Just finished the worst dive trip ever.
- Thread starter hammet
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Just tell them you need a moment of quiet and would be happy to continue the conversation during the dive.
We were on a liveaboard in the Red Sea with a very obnoxious guy that wouldn't stop talking - it was really bad. The boat was half empty and it was hard to avoid him. After only one day the rest of the divers got together and strategized ways to help each other out if we were trapped by the talker. We would interrupt each other, ask questions, draw the other person away on some pretext if he cornered one of us. We also agreed to all eat together to dilute his opportunities to monopolize the conversation.
At the end of the trip he offered his contact information and we politely took it and thanked him, but we didn't offer our information. The really ironic thing is that we saw him again later during the trip. We decided to see the light show at the pyramids one evening and after we had taken seats he suddenly showed up and sat down next to me! He kept talking during the show until I finally said "Please, I want to hear this!" and then I steadfastly ignored him. We politely declined his offer to get something to drink after the show or to meet up the next day.
Cairo is a city of 10 million and yet we bumped into him! I feel sorry for people like that, they must be lonely so I try to be kind, but you can't let them ruin an expensive and important trip that you have waited for and dreamed about!
BTW, if you are ever in Cairo, the Pyramids and Sphinx are wonderful to see during the day, but don't bother going to the light show at night. It may look cool in a James Bond movie with Roger Moore and Jaws slipping in and out of the shadows, but it is hookey and boring in real life and it goes on for ages!
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OP
hammet
Contributor
My thread title was a tad sarcastic.
I’d have no problem telling the PITA to shut up.
OP
hammet
Contributor
Honestly, he was a nice guy. And I don't even mind the talkative types. I'm reminded of the scene in the beginning of crimson tide when gene hackman complements denzel washington on knowing when shut up and enjoy the view and not talk it away.
That being said, it was the close talking that got drove me batshit as his spit was practically going into my mouth. ick.
John Bantin
Contributor
In his eighties, Stan looked a little frail on board but in the water things were different. I enjoyed watching people who had been alive for less time than the total time Stan had been underwater, giving him advice on diving! He always met them with good humor!
Very nice post John.
One of the great things about diving is that you can continue to dive into "old age".
The forgiving weightlessness, the familiarity with your dive gear, all adds to a great
experience.
Nice thread no doubt. Usually I say "let's talk later". Then if later the person does come by and chats, I say it again: "let's talk later." If later in the trip the person still annoys me, I would say: "can we talk later." It works and its easy to say. What usually happens is that the offender becomes offended at you.
If this occurs on the plane en route to your destination, ask the offender: "how much did you pay for your airfare?" What ever they say, cut the price in 1/2 and state I paid xx. Flight attendant taught me the last trick.
If this occurs on the plane en route to your destination, ask the offender: "how much did you pay for your airfare?" What ever they say, cut the price in 1/2 and state I paid xx. Flight attendant taught me the last trick.
Years ago, I was coaching youth basketball. One kid chattered non-stop, would not shut up. Drove me and the other kids nuts.He wore braces, and I convinced his mom to get him a mouthpiece so he wouldn't cut his lip, and I told him to wear it to practice. Perfect! He just mumbled the whole time. Next week he shows up without the mouthpiece. I asked him where it was. He says: "Coach, I couldn't talk with it, so I threw it away." He's a lawyer now.
TONY CHANEY
Contributor
I find that usually nonstop talkers are talking due to nervousness. I have seen them a lot on dive boats and dive sites and they tell you about all the vacation dives that they have been on or done. Later you find out, usually the hard way, that they only dust off the gear once a year for a tourist vacation and dive. I can easily engage in conversation and usually enjoy it. I will never be the guy who would say, "STFU." But I will say, "I would like to think about the dive for a few minutes before we splash." This is very true for me. I like to "get into character" prior to the dive and will easily suggest the same to the talker. Now that I have a rebreather, I usually get more questions and several wanting to talk but, it is easy to say, "not now I have to do my pre or post dive checklist and we can talk later." I also was on a dive boat for a tech dive and I was the one talking to a friend who had just started rebreather diving. I got "The Halt Hand signal" to stop talking so he could focus on the pre dive checklist. The hand works every time without being an a$$.
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