camkole
Registered
Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but you have to wonder what skills may be missing during the dive if the diver can't assemble gear. A safety thing. Years before I took OW I was on a cruise ship and passed on what was back then a Discover Scuba, as it's called today. Seemed sketchy, and I was always a "water" person. I don't think you have to live and breathe diving to be OK. But it only makes sense to have the basics down pretty good before doing a charter.
With that said,
you don't know what skills anyone is missing regardless if they know how to set up their gear or not. If you don't know them, you then don't know their experience or skill set since you just met them. There is risk with everyone even experienced divers. It comes with the territory.
I believe that there are times more often than necessary that experienced and season divers tend to condescend and look down on inexperienced divers. It's rude, uncalled for, and immature. We are a community of people with the desire to explore and experience something a lot of people are afraid of doing. We should respect one and another. Just because you have a certification and more experience than another person does not by any means make you a better person. A lot of people don't have the time to dive often and when they do get a chance I'm sure they wouldn't want someone ruining that for them because they were a jerk. Be grateful you have the extra time to dive as much as you do.