Sunday, November 25, 2012
Introduction
My community of choice is the scuba diving community connected to the dive shop, Pacific Watersports, in Aloha, OR. Each person in this community is connected through this shop. It is the location in which we all met. Some of us have taken and continue to take classes at the shop, shome of us are instructors at the shop, and a few of us work at the shop. What we all have in common is the love for scuba diving.
This passion is the only boundary set. No need to pass a social test, just the basic open water certification test to ensure safe diving. We encourage anyone who is willing to take the step into the water and putting on the mask, to give scuba diving a try. It even took me a few dives to get past my fear of what is under the sea, but I have passed my open water certification and love diving.
Within the community of scuba divers, especially the one I am connected to through Pacific Watersports, we are people that are always “…caring about the people who live there…”(Portney and Berry 2001 quoted in Letki, 2008 quoted in “Social Capital 2012). Whether it is during the individual or group dives, or a situation outside of scuba diving, everyone is always there for one another no matter what. We are like family to one another which gives us a great sense of bonding and feeling of being connected and what I believe to be strong social capital.
The map below shows how this connection is made between each individual. The colors representing various experience and skill levels while the thickness of the lines show our connections outside of scuba diving such as being in a relationship or being a blood relative. Some of us have only had one dive with each other and some of us live with each other, but together as a community, no matter the direct connection, we all feel as if we are family.
Bibliography
Barth, Lisa. "Average Gas Prices Aug 13, 2012." Average Gas Prices--August 13, 2012. Consumer Reports, 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. <http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/08/average-gas-prices-august-13-2012.html>.
Institute
Of Community Cohesion. "Social Capital." Institute Of Community
Cohesion. N.p., 2010. Web. 07 Oct. 2012.
http://www.cohesioninstitute.org.uk/Resources/Toolkits/InterculturalDialogue/PolicyReview/SocialCapital.
Nichols, Janna. "Pacific NW Scuba." Pacific NW Scuba. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.pnwscuba.com/reviews.htm>.
O'Hanlon, Larry.
"Excavating the World's Basements." Discovery Channel. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.
<http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/guide/caves-02.html>.
*"Pacific
Watersports Inc." Pacific Watersports Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct.
2012. <http://www.pacifich2osports.com/dive/class_nitrox.php>.*
"PADI Scuba
Diving Courses." PADI The Way the World Learns to Dive„¢. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct.
2012. <http://www.padi.com/>.
Critical Analysis of your Community
As a community of scuba divers, there are few obstacles that interfere with our hobby. Rarely is there a person or group against scuba diving and we have not had a conflict among members for a few years. When really thinking about what could be done better within this community, it would be location for dives. Since we are not living near tropical waters, here in Oregon, the diving is mostly done in locations in and around Seattle or Canada. Larger trips can be done for diving in tropical waters, but when considering a day or weekend trip it will all be to the north of our central location at Pacific Watersports in Aloha, OR.
The first member I interviewed about the issue did not mind the fact of diving at locations that were two and a half hours driving distance away, other than the fact he had to drive. Scuba equipment is not carried in a small backpack. Like many of us, we have to take our trucks or SUVs in order to take all of the equipment with us. Gas was at a national average of $3.19 as of August 13, 2012 according to consumerreports.org. "This amount of money going toward gas has its toll on the bank account when adding it to the entire diving trip", says Dale. Another diver agreed by shaking his head, "yes" when Dale spoke about prices. "I don't mind the drive up and back so much, just the darn cost of gas in my Dodge truck is too expensive." replied Ken. Both Dale and Ken continued to talk about being close to retirement and how the length of the drive was not an issue but money always seems to be.
During this same discussion, which started out as a one person interview and ended as a group discussion, Jerry spoke up about the drive bothering her, "If only we all lived in the tropics and could walk from our homes to the dives sites... wouldn't that be something...". While we would all love to live in the tropics, I do not think that will happen any time soon. Most dive sites in this area of the pacific northwest are state parks or privately owned property. The trick would be to get more of these parks and land in Oregon. www.pnwscuba.com is a great site for finding dive sites, but terrible if looking for ones in Oregon. It is nearly impossible to find a site in Oregon that is not a lake of some sort. Whether it is the water quality or the limited wrecks of boats and ships in the area, no one in my community really understands why Oregon has limited diving. Pacific NW Scuba has directions and reviews about 12 various dive sites which should be in the pacific northwest, but all are in Washington in the Hood Canal or Puget Sound area.
Hagg Lake and Detroit Lake are examples of dive sites in Oregon, but not nearly as exciting as ones in Washington. In a lake a diver will get the occasional fish swimming by, but hardly any crabs worth catching, or ship wrecks worth looking at. Most of the time these dive sites are in murky water due to fishing boats or sports boats in the summer. Until the waters clear up or the ocean tides and currents become less of an issue for divers, the main dive sites will continue to be in the northern portion of the pacific northwest as in Washington and Canada. As an outsider looking at this problem from a non scuba diving community, this news could be great for tourist areas within this northern region. A few towns have their profit from scuba diving tourists from a special ship wreck or dive site that bring divers from all over to see. If Oregon was smart, they might consider this same diving tourism for a few specific locations not yet discovered for the divers that do not wish to drive as far.
The first member I interviewed about the issue did not mind the fact of diving at locations that were two and a half hours driving distance away, other than the fact he had to drive. Scuba equipment is not carried in a small backpack. Like many of us, we have to take our trucks or SUVs in order to take all of the equipment with us. Gas was at a national average of $3.19 as of August 13, 2012 according to consumerreports.org. "This amount of money going toward gas has its toll on the bank account when adding it to the entire diving trip", says Dale. Another diver agreed by shaking his head, "yes" when Dale spoke about prices. "I don't mind the drive up and back so much, just the darn cost of gas in my Dodge truck is too expensive." replied Ken. Both Dale and Ken continued to talk about being close to retirement and how the length of the drive was not an issue but money always seems to be.
During this same discussion, which started out as a one person interview and ended as a group discussion, Jerry spoke up about the drive bothering her, "If only we all lived in the tropics and could walk from our homes to the dives sites... wouldn't that be something...". While we would all love to live in the tropics, I do not think that will happen any time soon. Most dive sites in this area of the pacific northwest are state parks or privately owned property. The trick would be to get more of these parks and land in Oregon. www.pnwscuba.com is a great site for finding dive sites, but terrible if looking for ones in Oregon. It is nearly impossible to find a site in Oregon that is not a lake of some sort. Whether it is the water quality or the limited wrecks of boats and ships in the area, no one in my community really understands why Oregon has limited diving. Pacific NW Scuba has directions and reviews about 12 various dive sites which should be in the pacific northwest, but all are in Washington in the Hood Canal or Puget Sound area.
Hagg Lake and Detroit Lake are examples of dive sites in Oregon, but not nearly as exciting as ones in Washington. In a lake a diver will get the occasional fish swimming by, but hardly any crabs worth catching, or ship wrecks worth looking at. Most of the time these dive sites are in murky water due to fishing boats or sports boats in the summer. Until the waters clear up or the ocean tides and currents become less of an issue for divers, the main dive sites will continue to be in the northern portion of the pacific northwest as in Washington and Canada. As an outsider looking at this problem from a non scuba diving community, this news could be great for tourist areas within this northern region. A few towns have their profit from scuba diving tourists from a special ship wreck or dive site that bring divers from all over to see. If Oregon was smart, they might consider this same diving tourism for a few specific locations not yet discovered for the divers that do not wish to drive as far.
Community and Place
As
a scuba diving community, there are many places in which we may dive. These places are located all over the
world. To be more specific, but still
generalized, starting with the beginning is the dive shop. The dive shop is the place where training
begins. In my community, our dive shop
if Pacific Watersports in Aloha, OR as shown below.
This is the location where the love and passion is originated. Divers may take classes, purchase merchandise and equipment, and connect to the community at Pacific Watersports. It is the central gathering point where all divers must arrive at in order to refill their tanks, ask questions, and take care of any last minute situations. Continuing with the training portion is the dive pool.
This
specific pool is located in Forest Grove, OR as shown above. It is a community pool that has allowed the
dive shop owners to rent for various times during the week to teach dive
classes. The pool is where divers can
practice what they have learned in class in a safe environment and with a dive
instructor.
Once
training is complete, divers must gather at a location where they can discuss
the dive before actually going on the trip.
This is extremely important for safety reasons. Each diver must know every specific detail of
the dive to be as safe as possible for themselves and their diver partner. This location can be at a diver’s home or a
place as shown below to the left.
As
the video, Holding Ground, shows about the devastation that can be done by
humans, being in the classroom, in the pool, or under the water in the ocean,
are all places and locations that completely take one’s mind away from what the
real world can be. The video also talks
about how community members can make a difference in the change of the
appearance which is also something scuba divers love to share when traveling to
the locations discussed above. If
everyone could see what a scuba diver sees, maybe the world would be a
different place. To stop, look, and
listen to the world around you is vital to the safety of everyone when
diving. Each location includes these
safety regulations at all times and to involve the rest of the world in these
regulations but changed for specific communities above the water could mean a
drastic change in life that community.
This change could also have the possibility to stop collapses similar to
the one in Oakridge, OR in the article Former Oregon Lumber Town Tries to Reinvent
Itself by allowing people to understand the meaning behind other people and situations. Scuba divers in my community
constantly talk about how much we wish for the world to see, hear, and feel
emotionally and physically under the water as we continually see for the rest
of the world above water whether it is involving neighborhoods, logging
industries, or any community that may need a little help. Now is the time to stop the selfish behaviors of humans and try to change one communities actions with them thinking they are the only one out there. Each community needs to work with every single community out there whether they are connected or not for the world to see and get along as one.
Community in a Global Society
Communication
within the community does not have to stay under the water. In fact, planning the dive ahead of time is
recommended by PADI, Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Getting together for dinner is one way my
community comes together for planning these dives. Technology fits in to these dinners because
it is our path to arranging the dinner plans.
Without technology, we would not be able to communicate as easily about
when and where they were. Most likely,
we would meet once a week at the dive shop, Pacific Watersports, in Aloha, OR
for meetings.
Gatherings
for global events have occurred but are attended by only a portion of the
community due to time and money issues.
While all of us would love to dive various sites throughout the world,
only a few of us can afford to do so.
Other than the want to dive these sites, we also have the connection to
them all over the world through other dive shops and divers. Without knowing the other divers personally,
we share stories with any diver that will listen and share back. This is one great thing about being in any
diving community. Each community, small
or large, is connected to all dive communities thanks to globalization.
New
discoveries, stories, techniques, and many more are what keep scuba diving
communities connected. For beginner
divers, diving is about completing the next step in training and learning how
to love and enjoy the sport. For
advanced divers, diving is more about finding a challenge and pushing
themselves to discover new things. These
new things are then shared with divers throughout the world and then taken to
journalists, scientists, or whoever needed for their story to be spread for the
world to hear about. A great example of
this is how Planet Earth used scuba diving to show the world sites that can
only be scene from a diver’s perspective as shown and expressed by Larry
O’Hanlon in Deep Ocean and Caves.
Personally,
I have never been so connected to a community that is involved with the world
to this degree. I have played sports and
music but neither has this strong of a connection on a personal level to
communities throughout the world.
Looking at how my new community is changing my life globally, I am
excited for what the future brings me in advancing my scuba diving skills into
looking for the challenge of new discoveries and technologies to share my
skills with the rest of the world and connect more with the current and future
advanced divers of the scuba world.
Open Letter to Your Community
To the members in my scuba diving community:
During this term, Fall 2012, I chose to take the class, Understanding Communities. This class has opened my mind in a variety of ways. From learning more of what a community is, to how communities are connected throughout the world. Not only did I find communities that I am involved in, but I found communities that I have been connected to throughout my life and never saw them before. Going back as far as my childhood neighborhood for one of my first communities. There was always so much to learn and so much to to do with the members within that community.
Other communities have been through sports and music. Currently, it is my scuba diving community. I would not be in this community if it was not for my fiance, Brandon, due to my fear of sharks, breathing under water, and being claustrophobic. Thankfully, I was able to overcome those fears for love. Not only did I find a stronger love for Brandon, but I also found a love for the hobby of scuba diving and the members in which love it too. Throughout this class I have grown founder of my fellow scuba divers. My relationship has changed in a way that brings me closer to each person within this community. I have realized what each members has brought to me individually and as a group. You have brought me the skill of loving and trust. Unfortunately they are two skills I tend to forget.
I look forward to future dives because each time I enter the water I know I have to love and trust the hobby and dive buddy I am with. Whether it is a love of emotion or friendship, it is still a love. I do not see this going away in the future and I only hope to spread the feeling and skill to any new scuba divers that join the community as experienced divers have done for me. I would also love to create more awareness of the adventures us, scuba divers, go on. A few group members have special under water photography equipment that allows pictures to be taken, but if there was a way to show these pictures and actually capture the moments of what it is like underwater, I believe more people would join any scuba community and possibly begin thinking about the world differently as I have thanks to all of you.
After a few months of being in the scuba diving community, I feel at peace with the world around me. If only the world could be at peace with itself. For the feeling you all allowed me to have, I thank each and every one of you individually and as a whole. No sports team or band has ever allowed me to feel that way or even think about feeling that way. To be part of a community where winning does not matter, where there is no first place, and where it does not pay to be the fastest, is the best thing a community could ever do. I hope that I can bring something half as good to the community in return for what they have given me. My hope in doing my part is that I can show one other person what I have learned from this community so that one person can share it with some one else. One by one we may be able to show the world what only a scuba diver feels and sees.
Thank you for all you have done and given me,
Heather Phinney
During this term, Fall 2012, I chose to take the class, Understanding Communities. This class has opened my mind in a variety of ways. From learning more of what a community is, to how communities are connected throughout the world. Not only did I find communities that I am involved in, but I found communities that I have been connected to throughout my life and never saw them before. Going back as far as my childhood neighborhood for one of my first communities. There was always so much to learn and so much to to do with the members within that community.
Other communities have been through sports and music. Currently, it is my scuba diving community. I would not be in this community if it was not for my fiance, Brandon, due to my fear of sharks, breathing under water, and being claustrophobic. Thankfully, I was able to overcome those fears for love. Not only did I find a stronger love for Brandon, but I also found a love for the hobby of scuba diving and the members in which love it too. Throughout this class I have grown founder of my fellow scuba divers. My relationship has changed in a way that brings me closer to each person within this community. I have realized what each members has brought to me individually and as a group. You have brought me the skill of loving and trust. Unfortunately they are two skills I tend to forget.
I look forward to future dives because each time I enter the water I know I have to love and trust the hobby and dive buddy I am with. Whether it is a love of emotion or friendship, it is still a love. I do not see this going away in the future and I only hope to spread the feeling and skill to any new scuba divers that join the community as experienced divers have done for me. I would also love to create more awareness of the adventures us, scuba divers, go on. A few group members have special under water photography equipment that allows pictures to be taken, but if there was a way to show these pictures and actually capture the moments of what it is like underwater, I believe more people would join any scuba community and possibly begin thinking about the world differently as I have thanks to all of you.
After a few months of being in the scuba diving community, I feel at peace with the world around me. If only the world could be at peace with itself. For the feeling you all allowed me to have, I thank each and every one of you individually and as a whole. No sports team or band has ever allowed me to feel that way or even think about feeling that way. To be part of a community where winning does not matter, where there is no first place, and where it does not pay to be the fastest, is the best thing a community could ever do. I hope that I can bring something half as good to the community in return for what they have given me. My hope in doing my part is that I can show one other person what I have learned from this community so that one person can share it with some one else. One by one we may be able to show the world what only a scuba diver feels and sees.
Thank you for all you have done and given me,
Heather Phinney
Community Description and Demographics
The graph above shows the various age groups within this community. There are aproximately 35 scuba divers connected to Pacific Watersports dive shop. This number is only an aproximation due to the amount of people joining the community each year. As of August, 2012, there was a total of 35 people. Within this community of 35 people, four are between the ages of eight and 20 years old, five are between the ages of 21 and 30 years old, three are between the ages of 31 and 40 years old, nine are between the ages of 41 and 50 years old, and 14 are 51 years of age or older. Based on the information shown, this is a hobby connected to time available, money, and interest. Scuba diving is not a couple of hours of activity, it is a whole day, weekend, or week activity that many people under the age of 40 most likely do not have. It is also a more expensive hobby to get in to and one needs the emotional interest to begin the open water certification due to the training taking about a month.
The graph above shows the experience levels in the community. Each dive over 20 minutes, according to PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), counts as one dive. A diver needs a particulat amount of dives in order to take the next class on various diving skills. The dive experience begins at four dives due to the open water certification consisting of four dives. One will not pass the certification with completing these four dives. In our community, two people have between four and 20 dives, three peopel have between 21 and 50 dives, 15 people have between 51 and 100 dives, 11 people have between 100 and 500 dives, and four people have over 500 dives completed and recorded.
The graph above shows the number of classes each diver has taken. These classes consist of various skills for how deep a diver can go safely, night diving, drifting, boat diving, under water photography, etc. There is a large number of classes a diver can take. As described before, the open water certification is the first class in which a diver needs to complete in order to dive safely. Including myself, our community consists of two people that have completed the first class, five people that have completed one to five classes, 16 people that have completed six to 10 classes, 10 people that have completed 10 to 15 classes, and two people that have completed more than 15 classes.
The graph above shows the number of dives completed in the past year by each diver in the community. There are no divers that have completed less than five dives in the past year of 2012. Four people have completed five to 10 dives, six people have completed 11 to 20 dives, 11 people have completed 21 to 49 dives, and 14 people have completed over 50 dives. Dives have to be completed carefully. Each diver has to make sure they stay above the water for a certain amount of time before going back in due to the amount of nitrogen in their system. Most of the divers in this community average two dives per day for safetly reasons.
The graph above shows how many divers began as a couple and how many began on their own. Diving is all about the buddy system because it allows divers to check and double check with their buddy of the safety checks before during, and after a dive. I am one of the few who began the first class by myself only because my buddy, who is also my fiance, already knew how to dive. The other members either dive as friends, as couples in relationships, or are experienced enough to dive alone.
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