Great quote

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:57 am

A gentleman who lives in the Netherlands posted this on Scubaboard some time ago. He goes by the name "Roturner." I found it during some search I was doing, and it really struck me. I e-mailed with the author a bit- he seems like a great guy. He has a certain spirit about diving that I admire. I thought I'd share it here:

I like diving in cold, murky water. I like diving dry better than wet. I like the "heavy" gear, the suit, the twin 12 the stage bottles. I like to take some gear with me and make a dive that needs it. I like diving where a light is mandatory equipment. I like winter better than summer. I like seeing -1C on my computer. I like ascents that take 1/2 hour, I like brown-green water. I like the sharpness it brings to my skills, the tightness of buddy contact the precision in buoyancy control, the need for advanced navigation skill, the necessity of "net training", the eye for detail and the feeling that if you're 45 meters under water that you could just as well be on Mars.

The tropics have their own challenges but the cold Northern European waters and especially the North Sea wrecks is for the diver's diver. The North Sea was laid down by God for divers and the people who live on her shores are the chosen ones. That probably sounds like a bunch of "Indiana Jones" B.S. but that's really the feeling I have about local diving. And I came from Canada's British Columbia, which is the only other place on Earth that even comes close. "

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:24 am

Rob is an incredible source of knowledge ... and a great guy. We've exchanged some e-mails from time to time about our approaches to teaching, and some of what he's taught me has ended up in my class materials ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Tangfish · Post by **Tangfish** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:30 am

I too have come across some of Roturner's stuff on SB. I have to disagree though. I've recently come to love diving in our waters, but my heart is still in the tropical waters. For me, it's not about the equipment of diving (I know this may be hard to believe for some of you who know my habits), it's more about what the gear allows you to do. I could hang out in a square foot of tropical reef, all day long if I could. It's like a little universe, staring into the complexity of your typical coral reef. I love the microscopic relationships. I love the fact that the living beings themselves create the structures to live in and on. That's what drew me into diving in the first place, even though something very different keeps me going now. Perhaps it all has something to do with your first exposure to the underwater world.

lurch · Post by **lurch** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:54 am

For some people (like Roturner) diving is all about the challange. For others (like Calvin) it's all about what's down there.

I just hope the 2 don't segregate too much.

Tangfish · Post by **Tangfish** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 12:08 pm

I think you put it pretty succinctly, laivindil. I dream of the day that we can use a tool like they do in Star Wars, to separate out the oxygen/air from water and thus not even have to bring tanks or rebreathers with us. Combine that with a suit that uses nanotechnology as thermal and abrasive protection and we're pretty much fish-people

Actually, we're not that far off.

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:56 pm

Well, I know Calvin loves him some SCUBA gear, and I'm willing to bet Roturner enjoys sea life, but yeah, point taken.

I do want to dive some warm water with 79,000 foot vis sometime, just to see what it's like. But honestly, I'm more excited to go dive wrecks in BC this winter. If I had a choice between a week of diving in (insert name of tropical paradise here) and a week of diving under the Antarctic ice cap, I'd jump at the chance to go under the ice. That kind of stuff just fascinates me. And I would absolutely love to check out North Sea diving sometime!

BASSMAN · Post by **BASSMAN** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:30 pm

I would like to dive where the Vis is greater than 20 feet!

Warm or Cold!

Cenotes? Cancun? or maybe I will have to go to Alaska!

bnboly · Post by **bnboly** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:46 am

For a new diver - the thrill is just plain diving - makes no difference where you dive. It will ALWAYS be great!

lurch · Post by **lurch** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:01 pm

Nailer99 wrote:Well, I know Calvin loves him some SCUBA gear, and I'm willing to bet Roturner enjoys sea life, but yeah, point taken.

Definatly, I don't think Roturner would be human if he didn't appriciate at least a little the life availible to divers. Same with Calvin and gear. But each has his/her levels of enjoyment of the different aspects of diving.

Tangfish · Post by **Tangfish** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:08 pm

laivindil wrote:
Nailer99 wrote:Well, I know Calvin loves him some SCUBA gear, and I'm willing to bet Roturner enjoys sea life, but yeah, point taken.
Definatly, I don't think Roturner would be human if he didn't appriciate at least a little the life availible to divers. Same with Calvin and gear. But each has his/her levels of enjoyment of the different aspects of diving.

Yep, spot on. And I should qualify my position by disclosing that I am an absolute gear whore, but equipment is still a secondary enjoyment to the experience itself of getting to see and interact with marine life (and in some ways, gets in the way of it).

lurch · Post by **lurch** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:24 pm

Calvin Tang wrote:
laivindil wrote:
Nailer99 wrote:Well, I know Calvin loves him some SCUBA gear, and I'm willing to bet Roturner enjoys sea life, but yeah, point taken.
Definatly, I don't think Roturner would be human if he didn't appriciate at least a little the life availible to divers. Same with Calvin and gear. But each has his/her levels of enjoyment of the different aspects of diving.
Yep, spot on. And I should qualify my position by disclosing that I am an absolute gear whore, but equipment is still a secondary enjoyment to the experience itself of getting to see and interact with marine life (and in some ways, gets in the way of it).

I should amend my statement. Calvin wouldn't have passed OW without an appriciation/knowledge of the gear.