Hey?! Was I rude here....?

[lowviz]

"A gentleman and a Rogue"

-Truth in advertizing. Don't let it bug ya, release your inner rogue...

 

[F106A]

- rather dive alone than with someone I have to look for or after.

Were you rude? I dunno. But, based on the above edited quote, you sound like my perfect dive buddy: SDSO. Meet you at the bar later to discuss the dive.

 

[irishsquid]

...It became a stand off. Yes he won but not without gettiing a verbal B!tch slap from the DM for only having 50 psi left. It was a vindicating experience that not all newbies are going to be PITA.

Now that there is just funny to me for some reason. That could only have been better if he had to ask for an air share with you or CESA.

 

[coldsmoke]

Hey coldsmoke, how are you liking the new (used) Slushmans lift. I'm the guy that spliced the rope together.

It's great, but like most things Bridger Bowl does - a day late and a dollar short. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have it, but it should have been done 10 years ago. Instead we build an $11 million base lodge that only gets used 4 weeks a year by toursits that sit around and look at each other saying "I thought this place was cool and funky. Where are all the locals?"

Hunter

 

[billindenver]

As an instructor in a wide variety of relatively extreme sports, I find the best thing to keep in mind is not making the student feel inadequate or stupid during his learning process. As such, I avoid words like newbie etc as it isn't going to make the student or new guy feel welcome, and because I've seen 'newbies' put so called experts to shame after a very short time. Not everyone is the same when it comes to how quickly they learn and I've personally seen 40 dive (skydive) guys nail a formation while the 1000 dive guys were fighting to get in. Concentration, hand eye coordination, ability to keep thinking when something doesn't go your way...most of this you either have, or you spend a long time trying to acquire...and may or may not ever get. Those who have it when they start are often quickly at a level that others spend years trying to attain. The same can be said for air consumption, staying relaxed and paying attention to your surroundings.

I'm not saying the 'newb' is one of these guys, what I'm saying is in my mind a simple 'I have my dive buddy plans worked out already' followed by the very good advice, might have been a better (or at least a kinder and gentler) approach.

With that said, I can certainly understand not wanting to buddy up with a guy who might suck through a tank in 30 minutes and ruin your dive. I was averaging approximately 60 minutes on the typical 80ft(ish) cozumel multilevel dive but I did see pairs heading up as early as 30 minutes in....and if I was paired with one of those guys I would NOT have been a happy camper...even being the newbie I am. The trip etc is too expensive to leave the water with half a tank of air unused.

So, in my mind your message was spot on and very justified...but you Texans have never been very good at tiptoeing through a topic. I lured the love of my life from Texas to Denver and have often told her she has all the subtlety of a claymore mine. It must be something in the Texas water....

 

[RonFrank]

I can not vouch for most of the dive ops in Coz. The ones I've used sent low air divers to the surface solo, and continued the dive. Since you can see the boat from 100' down, it's not hard to keep an eye on a diver you send up. If they were buddies with someone else, their buddy would have to choose to either continue, or end the dive.

My experience maybe unique as we had a group of five dives who all knew one another, and had similar air consumption with the occasional sixth diver added. The Sixth seemed to be either very experienced, or a complete newb. One guy did not make it 25 minutes into a 60+ minute profile. I think he was a bit pissed off getting sent to the surface solo, but whatever. We all paid good money for these dives, and the rest of the group was doing 1hr+ profiles, and tipping well!

 

[splicer]

It's great, but like most things Bridger Bowl does - a day late and a dollar short. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have it, but it should have been done 10 years ago. Instead we build an $11 million base lodge that only gets used 4 weeks a year by toursits that sit around and look at each other saying "I thought this place was cool and funky. Where are all the locals?"

Hunter

Well with Elliot at the helm and Abilon gone things changed, you're getting a brand new lift this summer to replace Deer Park and Bridger. "I thinks we're a little off topic in this thread, ha, ha"

 

[Rick Inman]

I gotta' agree that your reply was fine, but publicly posting a PRIVATE message, not so much.

 

[DandyDon]

Now that there is just funny to me for some reason. That could only have been better if he had to ask for an air share with you or CESA.

From that one man's story, I don't think the hot dog would ever beg air. Eh, I did once when I screwed up, and donated a few other times.

I can not vouch for most of the dive ops in Coz. The ones I've used sent low air divers to the surface solo, and continued the dive. Since you can see the boat from 100' down, it's not hard to keep an eye on a diver you send up. If they were buddies with someone else, their buddy would have to choose to either continue, or end the dive.

My experience maybe unique as we had a group of five dives who all knew one another, and had similar air consumption with the occasional sixth diver added. The Sixth seemed to be either very experienced, or a complete newb. One guy did not make it 25 minutes into a 60+ minute profile. I think he was a bit pissed off getting sent to the surface solo, but whatever. We all paid good money for these dives, and the rest of the group was doing 1hr+ profiles, and tipping well!

I just don't agree with that approach. I've seen it done, but I don't like it. But then I have seen 6 different divers medically evacuated so maybe I'm a little more touchy from those times - or maybe I worry too much.

Like one time in Coz, when I was with a motley group diving first day, I was asked to buddy with a returning diver who had been dry for years and it went ok. She actually beat me on air on the second dive and sent me up alone. I made a mental note to arrange differently later on. We went to lunch, I turned in for a nap, some of them went out for a third dive including her. When I woke from my nap, I heard that she passed out on shore after the third was was hauled off; woke up days later in Miami. That group broke up the next day tho as we started evacuating in advance of H.Dean.

Next trip, first day, 3 dives, and the group videographer(?) had a heart attack on a liveaboard - evacuated to Ft.Lauderdale. No, I don't like solo ascents. Even tho I said "I'd rather dive alone..." I really don't like anything solo in the water.

I gotta' agree that your reply was fine, but publicly posting a PRIVATE message, not so much.

Yeah, I should have made it a poll with that one of the choices. My bad, even with the name removed I suppose. :blush:

I'd done it so many times before for various members who didn't want to post under their own Usernames, but I always waited for agreement on those others. I jumped the gun here. Sorry again.

As an instructor in a wide variety of relatively extreme sports, I find the best thing to keep in mind is not making the student feel inadequate or stupid during his learning process. As such, I avoid words like newbie etc as it isn't going to make the student or new guy feel welcome, and because I've seen 'newbies' put so called experts to shame after a very short time. Not everyone is the same when it comes to how quickly they learn and I've personally seen 40 dive (skydive) guys nail a formation while the 1000 dive guys were fighting to get in. Concentration, hand eye coordination, ability to keep thinking when something doesn't go your way...most of this you either have, or you spend a long time trying to acquire...and may or may not ever get. Those who have it when they start are often quickly at a level that others spend years trying to attain. The same can be said for air consumption, staying relaxed and paying attention to your surroundings.

I'm not saying the 'newb' is one of these guys, what I'm saying is in my mind a simple 'I have my dive buddy plans worked out already' followed by the very good advice, might have been a better (or at least a kinder and gentler) approach.

With that said, I can certainly understand not wanting to buddy up with a guy who might suck through a tank in 30 minutes and ruin your dive. I was averaging approximately 60 minutes on the typical 80ft(ish) cozumel multilevel dive but I did see pairs heading up as early as 30 minutes in....and if I was paired with one of those guys I would NOT have been a happy camper...even being the newbie I am. The trip etc is too expensive to leave the water with half a tank of air unused.

So, in my mind your message was spot on and very justified...but you Texans have never been very good at tiptoeing through a topic. I lured the love of my life from Texas to Denver and have often told her she has all the subtlety of a claymore mine. It must be something in the Texas water....

Thanks Bill, nice, well worded post. Do bear in mind that this was not an Inst-Student exchange, and I don't mean to insult newbies at all. And while I am not pro, I do enjoy diving with newbies in other settings: a group out for a week of diving, practice dives in Santa NM, etc. Hell, if we were staying at the same hotel I might have been agreeable to some ideas, but we aren't even sleeping on the same island. You're right tho, many newbies are fun do dive with.

 

[driftwood]

So, in my mind your message was spot on and very justified...but you Texans have never been very good at tiptoeing through a topic. I lured the love of my life from Texas to Denver and have often told her she has all the subtlety of a claymore mine. It must be something in the Texas water....

Don,

I think that statement sums things up pretty well. I would like to add the the PM'er had the sense that God promised a goat, he looked for an experienced diver as a buddy. Boy must have learned something along the way.

And Bill, it is not something in our Texas water, it's just growing up in the reality that is Texas. Texans are a different breed and have as much trouble understanding the rest of the country as they do us.