Triton Oceanic

Photograph © Dennis Champ

Explorer vs Adventurer

The Oxford Concise English Dictionary quotes: "Explorer: a traveller into undiscovered or investigated territory" - "Adventurer: a person who seeks adventure especially for personal gain or enjoyment".

I read again quite recently the Extended Range and Trimix manual issued by TDI (Technical Diving International) in 2002. It gave a more interesting definition between an 'explorer' and an 'adventurer'. I really liked it and have quoted Bill Pogue's words, verbatim, below...

"The Explorer is a person that has a goal and reads voraciously all the available information concerning the proposed activity. The explorer practices any skill required to perfection. The explorer understands that there are risks, evaluates these risks and takes the necessary steps to minimise risk. But inevitably, the explorer must accept the risks, that there is danger and personal injury or death is a possibility.

The adventurer is a neophyte. They are not really interested in learning all the nitty gritty details, they want to hire someone to take them white water rafting and ensure their safety. At the end of the run, they want a picture and a t-shirt that says, "I rafted the 'Monster Killer' run". The reality is, the 18 year old summer high school kid manoeuvred the raft, the client just got wet."

Posted: 02 July 2008, 0 comments.

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