Having been one and among them for decades, I've learned several things about divers: We're fun-loving. We're adventurous. We have more faces than Eve.

Yep, we do. Whether the water's warm or cold, shallow or deep, murky or clear, if the water's deep enough to get your head under, you'll find one of our faces. Many of us enjoy exploring multiple diving environments, and we change who we are according to venue. Today I'm a temperate diver making a single-tank plunge along coastal California. Next week I'll be a tec diver on mix visiting a wreck at 200 feet. Next month I'll be a tropical diver in the Florida Keys.

The compleat world diver plays as many personas as a top-draw actor, but let's break it into five basic personalities that represent the range: the tropical diver, the temperate-water diver, the ice diver, the underwater photographer and the tec diver. Who are we when we slide into these roles? What's our mindset? What motivates us? Who the heck knows? Probably only Freud, but we'll take a stab it.