Fat old english bloke
Contributor
That’s a relief, he’s a decent chap, if a little bit of a Captain Faff-tastic.
Not that I’m much quicker mind you.
Dive boat etiquette: what do you do if the diver with the longest runtime is the slowest?
- Thread starter DiveLikeAMuppet
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Not that I’m much quicker mind you.
Apparently not. At least, it does not behave like a team. A bunch of individuals on a shared-cost boat does not constitute a team.
Because charter operators prefer to not have to attend corners inquests
OP
DiveLikeAMuppet
Contributor
I doubt team diving would change that, unless you would also impose an age limit (50 perhaps) and a strict fitness test beyond any recreational medical - because most fatalities are medical. Oups you just shut down all boats because older rich divers are the prevailing customer base… Since technical means mostly CCR, do you also police people’s units, perhaps with a logbook of yearly service only by approved vendors? Because poorly maintained or prepared units are second most common issue. Teammates are unlikely to help you if you forget “o-ring of death” in your YBOD. As a boat operator, would you police what bailout people carry?
It’s a slippery slope.
(For the record: I’m a big fan of standardised teams diving together, regardless of organisation)
Firstly, the world isn't the United States with it's voracious greedy litigious culture which stifles life's choices.
How would a dive boat "police" divers? Maybe recreational diving should become like commercial diving with a dive supervisor, technical assistants/dressers, a rope tied to the diver, communications links, etc.? Kind of the antithesis of the freedom to dive that we currently have.
Or maybe technical diving should have only a limited type of equipment --the DIR wet dream--where only a very few types of equipment is allowed?
Or would you propose writing a risk assessment plan that needs to be filed prior to the dive with prior assessment for the dive with no deviation on the fly?
The fun of diving is just getting on with it. It's up to the individual diver to ensure they have the right skills, experience and equipment as Mr Darwin filters out the weak. The considerable risks and costs involved will tend to focus the mind of the individual.
The most important thing is to learn from each dive: you know if you've just uncovered a conscious incompetence that requires time in a lake to practice and improve those skills until they are unconscious competences.
Rickk
Contributor
The dive shop I dive with does a lot of tourist business. Lots of new OW divers, students and inexperienced divers on the boat.
If I am doing a long or a tech dive, my dive buddies and I are all ready before the briefing is finished, just grab tanks and splash first. (Dive shop people ensure that, all the tech divers are long time regulars, or dive shop managers or staff, so the boat crew takes care of us.)
If I am doing a fun recreational dive, who cares? I am retired and time does not matter, relax and enjoy being out on the water for 5 minutes before splashing.
If I am doing a long or a tech dive, my dive buddies and I are all ready before the briefing is finished, just grab tanks and splash first. (Dive shop people ensure that, all the tech divers are long time regulars, or dive shop managers or staff, so the boat crew takes care of us.)
If I am doing a fun recreational dive, who cares? I am retired and time does not matter, relax and enjoy being out on the water for 5 minutes before splashing.
That sounds like a great dive shop, catering for very different needs of their regular customers and novices/unknowns.
Earlier this year in a popular holiday destination I've dived in many times before. I thought I'd do some pretty fish diving and went to a beach-based dive shop as the one I had used in the past had closed. The diving was sold as we'll take you to the best sites with some use of a boat, etc.
It was horrible. Literally being lead by a dive leader wannabe sheep dog for at great speed, never any time to stop and admire the natural wonders down there. Similarly with the boat it wasn't great, being dropped off on sand 100m/300ft from the reef, then the waiting for people to get their act together; finally when arriving at the rather nice reef, they all cleared off in a different direction, ignoring the pretty stuff. I did only two days of diving as I simply couldn't take any more of this utter nonsense.
A real eye opener for me, almost making me wonder if it's worth continuing with diving.
Seems that your dive shop would be the one to use!
xanaphyst
Registered
As a brand new diver having done my first boat trip I can say that all the people on the boat were EXTREMELY friendly and inviting. Everyone was very CHILL. I'd hope I don't run into many divers who think they need to bicker over small details where in the end everyone is just trying to enjoy themselves.
I've been involved in many other hobby groups and it is clear the scuba divers are by far much more friendly and social. I'd hope it continues like this in the future and doesn't slowly erode that joy away.
I've been involved in many other hobby groups and it is clear the scuba divers are by far much more friendly and social. I'd hope it continues like this in the future and doesn't slowly erode that joy away.
Fat old english bloke
Contributor
To bicker over the small details is why many dive.
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