Dive Boat Etiquette

[Donnah]

1. If you must go down immediately after your buddy, be ready and right behind him.
2. It's all right to say "Excuse me, I'd like to jump in while you are putting your fins on."
3. It's no big deal if you and your buddy can't enter immediately after each other. Unless it's terrible current and no vis (and why would you be diving?), you will find each other. On drift dives, the captain may have to reposition the boat several times while divers are getting in.
4. Sometimes when there is a lot of current on the surface, everyone will just pile off the boat without air in the BC, descend and meet at the bottom.
5. I was taught that you and your buddy jump off together, meet on the surface, exchange OKs, descend together... That doesn't always happen in real life.

 

[Dhboner]

4. Sometimes when there is a lot of current on the surface, everyone will just pile off the boat without air in the BC, descend and meet at the bottom.

That is an advanced technique on "hot drops" and not good advice for an inexperienced diver (like the OP). No air in the wing and a tank valve that was inadvertently turned off is a recipe for disaster.

5. I was taught that you and your buddy jump off together, meet on the surface, exchange OKs, descend together... That doesn't always happen in real life.[/QUOTE]

It should happen in real life...if it doesn't you and your buddy need to plan the dive more carefully.

 

[Steve_C]

Some of the previous advice while often appropriate may not be here. This is the Spiegel. It can have a ripping surface current. Boats tie up to buoys. You do a hot drop at this site under these conditions and you are likely to never see the wreck. With luck you will be seen again. You do not go down the tag line. That greatly increases your work effort.

When I have dove it there has been a line coming back from the where the boat ties into the buoy line. You step off and immediately grab that line. Do a quick I am ok and you slowly pull yourself forward until you get to the down line. With luck, which I have had, the current drops off once you get 30 or 40 ft down. Deck is at 100 ft.

Friend was on a Spiegel trip where some folks just went off the back and hesitated for a few seconds. He wound up having to make some rescue surface swims.

-----And always breath on the reg while looking at your gauge just before entering the water for EVREY dive.

 

[ekremer]

4. Sometimes when there is a lot of current on the surface, everyone will just pile off the boat without air in the BC, descend and meet at the bottom. That is an advanced technique on "hot drops" and not good advice for an inexperienced diver (like the OP). No air in the wing and a tank valve that was inadvertently turned off is a recipe for disaster. 5. I was taught that you and your buddy jump off together, meet on the surface, exchange OKs, descend together... That doesn't always happen in real life. It should happen in real life...if it doesn't you and your buddy need to plan the dive more carefully.

The Spiegel grove is not a basic dive, and not really great for new divers anyway. the depth ranges from 80 to 130 feet, and the current can be heavy. waiting at the surface for this dive is not a great idea on a lot of days. Spiegel Grove Personally you should have asked to get past the solo diver so your dive team could enter together. If that wasn't possible, a normal descent, and meet up at the desired depth, preferable protected from the current.

 

[Dhboner]

I'm not comfortable with the notion that it is okay to get separated and meet at the bottom... at least not for inexperienced divers. I mean everyone has to follow their comfort zone but I have seen far too many issues happen on the descent. I can understand a hot drop in high current with a boat full of experienced divers but not on your average recreational charter. When I dive with my team we enter the water, meet at the surface (hang on a line if there is current), do our surface checks then descend when everyone is ready. We stop at 10 feet or so briefly for a bubble check then continue to the target. I have personally had a major drysuit leak on the descent, a blown LP hose, a free flow...all of which were resolved on the descent because my team mates were with me...except the drysuit leak

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Here is a case where safety and etiquette come together. Darren Dodge, I unashamedly recommend our books to you, The Scuba Snob's' Guide to Diving Etiquette, and The Scuba Snobs' Guide to Diving Etiquette Book 2, each of which has a big section on day boat dive etiquette. One emphasis is not crowding, waiting your turn, not loitering, etc. There is also lots of stuff on Buddy diving, and all of it is illustrated with more or less funny stories. Sorry you had some rude people on the boat. Enjoy your diving and enjoy the books,, available about everywhere online as ebook or paperback.
DivemasterDennis

 

[fnfalman]

I would have tapped the solo diver on the shoulder and be polite, "Sir, I am next in line and my buddy waits for me below."

 

[divin'dog]

It's okay to let someone know that you want to stay together with your buddy to enter the water. If they are any kind of a decent diver, they will understand. Stay together when entering and upon descent, esp if it is somewhat of a hot drop/lots of current.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Divers rushing ahead of the second buddy and thereby separating the second buddy from the first buddy who is already in the water is a common occurrence. Sometimes it occurs because the second buddy is held up briefly by an equipment issue. In that case, it's expedient to let the next buddy pair (or solo diver or whoever is ready) go ahead of the second buddy. However, I agree with the others who said the first buddy should wait on the line until the second buddy catches up, and then they should descend down the line together. It is not much of a nuisance for the next buddy pair to slide past the first buddy waiting on the line. My wife and I find ourselves in this situation frequently. We have a rule that whoever is first in the water waits on the line for the other, and then we descend together.

 

[chillyinCanada]

The situation described by the OP leaves me to think that indeed the solo diver was not only not following boat etiquette but probably hadn't realized who comprised the buddy team. In the latter, he merely made the mistake of believing a buddy team had just jumped and descended, ergo a good time for him to go. However, it was not being ready (fins) that was the true breach in etiquette. Had he been correct in his assumption that a complete buddy team had gone before him, he would still most likely have been holding up other divers that were also ready to go.