Quote: (04-04-2014 10:33 PM)Earth Wrote:
How have you personally used scuba diving to network? I have dived several times and I have several diving certifications, but I have not personally had it be particularly beneficial in networking.
It depends on where and who you are diving with. I go on liveaboards a lot that range from mid luxury to luxury at remote locations. When I do land based diving it's usually at places that attract more serious divers. I don't hang out at backpacker locations, guesthouses, or do holiday diver budget boats.
A place like let's say Koh Tao is not bad to party but most people there are young, poor, and newbie holiday people. It's not bad to make friends with people like this but you won't get much out of it in the social network sense of course. On the other hand a place like Malapascua, Raja Ampat, or even Palau tends to attract a different caliber of clientele with means and motivation to get there.
I have made friends through diving which I still keep in contact with to this day even after years. A business lead came out of another. Plus it helps to know relatively successful people from several different countries just from a knowledge perspective.