Miss Scuba Manners....What's your unwritten dive etiquette rule?

[DRCI1075]

Don't touch my equipment.

This goes for DM's, deck monkeys as well as other divers. Ask me if I want your help! Every time someone tries to set up my gear for me, I have to take it apart and set it up again to my satisfaction. My gear is my life support system, I like it set up a certain way, and I ALWAYS check everything before a dive. I had a DM who swapped out my tank on a surface interval going out for a Black Water dive in Kona - and blew out the O ring on my DIN regulator. It was a good thing I had my save-a-dive kit with me, or I would have been SOL for that dive since they only had O rings for yoke. I also double check equipment repairs from my LDS since the time I had an Octo spin almost completely off at 120' just 2 dives after a complete overhaul.....

 

[Doctorfish]

I think one needs to be reasonable about this issue. I agree completely that you are wise to take responsibility for your own equipment and safety. The DMs on boats are often instructed to provide "valet service" as that is what some divers expect, and it is generally more efficient than letting newbies take all morning with their stuff.

When you get on the boat on day one, before anyone touches your bag, all you need to do is tell the DM that you prefer to manage your own equipment. I have never had a problem with this approach. Just don't leave your weights on a seat or mount your BC backwards afterwards. I've seen that happen on a dive boat more than once, which is probably why the DMs offer to set people up.

 

[Texasguy]

I'd say it is people who cannot get over themselves. So, if a mistake has been made, get over that and enjoy the reset of vacation or a weekend. From reading this thread, it seems that there are some people who take to heart more than they should.

My pet peeve are people who inherently cannot be positive. They will always find something that would upset them.

Have you ever been with someone who was in a bad mood on the boat? And him being your buddy? Stop killing the freaking mood. Enjoy life, it continues even after someone steps on your fin.

It has been my observation that people tend to forget why they are on the boat. All psyched about the safety and proper decorum, they forget to have fun.

Have fun, people, don't dwell on the negatives. Forgive and forget. Enjoy life to the fullest, don't let small things get to you. Remember why you are on the boat. Seriously, why are you on the boat?

 

[boulderjohn]

Wow. Some people are able to make "clueless" into an art.

Believe me, he was more clueless than I indicated. I was his roommate for the entire two week trip. Several years later I ran into him in a dive shop. He came up to me and introduced himself, telling me that he was a photographer who took a lot of undersea pictures I might be interested in purchasing. He had no memory of my being his roommate for two weeks, and I did not enlighten him.

 

[Hatul]

Believe me, he was more clueless than I indicated. I was his roommate for the entire two week trip. Several years later I ran into him in a dive shop. He came up to me and introduced himself, telling me that he was a photographer who took a lot of undersea pictures I might be interested in purchasing. He had no memory of my being his roommate for two weeks, and I did not enlighten him.

That's why serious photographers dive solo. It takes a lot of work and concentration to get good underwater shots.

 

[divenski]

I don't want to start an argument - I believe in being friendly with posts. But with all the stressors on coral reefs these days, the last thing that the ocean needs is divers who have no respect for the animals we profess to love and to want to see. We, as ocean enthusiasts, have a moral obligation to protect and respect the environment we enter, which includes not touching, moving, banging against, or otherwise disturbing critters (including coral.) We do have some impact just by being there, but we should do everything we can to do no harm. And we should encourage others to do the same. Sometimes that encouragement needs to be after the dive, on the boat, in a friendly way "You probably don't realize this, but you ....." and if it's extreme behavior, then it needs to happen as an intervention underwater.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I don't want to start an argument

And yet you are about to...

You can only control yourself - end of discussion - be a model in that behavior and I hope it works for you.

Touch me or my equipment underwater and you will be asking for a lot of trouble both underwater and when you get to the surface. Don't assume you are the scuba police or you may get knocked out or off your pedestal...

 

[divenski]

No, I don't think one needs to argue. I'm grateful we have this forum to express our opinions and share them with others. All are entitled to theirs. We can respectfully disagree, but be satisfied that we are provoking thought and interest from other divers.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Sorry - that was not a threat or an argument - it was a promise... Now I feel better having expressed my thought provoking opinion...

Everyone needs to play nice and enjoy the dive.

 

[Bob DBF]

I tend to keep my unwritten rules unwritten, that way they don't get confused with the written ones.



Bob
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When you’re dead you won’t know it, but your friends will be sad for you. Being stupid works the same way.