Stop Banging - Diving is supposed to be fun

[Hillmorton Scubie]

I have dived with many different divemasters on trips. Many are great, however others ruin the diving. I appreciate that a divemaster is responsible for the safety of his group, however some seem to take their powers to extreme.
I like a divemaster to be experienced,relaxed, and observant as he leads the group. I don't enjoy diving with divemasters who constantly throughout the dive bang their tanks at everyone, giving out all sorts of instructions i.e.too deep, too shallow, get with your buddy, etc etc". I like to relax and photograph marine life. I don't pay to be herded around like cattle.
What do you think ?

 

[ScubaSteve]

I am the same way (photographer) however if you did not get agreement from the DM beforehand to allow you to do your own thing and shoot pictures and basically solo dive.....then it is ultimately your own fault. I personally would rather see a DM keep track of divers rather than lose them and the only way to keep track of them easily is to keep them close.....photographers tend not to stay close to groups for many reasons. If they (the charter owner) are willing to allow you to go dive off their boat as a solo diver/photographer, then the DM will respect that if known in advance. Next time, talk to them before you hand over your money.

 

[Garrobo]

Never had that problem. Most of the DM's I've dove with will bang their thingies to alert their divers to things of interest like rays, sharks, turtles, Morays, lobsters, etc. The ones who give me a pain are the ones who take five to ten minutes trying to show the divers some little, almost microscopic animal that I can't even see let alone know what it is or care about.

 

[katdiver]

I dive in an area where DMs from several groups are all banging away at the same time. I hate it! I don't bang my tank unless it's for a good reason. That way the divers watch me (I watch them too), we use signals and they don't drift off waiting for the next audio cue.

 

[Steve50]

Should be done on shore - either before or after the dive.

 

[NudeDiver]

What do you think ?

If you're banging while diving and not having any fun, maybe you just need to work on your technique....or perhaps stay away from the fire coral.

I dive in an area where DMs from several groups are all banging away at the same time.

Sounds like a wild bunch to me.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

I like to relax and photograph marine life. I don't pay to be herded around like cattle.
What do you think ?

I think marine photography is, at some fundamental level, incompatible with guided diving. Marine photography requires you to concentrate on something, perhaps to hang around it looking for the right shot or the right lighting. If you really want a shot of something, you might need to devote your entire dive to the one subject.

I dived with an excellent photographer would would hang motionless over a patch of sand just waiting for us to swim off so that the garden eels would re-emerge. Whereas guided divers want to be shown stuff, look at it, and then swim on to the next attraction.

I agree with the suggestion to square things away with the DM on your next dive that you and your buddy plan to be fairly independent.

p.s. Not to open too big a can of worms, but is your buddy also a photographer??

Sometimes a photographer can be a terrible buddy on a dive because they are fiddling with their gear or concentrating on the shot. Their buddy really has to stick to them like glue because they won't be looking around as much as a regular diver. One couple I know are both videographers, and they alternate who shoots on each dive. The buddy of the shooter is acting as a spotter and sacrificing their dive a bit, but on the next dive they switch up.

 

[J.R.]

BANG... BANG... BANG...

(sorry...)

Actually I've developed an alergic reaction to 'tank-bangers' of any sort... whether wielded by DMs or those who choose to dive with them. I'm from the school that says "Banging yer' tank is like callin' the cops... don't do it unless there's something really IMPORTANT going on that warrants it..." (Did a dive where one of the divers was always banging their tank and point out stuff to whoever was close buy... problem is... you can't tell direction of sound underwater... Sooo... EVERYBODY had to stop and look around to see exactly who was disturbing their tranquility... at one point I was pretty sure SOMEBODY wasn't going to be invited back onto the boat by the end of the dive...

 

[BDSC]

It is on a rare occasion that I will bang my tank to show someone something. It has to be something rare or unusual like maybe a seahorse or frogfish. Something you just don't see all the time instead Bang Bang Bang when you spot a turtle, ray, crab, eel, or whatever.

I've also noticed that since I have started to do video, I don't even want to bang my tank period. If I do spot something really cool I want to be able to get some good video and don't want a lot of other people crashing into the picture which they will if you point something out.

Most DM's i've been in the water with have been pretty good and seem to give photo and video people their space. Follow them if you like but if not, do your own thing and they are fine with it.

 

[TSandM]

I've never had a DM try to herd me. And I'd much rather they used tank bangers than do what the DMs at KBR did, and wave their lights frantically to get my attention. At least if they bang on a tank, I don't feel the urge to stuff a regulator in their mouths

The ones who give me a pain are the ones who take five to ten minutes trying to show the divers some little, almost microscopic animal that I can't even see let alone know what it is or care about.

Now, see, those are the DMs I like the best . . .