Northwest Dive Club

Well, someone posted somewhere that they visited this page and felt that the site is deserted and the activity was down from a couple of years ago...
Some stated that all the good people have been banned, all the threads get hijacked into a BS thread, and it's just worn out its internet life.
I have to say, that this is the best place, the friendliest place for new divers to come and get info in regards to diving. In general.
NWDC is competing now with FB and the internet on specialty groups for getting the topics and activity out there.
As an example a dive charter may have a page on FB and post about upcoming dive activities whereas they used to post on here.
So, if we want this to continue to be a great spot for great divers to hook up (new and experienced) we need to keep this up there and keep posting. May be we need a club dive or something...to feel the love again...
Otherwise, we need to shut the doors. Perhaps this NWDC has run it's course. You can all decide, but for me...I wanna keep the board open....
Visit and post often...dive more, bitch less...
Kirsten

I would agree with this, there isn't much going on here anymore...

Also agree...mentioned this at the last club dive. NWDC is practically dead from what it was a few years ago.

Due to this site / club I have had the opportunity to dive with some very friendly divers with a ton of experience and knowledge. Just last night a was shown a Lumpsucker and a Grunt Sculpin at Three Tree Point, priceless. Thank you everyone from this club that has helped me. I hope I can learn enough to be able to pass it forward.

This is still just about the most incredible group of people I've ever gotten to be part of. It's been my experience that things like this go in cycles; a flurry of activity then it quiets down, another flurry, etc. We seem to be in a quiet spell right now, but I really don't think that spells the impending doom of the group or anything like that.

To boost things a little, my lovely wife got her new USIA dry suit with the purple highlights yesterday. It's a long story, but for one brief, shining moment, we were sort of oil tycoons. As it turns out, "tycoon" is an old English word for "get a one-shot windfall for just enough to get a dry suit." Good enough for us.

I've noticed that input has been down as of late. I also agree with how things are cyclical. I don't think this site is dead at all. There is still valuable input overall. And the value of this site to both new divers, and divers new to our area, is huge. We tend to underestimate the impact of that. I still enjoy posting, sharing info and photos. It is also a great tool to coordinate dives between people that live all around the area. Also a great place to swap, buy, sell dive gear.
So is it dead? Hardly. Does it maybe need a shot of renewed enthusiasm? Sure. Threads hijacked? Sometimes. Toes get stepped on once in a while? Ok. But please show me any site anywhere that has human interaction, and you will find this.
On the flip side I have made some great friends on this site. Learned a TON. Helped newer divers with their questions. Let's not underestimate what a great resource NWDC has become. And let's all renew our efforts to keep it so. Part of community is doing our part to keep giving as well as receiving.
Ok then. Stepping down off he soapbox.

Ya the board tends to go in cycles, busy for awhile then slows down for a bit. This is probably just a slow spot.

Personally I don't think we are "competing" with anyone. This is not a competition and we are not fighting for a piece of "pie". I speak not as a moderator of this fine group but a member. I think coming here off the opinion of some "random" person and suggesting that NWdiveclub either step it up or maybe just decide to shut down is pretty ridiculous.

This is a club, a place for divers to meet and discuss diving. A place where people are welcome to ask questions and get answers. If you Google anything pertaining to Pacific Northwest Scuba (clubs, groups, NW) you will find us. The reason you do not see post after post of charters, businesses, travel agencies and other people wanting your $$$ advertising here is because that is against our terms of service. Why? So our members do not have to weed through countless ads in order to read a viz report, get a good deal on a piece of gear, or hook up with other divers.

So while I appreciate you sharing what one person has said about NWDiveClub I think that you will find that as others here have stated, it comes in cycles.

However; personally, I believe the most important discussions are the ones that happen as a "result" of our club such as a meal/beer after a weekly dive or a group of divers (new/experienced) standing around the trunk of a car at a club dive. The common denominator in the two, DIVING.

One thing is for sure is that I cant even recall the last sh*tstorm we had.

That is just my 2 psi

Norris wrote: One thing is for sure is that I cant even recall the last sh*tstorm we had.

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

Is the true tragedy!!

I don't think it's dead.

As I mentioned on the other thread, Jan is still here posting his incredible pages. People are still setting up weekly dives, and club dives. A whole variety of our talented photographers still share their work here. New divers come and ask questions, and ask for buddies (I dove with one not too long ago.)

There is not a lot of discussion about equipment or techniques . . . mainly because I think many of us have been here long enough to know one another's positions, and because those threads tend to turn rancorous.

And anybody who thinks the site is dead should remember that the only thing that keeps a site alive is contributions from its members. I'm as guilty as anybody of not posting as many dive reports and stuff as I ought to -- stand by for a blast from our Philippines trip!

Also the internet savvy are aware of the "search" function of the site when wondering about information...

Search spare air

Search BC or Backplate

etc

Like RIck said, this site is and has always been a resource for new divers to meet other divers and ask as many newbie questions as they'd like. Once those connections have been made it's up to those divers to decide whether they want to continue being part of the NWDC community or take those connections elsewhere.

I don't know where the idea of shutting the board down came from, and I frankly find it kind of ridiculous. Just because some users feel that they aren't getting everything they desire from it certainly shouldn't dictate NWDC's future for other divers in the community.

I also need to add that this is my goto place for any unbiased question I have. I get real world answers from real divers, not a salesperson pushing whatever brand they have in the shop. I also don't feel stupid asking questions, search my posts and you'll see I ask some dumb stuff!!

Norris wrote: I think coming here off the opinion of some "random" person and suggesting that NWdiveclub either step it up or maybe just decide to shut down is pretty ridiculous.

I know the thread Kristin is referring to and I don't know how the statement that was made got twisted into THAT, but I know that wasn't the intent of his comment, and this was for certain not some "random" person. It was stated as simply an observation, that after not having popped in here in quite some time, the site seemed to have a lot less traffic than it did it one time.

Norris wrote:This is a club, a place for divers to meet and discuss diving. A place where people are welcome to ask questions and get answers.

As long as those answers aren't deemed as even slightly offensive, or can't be somehow twisted into the perception of telling somebody to how to dive.

Norris wrote:If you Google anything pertaining to Pacific Northwest Scuba (clubs, groups, NW) you will find us. The reason you do not see post after post of charters, businesses, travel agencies and other people wanting your $$$ advertising here is because that is against our terms of service. Why? So our members do not have to weed through countless ads in order to read a viz report, get a good deal on a piece of gear, or hook up with other divers.

Pretty sure nobody was suggesting we plaster the site with ads, not sure where that came from.

Norris wrote:So while I appreciate you sharing what one person has said about NWDiveClub I think that you will find that as others here have stated, it comes in cycles.

It's Cyclic, but having been here for more than a few years, it's sure a lot quieter than it was "back in the day".

Norris wrote:However; personally, I believe the most important discussions are the ones that happen as a "result" of our club such as a meal/beer after a weekly dive or a group of divers (new/experienced) standing around the trunk of a car at a club dive. The common denominator in the two, DIVING.

Going diving is always the most important thing!

Norris wrote:One thing is for sure is that I cant even recall the last sh*tstorm we had.

I'm going to give a +1 to Richard on this. Truly tragic.

Just my thoughts.

I must say that was an interesting interpretation of what I was saying. My apologies about the ruffled feathers Jake.

Well, thanks to everyone who piped up with a vote of support for not shutting down the site because we haven't hit new web traffic highs in the past two or three quarters (a la Wall Street hopes).

As some have kindly observed, this site hasn't ever existed for the purpose of "beating the competition" or increasing/maintaining some arbitrary growth rate in traffic commonly aspired to by most sites (that operate as for-profit companies, btw).

As some of the older members will remember, we've even gated access at times when the club was growing faster than people could meet and dive in real life - because the point of the site has never been to have as much online interaction as possible, but rather to encourage as much offline participation and dive buddy-ing as possible, in an effort to offset the oftentimes undesirable things that online social participation between people who haven't actually met in person tends to bring about.

Yes there are ebbs and flows in terms of the number of threads and discussions, but some things that are not as easily measured by the casual visitor are how many PMs go back and forth between members, and for that matter, how many text messages and phone calls occur, when NWDC members plan and get together for dives. Those things are still happening at a very good level, from what I can tell. This dive club tries to be a healthy part of that process- not the sole source of it.

It's been exactly one year and three months since the huge surge in activity occurred relating to the GPO killing at Cove 2, a timeframe during which the site saw 4 times the amount of traffic as a regular "busy" month for a sustained two months. That was a taxing time on all of us members (Mods especially) but it also ended up bringing together the local dive community in ways that I had never seen before (tip of the hat to Lundy). That there's been a respite following that episode is not a bad thing, imho.

Also, as Lynne smartly points out, and possibly related to the aforementioned coming-together of minds, I think we have already cycled through enough of the commonly controversial topics enough times that people just agree to disagree (i.e., "get along") when it comes to those things - which I think is an overall good thing no matter how you look at it.

I think it's great that there are Facebook groups, message threads and other sites for people to keep connected, post pictures, plan dives, etc. - I never wanted this site to be the 800lb gorilla of PNW diving, and I still don't. If you take FB for example, I think it offers something that NWDC never can; you post pictures or a dive report to your timeline and even all your non-diver friends, friends of friends, and complete strangers can see those things, comment, and hit the like button. NWDC also has some things that FB isn't particularly good at being a home for- like a really thorough index of local dive sites as well as tech diving instructors and shops (actually, we should make one for recreational instructors and shops as well, probably).

In other words, what many continually evolving, for-profit websites are great at doing - providing a constantly updating stream of socialization with many people far and near - this site is not necessarily going to be good at doing, and that gap will probably continue to widen as those sites continue to innovate and improve.

On the other hand, this place is like the old neighborhood dive bar where you first got drunk and made out with that person back behind the propane tank in the gravel parking lot, who later turned into your spouse and lifelong dive buddy - yes it's still got the same ugly fake wood paneling on the walls and the squeaky bathroom door held shut with a grimy wooden spoon wedged between two pot lid handles drilled into the door - but it's also a veritable treasure trove of our history as a regional dive community. Heck, I can look back at threads where I literally made first contact with people who I now and for many years have considered my best friends, diving and otherwise. So, please consider how valuable some of those things are to some of us before you suggest loading the place with TNT to make way for the next Quik-E-Mart.

Those things being said, since we intentionally limited growth when it got too hot in the past, it probably would make sense to perk things up a bit when we have a few consecutive months of relative quiet due to the busy holidays, bad weather, little sunlight, unpredictable internet trends, etc. etc. CLUB DIVE CLUB DIVE CLUB DIVE! announcement to follow, shortly.

PS - all constructive ideas to keep the NWDC community healthy and diving together often always welcome.

I know for me personally NWDC has been incredibly influential...and I've met tons of new friends through the site.

I definitely hope the site stays up! There has been a noticeable lag in activity lately as the OP pointed out. And while most of us do not always agree....and even have some very strong disagreements....I think we all agree that this is Norris' fault. It was pretty lively around here until he became a mod.

Mmmh! Let me think. I would like to nominate Jeremy to be a MODERATOR, having successfully planned at least 2 club dives, most especially bringing his famous chilli soup everytime. Not to mention, he's really not that bad of a diver in contrary to what some peeps think.
And by the way, Rick, I think you have done a fantastic job since you've become a MOD.

I vote for more trip reports. I always enjoy trip reports, so if you have them -- even one short paragraph without a pic -- or you're just starting with a camera -- post 'em is what I say Especially from lurkers (btw: I was a lurker many years on this board...)

I haven't seen any dive reports from Canada lately (except Jay H's excellent reports, who looks to live up there), so if you've got one of those I'd especially like to see it!

It seems like ALL of the Internet dive boards I haunt have been really slow for the last few years, actually. Thanks for the love, those of you who brought it. And, as many have pointed out, this site is what we make it...it is quite literally the sum total of our posts. Whether those posts are trip reports or complaints is up to us.

Joshua Smith wrote:It seems like ALL of the Internet dive boards I haunt have been really slow for the last few years, actually. Thanks for the love, those of you who brought it. And, as many have pointed out, this site is what we make it...it is quite literally the sum total of our posts. Whether those posts are trip reports or complaints is up to us.

I suspect that many dive forums are slowing down due to interaction on other social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). I am curious to see what will happen as that tide shifts around too.

I will reiterate what many have said before: I have made many quality friends through this board and treasure it greatly. It has fulfilled its purpose beautifully, which is to give us a place to gather, chat, and find buddies. Thank you, Calvin, for making that happen!

A couple qustions:
Is participation in SCUBA down? Just back from a trip to Oahu. Used to be a steady stream of dive shop vehicles at the hotel each morning. Not this time. One of the larger dive shops is no longer in business. I see notes on this board that some shops in the PNW are closed. Maybe SCUBA is in a valley?

Has Club activity as differentiated from Board postings changed?

Did all the activity around the GPO incident fracture the Club?

Maybe it has been an Electronic Pub all along with the accompanying ebb and flow?

Just some questions from a guy who values this Board.

I do not comment very often, but I do check this site at least every week. All events have cycles, at times there are "issues" and I do believe the weather will also influence activity. I do know that where I currently am, diving is a bit tricky. I live in Michigan, so it is a long jump getween the two locations, habitat and climate-wise. I did my original certification with New England Divers, so you know I am old and I did grow up in the Sound, I was a beach/water rat.

I refer to this site in teaching scuba to all my students as a great example of a mechanism to coordinate dives, advice and fellowship. I have used this site to connect with divers when I am in the Seattle area, both individuals and regularly scheduled events.

Bottomline, this is a very useful site that provides a very important forum. Thank you all for keeping it going and for the work of the moderators.

Iver wrote:I do not comment very often, but I do check this site at least every week. All events have cycles, at times there are "issues" and I do believe the weather will also influence activity. I do know that where I currently am, diving is a bit tricky. I live in Michigan, so it is a long jump getween the two locations, habitat and climate-wise. I did my original certification with New England Divers, so you know I am old and I did grow up in the Sound, I was a beach/water rat.

I refer to this site in teaching scuba to all my students as a great example of a mechanism to coordinate dives, advice and fellowship. I have used this site to connect with divers when I am in the Seattle area, both individuals and regularly scheduled events.

Bottomline, this is a very useful site that provides a very important forum. Thank you all for keeping it going and for the work of the moderators.

Thanks, Iver.