and was able to answer his questions and still teach him something (even though it was well above the OW level of required knowledge).

At the pool, Mark was a fish. In OW water, he was probably one of the smoothest students I'd had in a long time. In fact, Mark was so good and dedicated to do his diving that he did his OW, Advanced AND Rescue course all within the space  of one and a half months. Normally, I'd recommend waiting a while rather than hurtling through courses like that, but Mark managed to clock up about 40 odd dives in that time frame, so his experience in terms of dive numbers was a lot more than many people attempting Advanced and Rescue. Needless to say, he flew through both Advanced and Rescue courses too.

Then there's Fred. Fred did his OW course several years previously with another instructor, and as I found out later, was one of those students who was jumpy and flighty and very, very hard to get comfortable underwater. He definitely loved the diving and wanted to keep doing it, but it took him a long time to relax and become confident with his dive skills to the point where he decided to actively pursue his diving. He still speaks very fondly and with a lot of appreciation of two dive masters who put up with him for a long, long time even though he doubtlessly 'ruined' many dives for them by running out of air, gear problems, panic attacks and the like.

I met him while he was doing his Advanced course with another instructor whom I worked with closely for a time. Fred is one of those guys that everyone loves to be around. He has a great personality and is a bucket of laughs a minute. The most important thing though, is his sincerity and desire to help people. If anyone ever needs a hand, Fred is right there to help, even if he's not sure what to do, he'll try his damndest for you and if he can't fix your problem, he won't rest until he finds someone who can. And you can be garunteed that Fred will always be game to give something a go, just to try it and challenge himself.

Since then, I've done both Fred's Rescue and DM rating for him, and watched him gain confidence and experience. He didn't sail through either of the courses - the DM skills challenged him and there were certainly a few hairy moments where he didn't believe he could do it and almost pulled the plug.

Fred's one of those people who likes hiding himself behind jokes and laughter - a brilliant defence mechanism because by turning all your shortcomings and fears into a laugh, you prevent others from laughing at you by laughing with you. It took me a long time to realise that Fred was a lot deeper than the shallow jokes and inferences of a very meaningless lifestyle he so casually threw around.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Mark's dive skills are sharp and his mind is unbelievably quick. He can outthink most people I know, and he is a natural diver in both ability and attitude.

Fred is rough and ready and passionate, but he was never a fish like Mark was. These days I don't think there's anything he wouldn't do underwater, but there was a time when he didn't have any faith in his abilities as a diver.

Out of the two of these men, Fred is my ideal of a great diver. He's worked so incredibly hard to overcome his fears and doubts to be one of the most skilled and competent divers I know. And he doesn't see that. He still sees himself as that insecure man panicking in the pool when he had the reg out and mask off and losing control. There is no arrogance about his diving abilities, though they are smooth and sharp and controlled and definitely very good, and he hasn't lost any of his enthusiasm for helping people and fixing problems through very original ideas which have saved numerous dives in the past!

Both Fred and Mark are very good friends of mine - as I said, diving does that to people - but Fred will always be my preferred buddy because of his attitude towards helping others and looking after his buddy.

Great divers are about the person as well as the the diving. What's the point of having brilliant bouyancy and low air-consumption if your buddy has neither and you don't make any effort to help them? Or you believe you have that brilliant bouyancy and low air-consumption and see no need to take the advice or suggestions of others?

Personality has a lot to do with great divers. Diving is about having a good time and helping others have a good time.

This has been a fairly rambly entry, really, with little thought given to the point I'm actually trying to make. What is the point I'm trying to make? Not entirely sure of that - it's much too late on this side of the globe and I should have been in bed long ago.  

But before I go, I'd like to attempt making my point ;)

I think that if you have patience with people who are having problems, you might end up finding someone who's worth that time you spent on them a thousand times over. And, most importantly, that I don't think I appreciate my good buddies as much as I should. I don't often stop and take the time to tell them that I think their dive skills are brilliant and that I like diving with them in preference to others.

If those two DMs hadn't taken the extra time and effort with Fred (which, as I understood, was close to 30 dives) then I probably would not have the friend or dive buddy who I have today.

Not all the great divers start out as fish, and not all the fish are great divers - sometimes all it takes is one great diver to show them the way.

Please, guys, pass on your greatness!