... but this thread isn't all about what you or I would do. And I also support people who guide "tourists" for a living being somewhat skilled and professional ... particularly when they're taking folks into dangerous waters ...
Agreed.
I was asked to share my experiences and how I would deal with it, which I did. I didn't intend for that to sound condescending, so I sincerely apologise if it did.
I just felt that there was a solution - one that I have used consistently for years - which is also common-sense
and in line with what divers are taught from the very first stages of dive education.
Those courses would not have helped you much at some of the sites I experienced in Komodo. "Drift diving" doesn't cover washing machine currents that can turn you every which way but loose, and pull you too far from a boat to be seen in the time it takes you to surface ... if, in fact, the current allows you to surface at all.
So, what is the solution? Not dive there? Play the odds and hope you stay lucky?
The issue of being separated from a boat by current
is dealt with in the drift diver course (at least as I was taught). Knowing the risk, you can pre-empt the situation by popping a DSMB prior to ascent. In the worst case, popping a DSMB
during the dive, so that the boat can track you continually.
Washing machine currents - yes, they are dangerous...and it requires experience, calmness and a level-head. That's where risk assessment comes into it. If a diver isn't confident about diving in places where those currents can occur (without warning), then they should avoid those sites altogether.
Now... I know the likely response..."
what if the Divemaster doesn't tell you about those risks?".
Well... that's the crux of what I've been saying. A diver must ensure they have knowledge to complete a risk assessment and choose appropriate sites that are within their capabilities. When I go on a diving vacation, I don't leave it in the hands of the DM.... I'll do my own research.
I just spent (literally) 60 seconds on Google:
http://www.komodonationalpark.org/dive_sites.htm
SCUBA Travel: Dive Sites of Indonesia - Sulawesi, Irian Jaya, Komodo, Lombok, Alor...
Novice divers beware: the beauty of Komodo Island hides a deadly current - Times Online
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/190078-labuanbajo-komodo-trip-report.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/283653-komodo-trip-report.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/352463-komodo-trip-report-august-2010-a.html
Ok...so strong currents
'are' an issue... so the novice diver goes back on Google again...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPOB07V7xOI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tykp5dJGtv4
The Washing Machine - Extreme Drift Diving - YouTube
Dealing With Underwater Currents When Scuba Diving
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/advanced-scuba-discussions/357797-handling-down-current.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/48956-what-proper-procedure-downcurrent-4.html
etc etc etc
Yes, the divemaster
should be good. The divemaster
should brief you on
everything you need to know.
Should the diver rely on that? Do they have to rely on it?
Quite so ... and what I took out of the OP was that the level of information needed wasn't forthcoming.
Which goes back to the need to check for yourself. Do some research. Second opinions.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Andy, people die when dive professionals say "don't worry about it". Sometimes it's well-intentioned ... meant to be reassuring ... other times it's just to cover up a level of incompetence that just shouldn't be tolerated in a dive professional.
Absolutely.
Although it does remind me of my Mom asking me as a child... "if you're friends told you to jump off a bridge, would you?"
Some divers allow themselves to be placated like that. They seek it. They have genuine concerns... but they want to do X.Y,Z dive... so they look for someone in 'authority' to sanction what they know to be wrong.
Which is why I am trying to encourage a less reliant, more pro-active approach.
Hit any of the links I've posted above... and the diver will know that they "
should worry about it". More so... they'll know
what they should be worrying about...and
where they should be worrying about.
So.. when they get there...and the DM is negligent in his risk assessment - then the divers aren't reliant on it... they have the capacity to form their own assessment. At the very least they'll know to get a second opinion.
There are times when the only appropriate local knowledge is "this site isn't appropriate for your skill level" ... that information seemed to be missing in this particular case, and could've gotten somebody killed.
And yet... a 60 second Google search revealed it. So would a chat with other divers at the centre. Or with the boatman. Or at nearby dive centres. Or on an internet forum...
If they went to Komodo... they they
should know that certain sites require advanced skills. They should get a briefing of the dive site (if not, alarm bells should ring)..and that brief should include issues with currents. They
know to clarify that. If necessary.. to demand that information.
...and then...they should make their
own judgement on the suitability of the site.
Sorry, but in those cases, the diver isn't to blame ... the dive professional is ... because they shouldn't have gone there in the first place.
I'll concede and compromise...
both parties are to blame.
A diver can educate themselves
before they choose a dive site to visit...
before get on the boat....hell, even
before they get to the country.
Who's fault is it that they opt not to do that... but rather, just trust the judgement of a stranger? Especially when that judgement seems to fly in the face of every recommendation they've been given in training...and their common sense...and their natural concerns?
Of course - a professional dive operation
shouldn't take divers into sites that are beyond their capabilities. However, assuming the dive operation doesn't
know those divers capabilities... then they have to expect that individual divers will take responsibility for their own safety and apply their own common sense to the decision of where is safe for them to dive.
So, what's the alternative? A dive operator tells the customers that they cannot be allowed to go to X,Y and Z dive sites because they don't have...what? The experience? The training?
It's a fair point.. that is what
should happen...but we (dive pros) all know how
some customers respond to that 'guidance'.
"
Do a Drift Dive/AOW/appropriate course? OMG! What a scam... Put Another Dollar In...!"
"
Do a check dive/scuba review? OMG! What a scam... "
"
Stay in the shallow beginners sites? OMG! What a scam... "
Chances are (from my experience) that the divers who complain loudest (and publicly on the internet) about having a bad experience underwater are the ones who most objected to getting the right training to do the dive concerned.
You still have to have a clue what conditions to expect before jumping in the water ... because once there, you HAVE to deal with it ...
As I said.... 60 seconds on Google. Buy a local dive guide (book). Talk to other divers... there's a wealth of resources available.
What I'm objecting to is 'blindly' following a dive guide. Thoughtlessly accepting a capability-based risk assessment from someone who cannot possibly know your capabilities. Going to a site/region/country without understanding the
nature of the diving there.
Again.. it isn't about "wild skillz"... it's a matter of common sense... and accepting that diving has dangers... and that different dangers exist in different locations...and making sure you, as an individual, understand those dangers....and acting accordingly...taking responsibility for yourself.
Safety Vs Enjoyment
The other issue that I want to address (hopefully without making this post toooo long) is that the original report complained of dangers. There's
always dangers. There's
always the unexpected. Assuming otherwise..and then crying foul when you are proved wrong... isn't the fault of the dive operation. That's just a mindset issue. In the OP's linked report, the divers
felt they were in danger.
Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. For certain, they were
outside of their comfort zone... and they didn't
enjoy the dive because of that. Who's fault is that?
A dive pro can make a decision about dive safety...and offer advice/guidance along those lines. What they cannot do is mind-read every customer and understand where their psychological thresholds and comfort zones are.
There's a difference between actual safety and the individual's psychological perception of safety.
I've taken customers on dives that they were well qualified and experienced to complete. Safety wasn't an issue. I briefed those divers well and supervised them effectively in the water. Regardless of that, some of those divers still didn't
feel confident on the dive. Some communicate that...and we amend the dive plan accordingly during the dive (or abort). Some don't say anything until afterwards. Some (
thankfully, not to me) don't say anything at all... until they next get online and then assassinate the dive operator.