5 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

Divers have their own language...and to new divers or non-divers it can be quite daunting. When we are not throwing around acronyms such as bcd, spg, etc then we refer to someone as a "christmas tree diver" or an "air hog". So what crazy terms have you heard while diving and what do they mean? Let's create our own little wiki of funny diving terms.

[grim reefer]

Some that come immediately to mind

• instabuddy - a person you have never met before but nevertheless choose to let carry your emergency breathing gas.
• trust me dive - one or more divers abdicates his or her responsibility for a critical aspect of planning or executing a dive- navigation, time and depth exposure, etc. This is too common among experienced divers and beginners alike. Many cave diving fatalities were trust me dives.
• follow the leader dive - everyone follows the DM around to look at the pretty fishies, etc. The divers abdicate their resposnibility to plan their dives and dive their plans. This is similar to a trust me dive, except the group is usually large and the experience level of the divers is usually low
• cattle boat - a derogatory term used by experienced divers for a crew boat- one that carries many divers, and often several DMs conducting follow the leader dives
• patch diver - someone who collects C cards and who rarely dives outside of class
• shop diver - someone who hangs out at the dive shop to talk diving and socialize and who rarely dives
• internet diver - someone who hangs out on the internet diving forums to talk diving and socialize and who rarely dives

Some local ones

• sheep - slightly derogatory term used by cattle boat captains to refer to their diving passengers
• sandy - a sand tiger shark
• NASTY (Not a sand tiger y'all) - Any shark other than a sand tiger- specifically one evoking more fear than a sand tiger

Edited by grim reefer, 09 May 2012 - 11:16 AM.

[WreckWench]

Good ones! Anyone else?

[Elias]

Stroke -- a derogatory term for an inexperienced / unskilled diver.

Example usage: "My instabuddy turned out to be a real stroke ..."

[WreckWench]

Air Hog - Someone who breathes down a scuba tank far more rapidly then others on the boat/dive.

Christmas Tree Diver - Someone who has so many things hanging off their bc's that they look like a "Christmas Tree"

[WreckWench]

Stroke -- a derogatory term for an inexperienced / unskilled diver.

Example usage: "My instabuddy turned out to be a real stroke ..."

I had not heard that one before...