💯 Number of dives really doesn’t matter.
It’s FREQUENCY, RECENCY, & HOW LONG… all of those, in that order.
⏳Certifications are temporary, even if they’re not.
💀DOGMA is DEADLY
No gear is always best, no agency is always the best for every person in every situation, no teaching method is always one-size-fits all
“Only the Sith deal in absolutes”
🧐 Focus LESS on the open water course, more on immediately after: Most divers are nowhere near prepared after the Open Water course. Even with great training & if they get it, it simply isn’t enough diving/time to bake in. The trick is to schedule lots of dives right after, plan them as if THAT is the purpose of the OW course, not the course itself.
😎EGO is your only enemy underwater.(It’s not gear or animals) Being too scared to speak up, or too complacent to respect the rules is what gets divers hurt
🛟Diving isn’t as dangerous as many believe, IF you follow the basic rules.
🥰Many divers have a toxic relationship with the first gear they find that works. Never stop trying new things.
📖Academics are largely a waste of precious time in the initial Open Water course. The more bottom time, the more likelihood of success: after that, academics start to truly matter.
👯A dive buddy doesn’t always guarantee safety, it can even be the opposite. (IE: an instructor in the first checkout dive is not diving with a certified diver, & that student can be more of a liability than a safety asset.
⚙️Tech Diving isn’t “going all the way”, but that doesn’t mean it cant be. Teaching, leading, research diving, organizing trips… each has their own “all the way”. ALL are good.
🙉Almost all debates I hear [agency, gear, teaching techniques, brands] stem from a lack of understanding, different environments, priorities, & context.
🌏DIVING ENVIRONMENT is everything. From teaching to expertise, the more varied the environment, the faster a diver hones their craft. What works in one place may be dangerous in another.
🎥A great diver can more easily learn to shoot video / photo… the opposite is not true.
🫶 New divers aren’t stupid. They are me (all of us) so once upon a time.
